Abstract
The crested porcupine Hystrix cristata is one of the most well-known members of the Family Hystricidae, yet very little is known regarding its geographic variability in Africa. Two alternative hypotheses exist; pre-1940s classical taxonomy supported the existence of a distinct Eastern African species, Hystrix galeata, whereas recent molecular data seem to support only a North-South separation inside one single species, with the geographic-ecological barrier represented by the Sahara desert. Our morphometric data support the recognition of Hystrix cristata senegalica Cuvier, 1822 as the sub-Saharan representative of the species with a clear morphological difference between the North African and sub-Saharan crested porcupines, which seem re-conductible mostly to size difference. Within H. c. senegalica, our analysis seems to support a weak separation between the West African and the East African samples. Owing to considerable qualitative skull differences and overlooked molecular data, the taxonomic status of H. galeata remains uncertain as well as the status of porcupines of North-East Africa (Nubia). Our results also highlight the role of North Africa (mainly the Maghreb) as a refuge for the nominal taxon. This suggests that intraspecific variability is presently overlooked and that further integrative studies and more samples are needed to adequately assess the geographic variability of sub-Saharan crested porcupines.
Highlights
The Crested porcupine Hystrix cristata Linnaeus, 1758 is among the most studied species among the Old World family Hystricidae, especially thanks to several studies conducted in the European range of the species i.e. peninsular Italy and Sicily (Santini, 1980; Pigozzi, 1997; Amori & Angelici, 1999; Mori et al, 2016) while the species continues to be incorrectly reported as present in Greece and Albania (Happold 2013) but has never been present in that area
Due to damaged or incomplete parts of some skulls, were present for some measurements with a percentage ranging from 1% up to a maximum of 14% (NL = 4.4%, Interorbital maximum width (IW) = 1.1%, Zygomatic maximum width (ZW) = 14.4%, Zygomatic process minimum width (ZPW) = 5.5%, Foramen occipitalis width (FOW) = 3.3%, Exoccipitalis height (EOH) = 3.3%, Bullae tympanicae width (BW) = 2.2%, PTW = 5.5%, Basioccipitalis width (BOW) = 5.5%, Mandibular length (ML) = 3.3%, maximum height (MH) = 1.1%, CA = 6.7%, condylar process to alveolar beginning (CAB) = 1.1%, condylar process to dental foramen (CAF) = 1.1%)
The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) performed on the complete dataset (Fig. 2) shows the presence of a remarkable morphological variation along the first PC axis that explains 69.35% of the total variance
Summary
The Crested porcupine Hystrix cristata Linnaeus, 1758 is among the most studied species among the Old World family Hystricidae, especially thanks to several studies conducted in the European range of the species i.e. peninsular Italy and Sicily (Santini, 1980; Pigozzi, 1997; Amori & Angelici, 1999; Mori et al, 2016) while the species continues to be incorrectly reported as present in Greece and Albania (Happold 2013) but has never been present in that area. The monotypic Hystrix cristata occurs from desert oasis to 3,550 a.s.l. in Ethiopia (Afework Bekele & Yalden, 2013), along a wide geographic range encompassing several well-known centers of endemism such as the Somali Desert or the Ethiopian Dome (Moodly & Bruford, 2007) It is not clear if this wide distribution range may reflect its wellknown ecological adaptability, and ability to overcome important biogeographical barriers such as the Nile Basin, the Ethiopian Highlands or the Sahara Desert – including the palaeo Chad Basin (Douady et al, 2003; Lihoreau et al, 2006), or alternatively if a more complex biogeographical history is masked by an oversimplified taxonomy, as is suspected with the African golden wolf, here referred to as the Canis anthus complex (Gippoliti, 2020), a taxon occurring over the same wide geographic range of Hystrix cristata. Molecular studies led some support to the hypothesis of a recent introduction of the Italian population (despite a genetic substructuring that it is not in agreement with a recent introduction) revealing a strong affinity between the Italian and Maghreb populations, while highlighting the existence of a distinct sub-Saharan clade that apparently extends in coastal Libya (see Trucchi & Sbordoni, 2009)
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