INVESTIGADORES
GIMENEZ Analia Laura
congresos y reuniones científicas
Título:
Molecular evidence supports the validity of the rare Patagonian endemic bat species, Eptesicus (Histiotus) magellanicus
Autor/es:
ALMEIDA FRANCISCA CUNHA; GIMÉNEZ ANALÍA LAURA; GIANNINI NORBERTO PEDRO
Reunión:
Congreso; 9° Congreso Brasilero de Mastozoología y 9° EBEQ; 2017
Institución organizadora:
Universidade Federal de Goiás e a Universidade de Brasília em conjunto com a Sociedade Brasileira de Mastozoologia e a Sociedade Brasileira para o Estudo de Quirópteros
Resumen:
The genus Eptesicus belongs to Vespertilionidae, the largest chiropteran family with 455 species. Some South American Eptesicus species show distinctive morphological features that prompted the erection of a separate genus for them, Histiotus. Recent molecular phylogenetic studies, however, suggest that Histiotus represents a subgenus instead, as Eptesicus sensu stricto species from South America are more closely related to Histiotus than to their Old World congeners. Among the eight species originally classified as Histiotus is E. (H.) magellanicus, the southern big-eared brown bat, an endemic of the Patagonian region. The validity of its specific status has been contested by some authors that believe it is instead a synonym or subspecies of E. (H.) montanus, awidespread species distributed from Venezuela to southern Argentina. Here we present molecular evidence of the distinctiveness of E. (H.) magellanicus. We sequenced the cytochrome b gene of several specimens of this and two other Eptesicus(Histiotus) species (E. (H.) montanus and E. (H.) macrotus), all of which were collected in the Province of Chubut in Argentina. We also sequenced two individuals of Eptesicus (H.) spp. (aff. laephotis) from Peru and obtained previously published sequences of four Eptesicus sensu stricto species. Phylogenetic tree searches were performed using different methods (maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference), all of which recovered individuals identified as E. (H.) magellanicus in a clade with highstatistical support (posterior probability [PP] = 1), sister to another highly supported clade (PP = 1) containing all other Eptesicus (Histiotus) samples. On the other hand, all specimens identified as E. (H.) montanus and E. (H.) macrotus were grouped in a single clade with very little internal variation and no phylogenetic resolution. Our results are in accordance with previous studies in that Eptesicus is paraphyletic in relation to Histiotus. Further resolution on the specific status of E. (H.) montanus and E. (H.) macrotus will require additional analysis including nuclear markers and a larger sampling