A revision of the Rhinolophus hipposideros group (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae) with definition of an additional species from the Middle East

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F68081766%3A_____%2F22%3A00569641" target="_blank" >RIV/68081766:_____/22:00569641 - isvavai.cz</a>

Alternative codes found

RIV/00023272:_____/22:10135960 RIV/00216208:11310/22:10457843

Result on the web

<a href="https://doi.org/10.3161/15081109ACC2022.24.2.001" target="_blank" >https://doi.org/10.3161/15081109ACC2022.24.2.001</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3161/15081109ACC2022.24.2.001" target="_blank" >10.3161/15081109ACC2022.24.2.001</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

A revision of the Rhinolophus hipposideros group (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae) with definition of an additional species from the Middle East

Original language description

Initially, the Rhinolophus hipposideros group was defined by two morphological traits, the structure of the nose-leaf and the shape of basioccipital bone of the skull. Originally, it consisted of two species, R. hipposideros and R. midas, whereas currently it is considered to contain a single species, R. hipposideros, under whose rank both original species have been joined. The interpretation of geographic variability within the group has traditionally been based on variation in body and skull size, nose-leaf shape, and several selected skull and tooth characters. This approach resulted in delimitations of up to seven subspecies, mostly in the Mediterranean area, a conception introduced more than a hundred years ago and accepted by many authors till today. We investigated the phylogenetic relationships among populations of R. hipposideros with the help of molecular genetic, morphological, and acoustic examinations. Our analysis uncovered the existence of an unexpected diversity within the R. hipposideros group, challenging its current phylogenetic and taxonomic arrangements. The molecular genetic analysis of almost 100 samples and morphological examinations of about 300 specimens showed two main, geographically exclusive, phylogenetic lineages within the group, well delimited by molecular characteristics and possessing two distinct morphotypes and two distinct echotypes. These two lineages are isolated deep enough to be considered separate species. One of them, R. hipposideros s.str., is widespread over the south-western Eurasia and north-western and north-eastern Africa, and the other, R. midas, is distributed in a small range around the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman. The extensive range of R. hipposideros s.str. is inhabited at least by two subspecies, separated mainly by the genetic characters, whereas the morphological and echolocation traits do not distinguish the populations sufficiently. The western R. h. hipposideros occurs in the Maghreb and Europe west of the Dnieper River, Bosporus, and the Strait of Karpathos, and the eastern R. h. minimus lives east of this boundary, including the populations of Crimea, Caucasus, the Middle East, and north-eastern Africa (Sudan to Djibouti). The two subspecies also differ in karyotype, with 2n = 58 in R. h. minimus and 2n = 54-56 in R. h. hipposideros. The taxonomic position of the easternmost populations of R. hipposideros s.str. (West Turkestan, Afghanistan, Kashmir) remains unresolved and has to be investigated more elaborately and using a more extensive sample set.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

10613 - Zoology

Project

—

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2022

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Acta Chiropterologica

ISSN

1508-1109

e-ISSN

1733-5329

Volume of the periodical

24

Issue of the periodical within the volume

2

Country of publishing house

PL - POLAND

Number of pages

30

Pages from-to

269-298

UT code for WoS article

000927167500001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85147861034