Cranial phenotypic variation in Meriones crassus and M. libycus (Rodentia, Gerbillinae), and a morphological divergence in M. crassus from the Iranian Plateau and Mesopotamia (Western Zagros Mountains)

Jirds (genus Meriones) are a diverse group of rodents, with a wide distribution range in Iran. Sundevall’s jird (Meriones crassus Sundevall, 1842) is one such species that shows a disjunct distribution, found on the Iranian Plateau and Western Zagros Mountains. Morphological differences observed between these two populations, however, lack quantitative support. Morphological differences between geographical populations of Meriones crassus were analysed and compared with those of the sympatric M. libycus. Similarities in the cranial morphology of these species were found, e.g. in a relatively large and inflated bulla. A two-dimensional geometric morphometric analysis was done on the skull of 275 M. crassus and 220 M. libycus from more than 70 different localities in their distribution range. Results confirm cranial differences between specimens of M. crassus from the Western Zagros and those from Africa and Arabia, mainly at the level of the relative size of the tympanic bulla, that were significantly correlated with the annual rainfall and elevation. Moreover, the study supports the hypothesis that the Western Zagros specimens are both a geographically and phenotypically distinct group compared to the other Iranian M. crassus specimens, suggesting that the former might be a distinct species

Identification of postcranial elements of Gerbillinae (Mammalia: Rodentia) in pellet contents, with special reference to the species Meriones zarudnyi

Birds of prey feed mainly on small vertebrates and regurgitate indigestible remains, such as hair and bones of their prey, as pellet. Hence, the analysis of pellets provides valuable information on the distribution of the prey species. In this paper, we used elements of the postcranial skeleton for the identification of gerbilline rodents in pellets of birds of prey in Iran for the first time. These pellets were collected during several field campaigns in 11 regions of North, Razavi, and South Khorasan provinces (Iran), and supplemented with museum data from 13 regions in Razavi Khorasan, Golestan, and Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari provinces (Iran). A total of 320 rodent individuals from 102 different pellets were identified, of which 44 (13%) rodent specimens belong to Gerbillinae. The gerbilline species Meriones crassus, M. zarudnyi and Tatera indica were recognized based on diagnostic traits of their postcranium. Identification based on postcranial traits was confirmed by skull and tooth identifications. Using pellet remains, the record of Zarudny's jird (M. zarudnyi) expanded the distribution range of the species. We also provided some notes on the shape and size of the pellets of birds of prey. Further studies are necessary to evaluate the role of postcranial elements in identification of rodents

Comparative histological and histochemical inter-species investigation of mammalian sub mandibular salivary glands

The major and accessory sub mandibular glands were obtained from different species of rodents belong to families Muridae (Meriones lybicus, Mus musculs, Cricetulus migraturus, Nesokia indica, Laboratory hamster and Apodemus sp.)? Dipodidae (Alactage elater and Jucullus blanfordi) and Sciuridae (Funambulus pennanti). The skulls of these species were separated immediately after death and fixed in buin with decalcification. Five um sections were stained with hematoxilen-eosin and tetrachrom. Periodic acid shiff and alcian blue (pH 1) were performed for sulfated natural mucins. Microscopic histological features, including existence of mucus and serous acini, presence of different kinds of tubules and different types of ducts as well as the histochemical characteristic features including histochemistry of different tubules and ducts in 2 different pH levels in the major and accessory sub mandibular glands in different rodents showed that the studied species proved to be different and the histological and histochemical study of sub mandibular salivary glands proved practicable with good discriminatory potential in evaluating the inter-species differences

Tracking the Near Eastern origins and European dispersal of the western house mouse

Abstract: The house mouse (Mus musculus) represents the extreme of globalization of invasive mammals. However, the timing and basis of its origin and early phases of dispersal remain poorly documented. To track its synanthropisation and subsequent invasive spread during the develoment of complex human societies, we analyzed 829 Mus specimens from 43 archaeological contexts in Southwestern Asia and Southeastern Europe, between 40,000 and 3,000 cal. BP, combining geometric morphometrics numerical taxonomy, ancient mitochondrial DNA and direct radiocarbon dating. We found that large late hunter-gatherer sedentary settlements in the Levant, c. 14,500 cal. BP, promoted the commensal behaviour of the house mouse, which probably led the commensal pathway to cat domestication. House mouse invasive spread was then fostered through the emergence of agriculture throughout the Near East 12,000 years ago. Stowaway transport of house mice to Cyprus can be inferred as early as 10,800 years ago. However, the house mouse invasion of Europe did not happen until the development of proto urbanism and exchange networks — 6,500 years ago in Eastern Europe and 4000 years ago in Southern Europe — which in turn may have driven the first human mediated dispersal of cats in Europe

Cranial phenotypic variation in <i>Meriones crassus</i> and <i>M. libycus</i> (Rodentia, Gerbillinae), and a morphological divergence in <i>M. crassus</i> from the Iranian Plateau and Mesopotamia (Western Zagros Mountains)

