Abstract

GIMENEZ, Analía L.; GIANNINI, Norberto P.  and  ALMEIDA, Francisca C.. MITOCHONDRIAL GENETIC DIFFERENTIATION AND PHYLOGENETIC RELATIONSHIPS OF THREE Eptesicus (Histiotus) SPECIES IN A CONTACT ZONE IN PATAGONIADiferenciación genética mitocondrial y relaciones filogenéticas entre tres especies de Eptesicus (Histiotus) en una zona de contacto en la Patagonia. Mastozool. neotrop. [online]. 2019, vol.26, n.2, pp.350-358.  Epub Mar 11, 2019. ISSN 0327-9383.

Eptesicus (Histiotus) magellanicus is a relatively rare and poorly known Patagonian endemic.This species is currently recognized as a valid, but until recently some authors treated it as a subspecies of E. (H.) montanus. In fact, no molecular data exist to support the distinctiveness of the former. In Patagonia, the distribution of these two species overlap marginally; they are also sympatric with a third Histiotus species, E. (H.) macrotus. In this study, we present for the first time molecular data that corroborate morphological evidence of the separation between E. (H.) magellanicus from other Eptesicus (Histiotus) species, in special the ones with which it shares its distribution. We sequenced a nuclear intron (THY) and the cytochrome b (Cyt b) gene from specimens of E. (H.) magellanicus, E. (H.) montanus, and E. (H.) macrotus, collected in the Chubut Province (Argentina), and from an undescribed Eptesicus (Histiotus) species from Peru. We included these sequences in a phylogenetic analysis together with previously published sequences of four typical Eptesicus species. The THY intron showed very little variation, while the Cyt b phylogeny recovered three highly supported Histiotusclades. A highly supported clade comprising all specimens of E. (H.) magellanicus was the first to split off Histiotus, suggesting that the Andean region was important during the early diversification of the genus. Unexpectedly, the clade containing the specimens of E. (H.) macrotus and E. (H.) montanus showed no internal resolution, either questioning their mutual identity as a separate species, or suggesting the occurrence of local hybridization and introgression.

Keywords : citocromo b; filogenia; murciélago orejón marrón del sur; Patagonia; tirotropina.