A review of Tsimlyansk Birch Mouse Sicista cimlanica (Mammalia: Rodentia: Sminthidae): distribution, phylogeography, and conservation
Review of Sicista cimlanica
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.9638.17.5.26939-26950Keywords:
birch mice, cytochrome b, genetic diversity, Don RiverAbstract
All known localities of the Tsimlyansk Birch Mouse are summarized. The area of occupancy of the species is estimated as 123,000 km2, whereas the extent of occurrence is estimated as 4,000 km2. The species is proposed as ‘Near Threatened’ according to IUCN Red List categories and criteria. Analyses of the full mitochondrial cytochrome b gene sequences from four distinct populations indicate that all Sicista cimlanica individuals form a monophyletic clade. Having a limited distribution of the Middle Don area in western Russia and eastern Ukraine, this species has an exceptionally high haplotype diversity (h = 0.98), though the nucleotide diversity is considerably low (π = 0.009).
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