Jirds (genus Meriones) are a diverse group of rodents, with a wide distribution range in Iran. Sundevall’s jird (Meriones crassus Sundevall, 1842) is one such species that shows a disjunct distribution, found on the Iranian Plateau and Western Zagros Mountains. Morphological differences observed between these two populations, however, lack quantitative support. Morphological differences between geographical populations of Meriones crassus were analysed and compared with those of the sympatric M. libycus. Similarities in the cranial morphology of these species were found, e.g. in a relatively large and inflated bulla. A two-dimensional geometric morphometric analysis was done on the skull of 275 M. crassus and 220 M. libycus from more than 70 different localities in their distribution range. Results confirm cranial differences between specimens of M. crassus from the Western Zagros and those from Africa and Arabia, mainly at the level of the relative size of the tympanic bulla, that were significantly correlated with the annual rainfall and elevation. Moreover, the study supports the hypothesis that the Western Zagros specimens are both a geographically and phenotypically distinct group compared to the other Iranian M. crassus specimens, suggesting that the former might be a distinct species.</p

New species of Caprella (Crustacea: Amphipoda) from the Gulf of Oman, Iran

Momtazi, Farzaneh, Sari, Alireza, Darvish, Jamshid (2020): New species of Caprella (Crustacea: Amphipoda) from the Gulf of Oman, Iran. Zootaxa 4853 (4): 562-571, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4853.4.

New records of the William’s Jerboa, Paralactaga cf. williamsi (Thomas, 1897) (Rodentia: Dipodidae) from northeastern Iran with notes on its ecology

Paralactaga williamsi, a five-toed jerboa, is known to occur in Anatolian Turkey, northern Lebanon, Armenia, Azerbaijan and western Iran. Here, we report the first record of this species in Kopet-Dag Mountains, northeastern Iran. Species identification was based on external morphology, skull and molar teeth morphology and morphometrics studies, as well as molecular an­al­yses. Brief notes on the ecology of the species are also provided. This new record expands the distribution of P. williamsi in Iran about 850 km eastward, however further sampling will be needed for a better judgment on the taxonomic status of this species in eastern Iran and to determine the patterns of its distribution. Since the specimen did not group with other P. williamsi in the cytochrome b analysis, we provisionally classify the specimens as P. cf. williamsi

Evaluating the taxonomic validity of molecular clades within tribe Arvicolini (Mammalia)

The concept of species might be interpreted in many different ways. This has impressed both the process of introducing new species and the revision of morphological species classification. According to recent studies, about 65 morphological species have been recognized for the tribe of Arvicolini. However, molecular investigations show that some of the morphological species might not be valid and some others should be subdivided into several species. In the present study, 38 morphological species of the Arvicolini tribe inhabiting in the northern hemisphere were investigated using 823 sequences of cytochrome b gene (1140 base pairs). The research of intra-interspecific genetic distances and haplotype network analysis were carried out for dataset. The Bayesian tree demonstrated 64 haplotype networks in our data. Such results might support the validity of some of the studied morphological species and, on the other hand, might discover unknown species and thus, contribute to the integrative species concept

A new karyotype of &lt;em&gt;Calomyscus&lt;/em&gt; from the Khorasan Province, Iran

&lt;strong&gt;Abstract&lt;/strong&gt;&#13; We report a new karyotype of &lt;em&gt;Calomyscus&lt;/em&gt; from two localities of the Khorasan Province (Aghdarband, 36° 11’ 3”N, 60° 44’ 6” E and Khajemorad, 36° 8’ 5” N, 59° 41’ 58” E). Chromosomes were examined by conventional staining and C-banding techniques. The diploid chromosome number (2n) and the fundamental autosomal arm number (FNa) were 44 and 60 respectively. The autosomal set consisted of 12 pairs of telocentrics, 5 pairs of acrocentrics and 4 pairs of sub-metacentrics. Both heterosomes were&#13; small telocentrics.&#13; &#13; &lt;strong&gt;Riassunto&lt;/strong&gt;&#13; &lt;strong&gt;Un nuovo cariotipo del genere &lt;em&gt;Calomyscus&lt;/em&gt; dalla provincia di Khorasan, Iran.&lt;/strong&gt;&#13; Si descrive un nuovo cariotipo appartenente al genere &lt;em&gt;Calomyscus&lt;/em&gt;, scoperto in due località della provincia di Khorasan (Aghdarband, 36° 11’ 3”N, 60° 44’ 6” E e Khajemorad, 36° 8’ 5” N, 59° 41’ 58” E). I cromosomi sono stati analizzati con le tecniche standard di colorazione e bandeggio. Il numero diploide di cromosomi (2n) e il numero fondamentale di bracci autosomici sono risultati pari a 44 e 60 rispettivamente. Il set di cromosomi autosomici è composto da 12 paia di telocentrici, 5 di acrocentrici e 4 di sub-metacentrici. Entrambi i cromosomi sessuali si presentano come piccoli telocentrici