Shrew Species Research Articles

Design of Adaptive Behavior Seen in a Shrew Species (Suncus murinus)

Design of Adaptive Behavior Seen in a Shrew Species (Suncus murinus)

Distribution of Shrews from Genus Sorex Linnaeus, 1758 (Mammalia: Insectivora) on the Territory of Republic of Moldova

The studies were accomplished between 2003-2007 in various natural and anthropogenic ecosystem types from different zones of R. Moldova. At the whole 127 Common shrews (Sorex araneus) and 98 Lesser shrews (S. minutus) were collected. Statistical, body and cranial morphological parameters were studied. S. araneus is common and the most spread species and more tolerant to the environment conditions and to anthropogenic activity by comparing to other shrew species. It was recorded in the majority of studied natural and anthropogenic biotopes (frequency = 94%). The lesser shrew is also rather spread all over the republic territory (frequency = 88%), but it is less numerous (abundance = 33% among shrews).

New species of shrew (Soricidae: Crocidura) from Sibuyan Island, Philippines

Recent molecular phylogenetic studies of Southeast Asian shrews (Crocidura) suggest that Crocidura mindorus, as currently defined, is diphyletic. The species is reported from Mindoro (type locality) and Sibuyan islands in the Philippines, each of which has been isolated from other land masses over considerable geological timescales. We examined morphological evidence to determine whether the Mindoro and Sibuyan populations represent distinct, endemic species. We found that the two populations differ in discrete and mensural characters. This evidence, combined with previous molecular phylogenetic studies, confirms that the Sibuyan population is an isolated, independently evolving lineage, and we formally describe it as a new species, Crocidura ninoyi.

Discarded Bottles as a Source of Shrew Species Distributional Data along an Elevational Gradient in the Southern Appalachians

Discarded bottles were inspected for skeletal remains at 220 roadside sites along the southeastern Blue Ridge escarpment of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia as a technique to examine the regional distributions of shrews. Vertebrate remains were found at approximately 63% of our study sites and in 4.5% of the open bottles we examined. Bottles collected a total of 553 specimens of small mammals representing 5 species of shrews and 6 species of rodents. The Northern Short-tailed Shrew (Blarina brevicauda) and the Smoky Shrew (Sorex fumeus) were abundant and distributed throughout the region, although Smoky Shrews were more strongly associated with mesic environments and higher altitudes ( = 940.1 m ± 25.4 m). The Masked Shrew (S. cinereus) and the Southeastern Shrew (S. longirostris) exhibited contiguous allopatry, with Masked Shrews occurring exclusively in mesic forest habitats at high elevations ( = 1126.7 ± 27.4 m), and Southeastern Shrews occurring only in xeric habitats at lower elevations ( = 503.7 ± 64.9 m). Our study demonstrates the utility of discarded bottles as a quick and effective alternative method for surveying shrews, without the added mortality that occurs from pitfall- or snap-trapping.

Terrestrial small mammal diversity and abundance in central Benin: comparison between habitats, with conservation implications

AbstractWe performed a terrestrial small mammal species inventory in the Agoua and Wari‐Maro forest reserves (Benin). Four localities were sampled, and in each locality, three habitats were surveyed: dense forest, open forest or woodland savannah and shrub savannah. This is the first comprehensive inventory for small mammals in central Benin. We captured 794 small mammals representing twenty species (six shrew species, fourteen rodent species). Three new species that need to be described were recorded. We observed a mixture of both true forest species and of species adapted to a wider range of habitats ranging from savannah to forest clearings. Species with either Sudanian or Guinea–Congolian affinities were recorded, as well as a new species endemic to Togo and Benin. This rich biodiversity underlines the urgent need for an effective protection of these forests. The Sudanian species Crocidura cf. foxi was more abundant in Wari‐Maro than in Agoua forest, while the Guineo–Congolian species Praomys misonnei and Hylomyscus sp were only captured in Agoua forest. These results are in agreement with the fact that these two forests belong to two distinct chorological zones.

