Publications des scientifiques de l'IRD

Ndiaye A., Tatard C., Stanley W., Granjon Laurent. (2016). Taxonomic hypotheses regarding the genus Gerbillus (Rodentia, Muridae, Gerbillinae) based on molecular analyses of museum specimens. Zookeys, (566), p. 145-155. ISSN 1313-2989.

Titre du document
Taxonomic hypotheses regarding the genus Gerbillus (Rodentia, Muridae, Gerbillinae) based on molecular analyses of museum specimens
Année de publication
2016
Type de document
Article référencé dans le Web of Science WOS:000370338600005
Auteurs
Ndiaye A., Tatard C., Stanley W., Granjon Laurent
Source
Zookeys, 2016, (566), p. 145-155 ISSN 1313-2989
Methodological improvements now allow routine analyses of highly degraded DNA samples as found in museum specimens. Using these methods could be useful in studying such groups as rodents of the genus Gerbillus for which i) the taxonomy is still highly debated, ii) collection of fresh specimens may prove difficult. Here we address precise taxonomic questions using a small portion of the cytochrome b gene obtained from 45 dry skin/skull museum samples (from 1913 to 1974) originating from two African and three Asian countries. The specimens were labelled G. gerbillus, G. andersoni, G. nanus, G. amoenus, G. perpallidus and G. pyramidum, and molecular results mostly confirmed these assignations. The close relationship between G. nanus (Asian origin) and G. amoenus (African origin) confirmed that they represent vicariant sibling species which differentiated in allopatry on either side of the Red Sea. In the closely related G. perpallidus and G. pyramidum, specimens considered as belonging to one G. pyramidum subspecies (G. p. floweri) appeared closer to G. perpallidus suggesting that they (G. p. floweri and G. perpallidus) may represent a unique species, distributed on both sides of the Nile River, for which the correct name should be G. floweri. Furthermore, the three other G. pyramidum subspecies grouped together with no apparent genetic structure suggesting that they may not yet represent genetically differentiated lineages. This study confirms the importance of using these methods on museum samples, which can open new perspectives in this particular group as well as in other groups of interest.
Plan de classement
Sciences du monde animal [080]
Description Géographique
EGYPTE ; SOUDAN ; AFGHANISTAN ; INDE ; PAKISTAN
Localisation
Fonds IRD [F B010066246]
Identifiant IRD
fdi:010066246
Contact