The Most Successful Species Among Spiny Hedgehogs: Mitoсhondrial Phylogeography of Hemiechinus auritus (Gmelin, 1770) (Erinaceidae, Mammalia)
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: The long-eared hedgehog Hemiechinus auritus has the broadest distribution among Erinaceidae, yet its intraspecific taxonomy remains contentious, with three to six subspecies recognized. We examined the phylogeographic structure of the species across nearly its entire distribution range using two mitochondrial genes (cytb, COI) for 153 specimens from 103 localities, complemented by complete mitogenomes for seven individuals. Phylogenetic reconstructions recovered five deeply divergent, reciprocally monophyletic lineages (p-distances 2–4 %): Northern, Eastern, Transcaucasian, South-western and Southern. The Southern lineage, corresponding to subspecies H. a. megalotis, was recovered as the basal branch, whereas the Northern and Eastern lineages formed a derived clade. Demographic analyses indicated recent postglacial expansion in the Northern and Eastern lineages, while the Southern and South-western lineages showed long-term stability. Species distribution modelling reconstructed Pleistocene range fragmentation during glacial maxima, with divergence among lineages dated to the late Middle and Late Pleistocene. The mitochondrial lineages are largely congruent with the principal morphological subspecies, although the status of H. a. megalotis and H. collaris requires further scrutiny. Our results indicate that H. auritus represents a complex of lineages at incipient stages of speciation, whose taxonomic rank should be tested with nuclear genomic data.
Source: Preprints.org
Language: English
Subfield: Genetics
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7214994475