Not the Cryptic Species: Diversity of Hipposideros gentilis (Chiroptera: Hipposideridae) in Indochina

Alexander P Yuzefovich,Ilya V Artyushin,Sergei V Kruskop

doi:10.3390/d13050218

Alexander P Yuzefovich, Ilya V Artyushin + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/d13050218

Copy DOI

Journal: Diversity	Publication Date: May 19, 2021
Citations: 7	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Lomonosov Moscow State University

Abstract

We present here the result of phylogenetic analysis for Vietnamese Hipposideros gentilis specimens using 7 nuclear genes and one mitochondrial gene. The complex distribution of divergent mitochondrial DNA lineages contradicts, at least in part, nuclear and morphological data. The most likely explanation for this discordance is the historical hybridization between ancestral populations of H. gentilis and H. rotalis/H. khaokhouayensis. Our data supports the species status of H. gentilis, while only partially corroborating its previously proposed subspecies delimitation. We suggest the lowland forest populations from south Vietnam may correspond to their own subspecies. At the same time, the close phylogenetic relationship and morphological similarity of mountain forms from south and central Vietnam to the north Vietnamese populations make doubtful the subspecies status of H. gentilis sinensis.

Highlights

Hipposideros gentilis (Chiroptera: Hipposideros is the core genus to Hipposideridae (Old World leaf-nosed bats), a bat taxon prominent in Southeast Asia
Our research is based on the Zoological Museum of Moscow State University (ZMMU)
Phylogeny reconstructed from cytb sequences mostly corroborates previously published

Summary

Introduction

Hipposideros gentilis (Chiroptera: Hipposideros is the core genus to Hipposideridae (Old World leaf-nosed bats), a bat taxon prominent in Southeast Asia. It is one of the largest mammalian genera, retaining a highly complicated taxonomy even after having lost two of its former species groups, namely “commersoni” and “cyclops” [1,2]. Hipposideros bicolor is a group that comprises the most forms. Many of them are similar in morphology, and their taxonomic placement is often uncertain. Significant efforts were dedicated to solving this puzzle (e.g., [3,4,5]). One of the common Southeast Asian species of leaf-nosed bats from the “bicolor”

Methods

Results

Conclusion