Abstract
Great gerbil (Rhombomys opimus Lichtenstein, 1823) is distributed in Central Asia and some parts of the Middle East. It is widely found in central and northeast parts of Iran with two distinct genetic lineages: R. o. sodalis in the northern slopes of the Elburz Mountains and R. o. sargadensis in the southern slopes. This large rodent acts as the main host of natural focal diseases. No study has surveyed the ecological niche of the lineages and how their distribution might be influenced by different climatic variables. To examine the distribution patterns of this murid rodent, we aimed to determine the habitat preferences and effects of environmental variables on the ecological niche. Using a species distribution approach for modeling of regional niche specialization, suitable habitats predicted for R. o. sodalis were mainly located in Golestan province in northern Iran, along the northern slope of Elburz, while R. o. sargadensis, showed great potential distribution along the southern slope of Elburz and around the Kavir Desert and the Lut Desert. Despite the widest potential distribution of R. o. sargadensis from northeast to northwest and through Central Iran, the geographic range of R. o. sodalis was smaller and mostly confined to Golestan province. The results support the presence of the two genetic lineages of Rhombomys in Iran and confirm that there is no significant niche overlap between the two subspecies. Furthermore, it provided several perspectives for future taxonomic studies and prevention hygiene programs for public health.
Highlights
Great gerbil (Rhombomys opimus Lichtenstein, 1823), which is generally considered to be a monotypic species based on coloration and size [1], is known to be distributed throughout Central Asia and some parts of the Middle East, including Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, North China, South Mongolia, Iran, northern Afghanistan, and southwest Pakistan [2, 3]
An accurate number of subspecies critically need to be estimated in a future taxonomic revision, but provisionally can be accepted as six: R. o. opimus (Lichtenstein, 1823) (Uzbekistan, western, central and southern Kazakhstan), R. o. giganteus (Buchner, 1889) (China: northern Xinjiang, southeastern Kazakhstan, southwestern Mongolia), R. o. nigrescens (Satunin, 1903) (Mongolia, China: Gansu, Inner Mongolia, southeastern Xinjiang), R. o. fumicolor Heptner, 1933 (Fergana Valley), R. o. sodalis Goodwin, 1939, and R. o. sargadensis Heptner, 1939 [2]
Species distribution models obtained by MAXENT showed that precipitation of the driest month (Bio14) and precipitation seasonality (Bio15) are the most important predictor variable determining the current distribution of R. o. sodalis, while the most important variables for R. o. sargadensis are precipitation of the coldest quarter (Bio19) and precipitation of the wettest month (Bio13) (Table 1)
Summary
Great gerbil (Rhombomys opimus Lichtenstein, 1823), which is generally considered to be a monotypic species based on coloration and size [1], is known to be distributed throughout Central Asia and some parts of the Middle East, including Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, North China, South Mongolia, Iran, northern Afghanistan, and southwest Pakistan [2, 3]. This species is abundant in harsh climatic conditions. An accurate number of subspecies critically need to be estimated in a future taxonomic revision, but provisionally can be accepted as six: R. o. opimus (Lichtenstein, 1823) (Uzbekistan, western, central and southern Kazakhstan), R. o. giganteus (Buchner, 1889) (China: northern Xinjiang, southeastern Kazakhstan, southwestern Mongolia), R. o. nigrescens (Satunin, 1903) (Mongolia, China: Gansu, Inner Mongolia, southeastern Xinjiang), R. o. fumicolor Heptner, 1933 (Fergana Valley), R. o. sodalis Goodwin, 1939 (northeastern Iran, Turkmenistan, northern Afghanistan), and R. o. sargadensis Heptner, 1939 (central and southeastern Iran, southern Afghanistan, Pakistan) [2]
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