Hanova A. auteur aut IRD Konecny A. auteur aut IRD Nicolas V. auteur aut IRD Denys C. auteur aut IRD Granjon Laurent auteur aut IRD Lavrenchenko L. A. auteur aut IRD Sumbera R. auteur aut IRD Mikula O. auteur aut IRD Bryja J. auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf born digital access Murine rodents are one of the most evolutionary successful groups of extant mammals. They are also important for human as vectors and reservoirs of zoonoses and agricultural pests. Unfortunately, their fast and relatively recent diversification impedes our understanding of phylogenetic relationships and species limits of many murine taxa, including those with very conspicuous phenotype that has been frequently used for taxonomic purposes. One of such groups are the striped grass mice (genus Lemniscomys), distributed across sub-Saharan Africa in 11 currently recognized species. These are traditionally classified into three morphological groups according to different pelage colouration on the back: (a) L. barbarus group (three species) with several continuous pale longitudinal stripes; (b) L. striatus group (four species) with pale stripes diffused into short lines or dots; and (c) L. griselda group (four species) with a single mid-dorsal black stripe. Here we reconstructed the most comprehensive molecular phylogeny of the genus Lemniscomys to date, using the largest currently available multi-locus genetic dataset of all but two species. The results show four main lineages (=species complexes) with the distribution corresponding to the major biogeographical regions of Africa. Surprisingly, the four phylogenetic lineages are only in partial agreement with the morphological classification, suggesting that the single-stripe and/or multi-striped phenotypes evolved independently in multiple lineages. Divergence dating showed the split of Lemniscomys and Arvicanthis genera at the beginning of Pleistocene; most of subsequent speciation processes within Lemniscomys were affected by Pleistocene climate oscillations, with predominantly allopatric diversification in fragmented savanna biome. We propose taxonomic suggestions and directions for future research of this striking group of African rodents. specialized Striped pelage colouration Grass mouse Phylogeny Sub-Saharan Africa Biogeography Zebra mouse AFRIQUE SUBSAHARIENNE 080 155 107007 [14 p.] 2021 1055-7903 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010080621 10.1016/j.ympev.2020.107007 1055-7903 [F B010080621] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010080621 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/intranet/publi/2021/02/010080621.pdf Accès réservé (Intranet de l'IRD) IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2021-03-10 2025-02-24 fdi:010080621 fre