Allozyme variation in Rattus rattus (Rodentia: Muridae) in Turkey, with particular emphasis on the taxonomy

WOS: 000261906600003The Turkish black rat "Rattus rattus" shows variation in coat colour corresponding to the occurrence of three subspecies with intermediate colour stages: Rattus rattus rattus, Rattus r. alexandrinus and Rattus r. frugivorus. Turkish black rat populations were divided geographically into six sub-populations: Rr1 = Northwest Anatolia, Rr2 = Central Anatolia, Rr3 = Eastern Mediterranean, Rr4 = Western Mediterranean, Rr5 = Turkish Thrace, and Rr6 = Black Sea region. Genetic variation was assessed using twenty two isoenzyme systems. Seven of twenty-two loci (Pgm-1, Hk, Ale-M, G3pdh, Gpdh-1, Gpi, Fum-1) were found to be polymorphic. The mean Value of F(ST) is found to be 0.073, indicating 7.3 % genetic variation among groups and suggesting the existence of a moderate differentiation between sub-populations of the Turkish black rat. Overall mean heterozygosity (Ho = direct count) for sub-populations was Ho = 0.020, ranging from 0.008 to 0.031. Nei's measure of genetic distance showed that Rr2 and Rr6 were the most identical and sub-populations Rr1 and Rr5 had diverged the most.BAP of Ankara UniversityAnkara University [97.05.03.04, 2000.07.05.037]We wish to thank Dr Ben BRILOT for comments on the text. This study was supported by BAP (97.05.03.04 and 2000.07.05.037) of Ankara University

Morphological and biometrical comparisons of the baculum in the genus Nannospalax Palmer, 1903 (Rodentia: Spalacidae) from Turkey with consideration of its taxonomic importance

WOS: 000329919500004The morphological variability of the baculum (os penis) of 147 adult specimens of species in the genus Nannospalax from 58 localities in Turkey was examined using morphological and numerical taxonomic methods. Significant differences among all of the Turkish species in the genus were determined by morphological and biometrical comparison of the bacula, and the results of this study showed that N. nehringi and N. xanthodon are separate species and that the names are not synonyms. Additionally, because the central Anatolian mole rat populations that were classified by previous studies as members of N. nehringi or N. xanthodon had highly different baculum morphologies, these populations were classified as a different species (N. labaumei) in this study. When compared to the other populations, the central Anatolian populations, which have greater diploid chromosomal sets (2n = 56, 58, 60), had very different baculum morphologies. Whereas individuals of the species N. labaumei had the smallest bacula, the largest baculum occurred in a representative of the species N. leucodon. From this study, the results indicate that 5 different blind mole rat species (N. ehrenbergi, N. leucodon, N. nehringi, N. xanthodon, and N. labaumei) live in Turkey, and in addition to these species, some of the chromosomal races (2n = 36, 40, 52) should be treated as distinct species