Mitochondrial genetic differentiation and morphological difference of Miniopterus fuliginosus and Miniopterus magnater in China and Vietnam

Abstract

Because of its complicated systematics, the bent-winged bat is one of the most frequently studied bat species groups. In China, two morphologically similar bent-winged bat species, Miniopterus fuliginosus and Miniopterus magnater were identified, but their distribution range and genetic differentiation are largely unexplored. In this study, we applied DNA bar codes and two other mitochondrial DNA genes including morphological parameters to determine the phylogeny, genetic differentiation, spatial distribution, and morphological difference of the M. fuliginosus and M. magnater sampled from China and one site in Vietnam. Mitochondrial DNA gene genealogies revealed two monophyletic lineages throughout the Tropic of Cancer. According to DNA bar code divergences, one is M. fuliginosus corresponding to the Chinese mainland and the other is M. magnater corresponding to tropical regions including Hainan and Guangdong provinces of China and Vietnam. Their most recent common ancestor was dated to the early stage of the Quaternary glacial period (ca. 2.26 million years ago [Ma] on the basis of D-loop data, and ca. 1.69–2.37 Ma according to ND2). A population expansion event was inferred for populations of M. fuliginosus at 0.14 Ma. The two species probably arose in separate Pleistocene refugia under different climate zones. They significantly differed in forearm length, maxillary third molar width, and greatest length of the skull.

High degree of mitochondrial gene heterogeneity in the bat tick species Ixodes vespertilionis, I. ariadnae and I. simplex from Eurasia

“…Again, glaciation and resultant geographic isolation might be considered as major mechanisms underlying the genetic differentiation of these closely related Asiatic Miniopterus spp. [ 21 ], and may have also served as the basis for the relative genetic heterogeneity (96 % COI sequence similarity) of their ticks as demonstrated in the present study.…”

“…The taxonomy of the preferred host of I. simplex , Miniopterus schreibersii , has recently undergone revision. While previously it was considered as a uniform species widely distributed across the Old World, it turned out to be a complex comprising several species [ 21 ]. Among them, in the present study I. simplex was collected from both Mi.…”

Genetic characterization of a novel picornavirus in Algerian bats: co-evolution analysis of bat-related picornaviruses

“…schreibersii bats from Hainan were actually M . fuliginosus 10,55 . This is due to the cryptic nature of several Miniopterus bat species.…”

Research trends on bats in China: A twenty-first century review

“…The few records of Miniopterus fuscus and Miniopterus australis were considered misidentifications as these species have no reliable records in China. The Chinese records of Miniopterus schreibersii were treated as M. fuliginosus or M. magnater based on the collection locality (Li et al, 2015). We consider Plecotus auritus and P. austriacus restricted to Europe (Spitzenberger et al, 2006) and the records of Plecotus from Beijing and Henan provinces are tentatively assigned to P. ognevi.…”