Molecular characterization of spiny hedgehogs of the Iberian Peninsula: the missing link in the postglacial colonization of the western European hedgehog

Abstract

The western European hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus is the most representative species among spiny Iberian hedgehogs. The Algerian hedgehog Atelerix algirus and the four-toed hedgehog Atelerix albiventris are other spiny hedgehogs that can be found on the Iberian Peninsula. Whereas A. algirus has a limited distribution in a narrow stretch of east Iberia and a doubtful native/introduced origin, A. albiventris is considered an exogenous species potentially introduced because of their commercialization as pets. Because all three species are kept in captivity, we may found unpredictable phenotypic appearance of breeding specimens, making the use of molecular markers necessary to unequivocally identify hedgehog species. We used two mitochondrial genes (cytochrome b and ribosomal 12S) to identify species that distributed on the Iberian Peninsula. We identified some Algerian hedgehogs, A. algirus, and delimited the current distribution of this specie to the eastern Iberian coast from Barcelona southwards. We found a few A. albiventris exemplars in natural populations, which represent the first record of this exotic species in Europe. We focused on gene diversity and phylogenetic analyses of the most abundant species E. europaeus and aimed to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships and putative routes of colonization from the Iberian glacial refuges. We found two divergent lineages of an ancient origin with a geographical pattern of distribution delimited by the Ebro River. The northeast lineage was indicated as the glacial refuge that contributed to a rapid postglacial colonization of west Europe from the Iberian Peninsula.