High-latitude diversification within Eurasian least shrews and Alaska tiny shrews (Soricidae)

A novel shrew was discovered recently in Alaska and described based on morphological characters as Sorex yukonicus. This species is closely allied to Sorex minutissimus, a widespread shrew ranging through Eurasia. Together their distribution spans Beringia, a large Pleistocene nonglaciated area that connected Asia and North America. Beringia was repeatedly divided due to raised sea levels during Pleistocene interglacials and subsequently reconnected during glacials. We tested predictions related to the influence of large-scale geologic events on genetic variability through a phylogeographic analysis of both species of shrew using evidence from 3 independent genetic loci. We found low genetic divergence between S. minutissimus and S. yukonicus across continents. However, major phylogeographic breaks were found for Eurasian and Maritime Northeast Asia populations. Neither species is reciprocally monophyletic for any of the loci examined. Coalescence times for all pairwise population comparisons within both species fall within the Wisconsinan–Weichselian glacial (,130 thousand years ago), and significant population expansion estimates date to the Holocene suggesting that divergence between these taxa is minimal and may not warrant recognition of 2 distinct species. Phylogeographic relationships and sequence divergence estimates place populations of North American S. yukonicus and Siberian S. minutissimus as most closely related, and together they are sister to European S. minutissimus. We conclude that populations east and west of the Bering Strait represent a single Holarctic species, S. minutissimus. Temporal changes in range based on ecological niche predictions and a comparative assessment of other codistributed taxa provide a preliminary view of potential Last Glacial Maximum refugia in northern Asia. DOI: 10.1644/09-MAMM-A-402.1.

Phylogeny and conservation priorities of afrotherian mammals (Afrotheria, Mammalia)

Kuntner, M., May‐Collado, L. J. & Agnarsson, I. (2010). Phylogeny and conservation priorities of afrotherian mammals (Afrotheria, Mammalia). —Zoologica Scripta, 40, 1–15.Phylogenies play an increasingly important role in conservation biology providing a species‐specific measure of biodiversity – evolutionary distinctiveness (ED) or phylogenetic diversity (PD) – that can help prioritize conservation effort. Currently, there are many available methods to integrate phylogeny and extinction risk, with an ongoing debate on which may be best. However, the main constraint on employing any of these methods to establish conservation priorities is the lack of detailed species‐level phylogenies. Afrotheria is a recently recognized clade grouping anatomically and biologically diverse placental mammals: elephants and mammoths, dugong and manatees, hyraxes, tenrecs, golden moles, elephant shrews and aardvark. To date, phylogenetic studies have focused on understanding higher level relationships among the major groups within Afrotheria. Here, we provide a species‐level phylogeny of Afrotheria based on nine molecular loci, placing nearly 70% of the extant afrotherian species (50) and five extinct species. We then use this phylogeny to assess conservation priorities focusing on the widely used evolutionary distinctiveness and global endangeredness (EDGE) method and how that compares to the more recently developed PD framework. Our results support the monophyly of Afrotheria and its sister relationship to Xenarthra. Within Afrotheria, the basal division into Afroinsectiphilia (aardvark, tenrecs, golden moles and elephant shrews) and Paenungulata (hyraxes, dugongs, manatees and elephants) is supported, as is the monophyly of all afrotherian families: Elephantidae, Procaviidae, Macroscelididae, Chrysochloridae, Tenrecidae, Trichechidae and Dugongidae. Within Afroinsectiphilia, we recover the most commonly proposed topology (Tubulidentata sister to Afroscoricida plus Macroscelidea). Within Paenungulata, Sirenia is sister to Hyracoidea plus Proboscidea, a controversial relationship supported by morphology. Within Proboscidea, the mastodon is sister to the remaining elephants and the woolly mammoth sister to the Asian elephant, while both living elephant genera, Loxodonta and Elephas are paraphyletic. Top ranking evolutionarily unique species always included the aardvark, followed by several species of elephant shrews and tenrecs. For conservation priorities top ranking species always included the semi‐aquatic Nimba otter shrew, some poorly known species, such as the Northern shrew tenrec, web‐footed tenrec, giant otter shrew and Giant golden mole, as well as high profile conservation icons like Asian elephant, dugong and the three species of manatee. Conservation priority analyses were broadly congruent between the EDGE and PD methodologies. However, for certain species EDGE overestimates conservation urgency as it, unlike PD, fails to account for the status of closely related, but less threatened, species. Therefore, PD offers a better guide to conservation decisions.

Molecular phylogeny of long-tailed shrews (genus Sorex) from México and Guatemala

We present a molecular phylogeny of North American species of long-tailed shrews of the genus Sorex. Our focus is on Mexican and Guatemalan species to begin understanding their evolutionary relationships and to test the validity of nominal species. Seventy-seven sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene were analyzed, including 19 specimens representing nine Mexican and one Guatemalan species. Phylogenetic analyses using parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian approaches revealed two major clades of North American species, all within the subgenus Otisorex. The first major clade includes S. trowbridgii and southern species (S. macrodon from Oaxaca; S. veraecrucis from Nuevo León, Michoacán, Chiapas, S. saussurei from Jalisco and Guatemala; S. veraepacis from Guerrero and Guatemala). Relatively deep branches among taxa characterize this clade and suggest that their early divergence from other North American shrews was soon after arrival of the ancestral stock from the Beringian region. The other major clade includes all other North American species of Sorex we examined, with two Mexican species, S. milleri and S. emarginatus, grouped in a subclade with the S. cinereus complex. Sorex veraecrucis is not, however, a monophyletic taxon because specimens of this nominal species were included in both the major clades. The Isthmus of Tehuantepec has likely played a role as a biogeographic barrier in the evolutionary history of Mexican shrews. This study of mitochondrial variation in southern North American shrews of the genus Sorex indicates there is substantial, previously undetected diversity that necessitates a revision of the taxonomy of S. veraecrucis and S. veraepacis.

Reexamination of Fossil Shrews (Sorexspp.) from the Middle Pleistocene of Honshu Island, Japan

Taxonomic status of fossil Sorex shrew specimens from the late Middle Pleistocene of Honshu Island was addressed. Multivariate analyses of upper and lower jaws were conducted for the fossil specimens as well as for 8 species of Recent Sorex shrews from Japan and adjacent regions. It was confirmed that S. shinto and S. hosonoi already inhabited Honshu Island in the late Middle Pleistocene. Most fossil specimens previously referred to S. minutissimus and S. gracillimus in Honshu should be regarded as S. hosonoi, although some specimens could not be completely distinguished from S. gracillimus. Thus, the appearance of S. hosonoi ascends, at least, to the late Middle Pleistocene during which time they were more broadly distributed, including northern Honshu, than at present (only in central Honshu). Most middle size fossils should be regarded as S. shinto, but at least one specimen was identified as S. caecutiens. It was also demonstrated that other species of Sorex shrews larger than S. shinto and S. hosonoi were present during the Middle Pleistocene of Japan. Most of the large fossils were considered to be S. isodon, which had not been recorded from and is now absent in the Japanese Islands. In addition, there was one specimen of another large species, S. unguiculatus, in Honshu during the Middle Pleistocene, which now is absent in Honshu.

Initial response of small ground-dwelling mammals to forest alternative buffers along headwater streams in the Washington Coast Range, USA

We assessed the short-term effects of alternative designs of forested buffer treatments along headwater streams on small ground-dwelling mammals in managed forests in western Washington, USA. Over three summers (one pretreatment and two posttreatment), we trapped 19 mammalian species along 23 streams in the northern Coast Range. We compared faunal communities in unlogged controls with riparian treatments: (1) clearcuts (no buffer) to the stream bank, (2) clearcuts with continuous buffer strips from a few to 20m each stream side, and (3) clearcuts with small patch (<0.6ha) buffers left to protect sensitive streamside terrain. We estimated abundance (Nˆ) of eight common and three less common species with simple models and capture indices, respectively, and analyzed effects of treatments and community measures on relative abundance compared to controls and over time. Habitat and forest stand changes after treatments included reduced live standing trees and canopy, more dead down wood, and increased ground plant species richness, evenness, and diversity, particularly in the patch and no buffers. The forest obligate Peromyscus keeni significantly declined in all treatments. No other species declined in strip buffers. Species with statistically greater Nˆ in treatments included the early-seral microtine Microtus oregoni, the semi-arboreal generalist Tamias townsendii and the old forest specialist Myodes gapperi in all treatments; the generalist Peromyscus maniculatus in strip and no buffers; and the early-seral riparian Zapus trinotatus in patch buffers. Postlogging trends in Nˆ were negative for two common shrews, Sorex monticolus and Sorex trowbridgii. Moist soil denizen Neurotrichus gibbsii capture rates were significantly lower in clearcut no buffers. Captures were low for two species of semi-aquatic shrews, Sorex bendirii and Sorex palustris, but in general, S. palustris responded poorly to treatments. Windfall was an important proximate influence on buffer function because persistence was low and created structural diversity in dynamic change. The alternative buffers were ineffective in retaining the habitat and relative abundance of individual small mammal species. Species composition similarity also significantly declined in the clearcuts. Change in species richness, evenness, diversity and total mammals captured in treatments however were not different. Control streams maintained faunal biodiversity but abundance of about half of the species changed following treatment. Steep topography, weather events, and small buffer size advanced habitat changes that influenced small mammal response to treatments. Site-specific data are necessary in logging unit planning along headwater streams, if the management goal is the maintenance of communities observed in undisturbed forest.

Influence of coarse woody debris on the soricid community in southeastern Coastal Plain pine stands

Shrew abundance has been linked to the presence of coarse woody debris (CWD), especially downed logs, in many regions in the United States. We investigated the importance of CWD to shrew communities in managed upland pine stands in the southeastern United States Coastal Plain. Using a randomized complete block design, 1 of the following treatments was assigned to twelve 9.3-ha plots: removal (n 5 3; all downed CWD 10 cm in diameter and 60 cm long removed), downed (n 5 3; 5-fold increase in volume of downed CWD), snag (n 5 3; 10-fold increase in volume of standing dead CWD), and control (n 5 3; unmanipulated). Shrews (Blarina carolinensis, Sorex longirostris, and Cryptotis parva) were captured over 7 seasons from January 2007 to August 2008 using drift-fence pitfall trapping arrays within treatment plots. Topographic variables were measured and included as treatment covariates. More captures of B. carolinensis were made in the downed treatment compared to removal, and captures of S. longirostris were greater in downed and snag compared to removal. Captures of C. parva did not differ among treatments. Captures of S. longirostris were positively correlated with slope. Our results suggest that abundance of 2 of the 3 common shrew species of the southeastern Coastal Plain examined in our study is influenced by the presence of CWD. DOI: 10.1644/09MAMM-A-170.1.

Developmental plasticity links local adaptation and evolutionary diversification in foraging morphology

Developmental plasticity is thought to reconcile the constraining role of natural selection in maintaining local adaptation with evolutionary diversification under novel conditions, but empirical documentations are rare. In vertebrates, growth and development of bones is partially guided by contractions of attached musculature and such muscle activity changes progressively through embryonic development from sporadic motility to direct functional effects. In species with short generation times, delayed skull maturation extends the guiding effects of muscle activity on formation of foraging morphology into adulthood, providing an opportunity to directly examine the links between plasticity of bone development, ecological adaptations, and evolutionary diversification in foraging morphology. In this case, the morphological consequences of inputs due to local functional requirements should be evident in adaptive divergence across taxa. Here we provide evidence that epigenetic regulation of bone growth in Soricid shrews may enable both development of local adaptations and evolutionary divergence in mandibular morphology. We contrast the effects of muscle stimulation on early- vs. late-maturing components of, foraging apparatus to show that the morphology of late-maturing components is more affected by functional requirements than are early-ossifying traits. Further, the divergence in foraging morphology across shrew species occurs along the directions delineated by inductive effects of muscle loading and bite force on bone formation in late-maturing but not early-maturing mandible components within species. These results support the hypothesis that developmental plasticity can link maintenance of local adaptations with evolutionary diversification in morphology.

Novel Hantavirus in the Flat-Skulled Shrew (Sorex roboratus)

Genetically distinct hantaviruses have been identified recently in multiple species of shrews (Order Soricomorpha, Family Soricidae) in Eurasia and North America. To corroborate decades-old reports of hantaviral antigens in shrews from Russia, archival liver and lung tissues from 4 Siberian large-toothed shrews (Sorex daphaenodon), 5 Eurasian least shrews (Sorex minutissimus), 12 flat-skulled shrews (Sorex roboratus), and 18 tundra shrews (Sorex tundrensis), captured in the Sakha Republic in northeastern Siberia during July and August 2006, were analyzed for hantavirus RNA by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. A novel hantavirus, named Kenkeme virus, was detected in a flat-skulled shrew. Sequence analysis of the full-length S and partial M and L segments indicated that Kenkeme virus was genetically and phylogenetically distinct from Seewis virus harbored by the Eurasian common shrew (Sorex araneus), as well as all other rodent-, soricid-, and talpid-borne hantaviruses.

Two new species of shrews (Soricidae) from the western highlands of Guatemala

The broad-clawed shrews (Soricomorpha: Soricidae: Cryptotis) encompass a clade of 5 species—Cryptotis alticolus (Merriam), C. goldmani (Merriam), C. goodwini Jackson, C. griseoventris Jackson, and C. peregrinus (Merriam)—that is known collectively as the Cryptotis goldmani group and is characterized by broadened forefeet, elongated and broadened fore claws, and broadened humeri. These shrews are distributed in highland regions from central Mexico to Honduras. Two broad-clawed shrews, C. goodwini and C. griseoventris, occur in southern Mexico and Guatemala and are presumed sister species whose primary distinguishing feature is the larger size of C. goodwini. In an investigation of variation within and between these 2 species, I studied characteristics of the postcranial skeleton. Statistical analyses of a variety of character suites indicate that the forelimb morphology in this group exhibits less intraspecific variation and greater interspecific variation than cranio-mandibular morphology, although most skull characters support groupings based on forelimb characters. Together, these characters define 4 distinct groups among the specimens examined. C. griseoventris is restricted to the northern highlands of Chiapas, Mexico, and C. goodwini occurs in the southern highlands of Chiapas and Guatemala. Herein, I describe 2 new species of broad-clawed shrews from the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes, Guatemala.

First insights into antimicrobial resistance among faecal Escherichia coli isolates from small wild mammals in rural areas

Wild rodents can be carriers of antimicrobial resistant Escherichia coli. As rodents are known to be involved in the transmission of bacteria of human and animal health concern, they could likewise contribute to the dissemination of antimicrobial resistant bacteria in the environment. The aim of this study was therefore to get first insights into the antimicrobial resistance status among E. coli isolated from wild small mammals in rural areas. We tested 188 faecal isolates from eight rodent and one shrew species originating from Germany. Preselected resistant isolates were screened by minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) testing or agar diffusion test and subsequent PCR analysis of resistance genes. The prevalence of antimicrobial resistant isolates was low with only 5.5% of the isolates exhibiting resistant phenotypes against at least one antimicrobial compound including beta-lactams, tetracyclines, aminoglycosides and sulfonamides. These results suggest a minor role of wild rodents from rural areas in the cycle of transmission and spread of antimicrobial resistant E. coli into the environment. Nevertheless E. coli with multiple antimicrobial resistances were significantly more often detected in wildlife rodents originating from areas with high livestock density suggesting a possible transmission from livestock to wild rodents.

Schistosomes of small mammals from the Lake Victoria Basin, Kenya: new species, familiar species, and implications for schistosomiasis control

Recent schistosomiasis control efforts in sub-Saharan Africa have focused nearly exclusively on treatment of humans with praziquantel. However, the extent to which wild mammals act as reservoirs for Schistosoma mansoni and therefore as sources of renewed transmission following control efforts is poorly understood. With the objective to study the role of small mammals as reservoir hosts, 480 animals belonging to 9 rodent and 1 insectivore species were examined for infection with schistosomes in Kisumu, in the Lake Victoria Basin, Kenya. Animals were collected from 2 sites: near the lakeshore and from Nyabera Marsh draining into the lake. A total of 6.0% of the animals captured, including 5 murid rodent species and 1 species of shrew (Crocidura olivieri) were infected with schistosomes. Four schistosome species were recovered and identified using cox1 DNA barcoding: S. mansoni, S. bovis, S. rodhaini and S. kisumuensis, the latter of which was recently described from Nyabera Marsh. Schistosoma mansoni and S. rodhaini were found infecting the same host individual (Lophuromys flavopunctatus), suggesting that this host species could be responsible for the production of hybrid schistosomes found in the area. Although the prevalence of S. mansoni infection in these reservoir populations was low (1.5%), given their potentially vast population size, their impact on transmission needs further study. Reservoir hosts could perpetuate snail infections and favour renewed transmission to humans once control programmes have ceased.

Species diversity and abundance of small mammals in relation to forest productivity in northeast Poland

We studied factors shaping the diversity and abundance of small mammals in temperate woodlands in northeastern Poland at local (within the forests) and regional (among the forests) scales. We compared diversity and abundance of rodents and insectivores in habitats covering the widest possible range of forest productivity in Central Europe, from dry coniferous to wet deciduous forests. Small mammals were live-trapped during summer (2004–2006) on 206 circular plots. On the regional scale, the number of small mammal (rodent and shrew) species positively correlated with the proportion of deciduous stands in the woodland's area. In all forests, the bank vole (Myodes glareolus) and the yellow-necked mouse (Apodemus flavicollis) dominated, and their joint proportion in the community increased with share of deciduous forest habitats. On the local scale, the number of species increased significantly with productivity of both capture site and the whole woodland. Variation in rodent abundance was influenced mainly by forest productivity at the capture site, productivity of the whole woodland, and month of capture. Only a minor part of the variation in shrew abundance was explained by habitat productivity. The relationship between forest productivity and small mammal diversity was linear and positive on both local and regional scales. The different responses of rodents and insectivores to increasing productivity could be due to a wider ecological niche of shrews and their competition for space with rodents.

Systematic relationships and taxonomy of Suncus montanus and S. murinus from Sri Lanka

Here we use nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequence data, combined with morphometric analyses, to clarify the systematic relationships and taxonomy of two complex species of shrews, Suncus montanus and S. murinus, in Sri Lanka. We find that subspecies of S. murinus, Suncus murinus murinus from Anuaradhapura and S. m. caerulescens from Colombo, show little or no genetic difference in the mitochondrial (cytochrome- b and 16SrRNA) and nuclear (Rag 1, aldolase C and EF-1 alpha intron) genes, confirming their classification as a single species. However, two populations of S. murinus from Peradeniya and Udawalawe are identified as putative hybrids of S. murinus and S. montanus. Shrews collected from Peradeniya are best described as a population of S. murinus, but could be identified as S. m. kandianus using morphological features. Nuclear DNA sequence data places this population in a clade with other S. murinus, but mtDNA sequences of the population nests within a clade of S. montanus haplotypes. This discordant pattern of nuclear and mitochondrial genes suggests either hybridization between S. murinus and S. montanus or introgression of S. montanus mitochondrial DNA into S. m. kandianus. S. m. murinus from Udawalawe, which shows no distinct morphological difference from S. m. murinus from Anuradhapura, falls in the clade of S. murinus in both nuclear and mitochondrial trees. In the nuclear gene tree however, S. m. murinus from Udawalawe is placed as a sister taxon to the clade including other S. murinus. Rag 1 gene sequences in Udawalawe individuals suggest recombination of S. murinus and S. montanus DNA within the gene. However, additional nuclear genes are necessary to study the extent of the hybridization of S. murinus and S. montanus.

A new species of Crocidura (Soricomorpha: Soricidae) from southern Vietnam and north-eastern Cambodia

Knowledge of the Soricidae occurring in Vietnam has recently expanded with the discovery of several species previously unknown to science. Here we describe a new species of white-toothed shrew belonging to the genus Crocidura from lowland areas in southern Vietnam and from a river valley in north-eastern Cambodia. This small to medium sized species is diagnosed on the basis of external features, cranial proportions and morphology of the last upper and lower molars. Comparisons are made with other species of Crocidura known to occur in Vietnam and the biogeography of the regions where the new species has been found, is briefly discussed.

Genetic diversity and phylogeography of Seewis virus in the Eurasian common shrew in Finland and Hungary

Recent identification of a newfound hantavirus, designated Seewis virus (SWSV), in the Eurasian common shrew (Sorex araneus), captured in Switzerland, corroborates decades-old reports of hantaviral antigens in this shrew species from Russia. To ascertain the spatial or geographic variation of SWSV, archival liver tissues from 88 Eurasian common shrews, trapped in Finland in 1982 and in Hungary during 1997, 1999 and 2000, were analyzed for hantavirus RNAs by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. SWSV RNAs were detected in 12 of 22 (54.5%) and 13 of 66 (19.7%) Eurasian common shrews from Finland and Hungary, respectively. Phylogenetic analyses of S- and L-segment sequences of SWSV strains, using maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods, revealed geographic-specific genetic variation, similar to the phylogeography of rodent-borne hantaviruses, suggesting long-standing hantavirus-host co-evolutionary adaptation.