Phylogeography of the large mouse-eared bats in Turkish thrace and Anatolia

Abstract

The main objective of this study is to determine the exact number of species/subspecies within the Large Mouse-eared Bat Complex that inhabit Anatolia and the Turkish Thrace. In this study we also explore the historical relationships among these taxa, and how their geographical distribution changed over time. Defining precise methods for identification of these species/subspecies in the field and in laboratory settings is among the aims of the study. We also focus on the discrepancy in the information acquired from the nuclear and mitochondrial DNA in terms of species identification and try to explain the processes that cause this discrepancy. The results of our study reveal that in the study area, there are two distinct species one of which is further divided into two evolutionarily significant units. Besides the previously accepted two taxa, there is a separate unit residing in Anatolia that is morphologically similar to the Myotis myotis in the west but genetically isolated from this ancestral population. We conclude that some of the alleged subspecies in previous studies do not exist, but Anatolia is occupied by a genetically isolated branch of the greater form that might be defined as a different species/subspecies with the previously suggested name, M. (m.) macrocephalicus. This study also highlights the importance of these findings that redefine the species distribution, with regard to conservation studies. A mathematical method including morphological measurements is also suggested for differentiation of these species in the field.