Taxonomic revision of the genus Asellia (Chiroptera: Hipposideridae)

0370804 - ÚBO 2012 LT eng A - Abstrakt
Benda, P. - Vallo, Peter - Reiter, A.
Taxonomic revision of the genus Asellia (Chiroptera: Hipposideridae).
XII European Bat Research Symposium. Vilnius: Gamtos tyrimu centras, 2011 - (Hutson, A.; Lina, P.). s. 51-52. ISBN 978-9986-443-55-1.
[European Bat Research Symposium /12./. 22.08.2011-26.08.2011, Vilnius]
Výzkumný záměr: CEZ:AV0Z60930519
Klíčová slova: bats
Kód oboru RIV: EG - Zoologie

Two species are currently recognised within the genus Asellia, a typical inhabitant of arid areas of northern Africa and southwestern Asia. Most of the distribution range of the genus is covered by the species A. tridens, while the other species, A. patrizii, is restricted to Ethiopia, Eritrea and several Red Sea islands. We analysed morphological variation in an extensive set of Asellia samples covering the whole genus range including most of the available type material. In a representative subset of samples, we inferred mitochondrial cytochrome b phylogeny of the broadly distributed A. tridens. Morphological comparisons revealed four distinct morphotypes. Except for the endemic A. patrizii, all African Asellia and most of the Middle Eastern specimens belonged to the same morphotype, which was unambiguously identified as A. tridens. Two other morphotypes of tentative A. tridens were delimited based on skull shape; one in the southern Arabian region of Dhofar, the other in Socotra. Phylogenetic analysis yielded three main monophyletic groups, which corresponded to revealed morphotypes. Significant genetic divergences exceeding 5% and 12%, respectively, were discovered between them. Based on the morphological and molecular data, we propose a split of the current A. tridens into three separate species: A. tridens in Africa and most of the Middle East, A. italosomalica in Socotra and Somalia, and A. arabica sp. nov. in southern Arabia. Molecular dating along with available paleontological and geological information supports an Arabian origin of the contemporary Asellia. While profound divergence of the Socotran form may be linked with the split of Socotra from the southern Arabian coast in the Middle Miocene, low sequence variation of Asellia in most of Africa and the Middle East suggests a colonisation of this vast area during Pleistocene. The newly described form from southern Arabia likely represents a relict of aridisation during Miocene/Pliocene transition.
Trvalý link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0204497