Molecular phylogeny and taxonomy of the genus Nectogale (Mammalia: Eulipotyphla: Soricidae).

ABSTRACT: The elegant water shrew, Nectogale elegans, is one of the small mammal species most adapted to a semi-aquatic lifestyle. The taxonomy of the genus Nectogale has received little attention due to difficulties in specimen collection. In this study, we sequenced one mitochondrial and eight nuclear genes to infer the phylogenetic relationship of Nectogale. Phylogenetic analyses revealed two large clades within Nectogale. One clade represented N. elegans, and the other was regarded as N. sikhimensis. The split between N. elegans and N. sikhimensis dated back to the early Pleistocene (2.15 million years ago [Ma]), which might be relevant to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) uplift. The morphological comparison showed several distinguishing cha

SUBMITTER: Fan R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9596327 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature