Abstract
We report a new species of Spermophilus ( Rodentia: Sciuridae), here designated as S. torosensis sp. nov., distributed in the Taurus Mountains in southern Anatolia, Turkey. A total of 161 specimens of the genus Spermophilus from Turkey and Iran were analyzed for their morphological, morphometric, and karyological characteristics. Uni- and multi-variate statistical analyses of morphologic data for 95 adult specimens yielded 4 distinct groups. Taxonomic evaluations classified the specimens into 4 species Spermophilus citellus, S. xanthopymnus, S. fulvus and S. torosensis sp. nov. Morphometrics, coat coloration, a brush-shaped tail, and a NFa value of 72 are diagnostic characters that distinguish S. torosensis sp. nov. from the other species. In Turkey, S. torosensis sp. nov. was found in 6 locations. The karyotype of S. fulvus also is described for the first time as 2n= 36, NFa= 70 and NFa= 66; new karyotypic data is reported for S. xanthoprymnus from Iran and Turkey.References
Arslan, A. (2005) Cytogenetic studies on Spermophilus xanthoprymnus (Rodentia: Sciuridae) in Central Anatolia. Folia Zoologica, 54, 278–284.
Bauer, K. (1960) Die Saugetiere des Neusiedlersee-Gebiete (Österreich). Bonner Zoologische Beitrage, 11, 141-344.
Belcheva, R.G. & Peshev D.T. (1979) Intersubspecific sex chromosome differences in Citellus citellus L. (Rodentia: Sciuridae). Experientia, 35, 595–596.
Bennett, E.T. (1835) Mammals of the neighborhoad of Trebizond and Erzorom. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 3, 89–90.
Black, C.C. (1972) Holarctic evolution and dispersal of squirrels (Rodentia: Sciuridae). Evolutionary Biology, 6, 303–322.
Çolak, R. & Özkurt, Ş. (2002) Electrophoretic comparison of blood-serum proteins of Spermophilus citellus and Spermophilus xanthoprymnus (Mammalia: Rodentia) in Turkey. Zoology in the Middle East, 25, 5–8.
Çolak, R., Gharkeloo, M.M. & Özkurt, Ş. (2006) Distribution and electrophoretic aspects of blood-serum proteins of the genus Spermophilus (Mammalia: Rodentia) in eastern Turkey and Iran. Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences, 9, 519–521.
Danford, C.G. & Alston, E.R. (1877) On the mammals of Asia Minor. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1877, 277–278.
Doğramacı, S., Kefelioğlu, H. & Gündüz, I. (1994) Türkiye Spermophilus (Mammalia: Rodetia) cinsinin karyolojik analizi. Turkish Journal of Zoology, 18, 167–170.
Ford, C.E. & Hamerton. J.L., A (1956) “Colchicine-Hypotonic-Citrate” Squash sequence for mammalian chromosomes. Stain Technology, 31, 247–251.
Güleç, E., Howell F.C. & White, T.D. (1999) Dursunlu-A new lower Pleistocene faunal and artifact-bearing locality in southern Anatolia. Hominid evolution: lifestyle and survival strategies. Edition Archea, Berlin, pp. 349–364.
Herron, M.D., Castoe, T.A. & Parkinson, C.L. (2004) Sciurid phylogeny and paraphyly of Holarctic ground squirrels (Spermophilus). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 31, 1015–1030.
Hosey, G.R. (1982) The Bosphorus land-bridge and mammal distributions in Asia Minor and the Balkans. Säugetierkundliche Mitteilungen, 30, 53-62.
Hsu, T.C. & Benirschke K. (1975) An atlas of mammalian chromosomes. Vol. 7. Springer Verlag, Berlin-Heidelberg, New York, 344 pp.
Kryštufek, B. & Vohralík, V. (2005) Mammals of Turkey and Cyprus: Rodentia 1: Sciuridae, Dipodidae, Gliridae, Arvicolinae. Knjiznica Annales Majora, Koper, Slovenia, 292 pp.
Lichtenstein, H. (1823) Naturhistorischer Anhangung. In: Eversmann, E. (Ed), Reise von Ohrenburg nach Buchara, p. 119.
Linnaeus, C. (1766) Mus citellus. Systema Naturae. 12th ed., 1, 80.
Martino, V. & Martino E. (1940) Preliminary notes on five new mammals from Yugoslavia. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, ser. 5, 11, 493–498.
Mursaloğlu, B. (1964) Statistical significance of secondary sexual variation in Citellus citellus (Mammalia: Rodentia) and new subspecies of Citellus citellus in Turkey. Communications de la Faculte des Sciences de L'universite D'Ankara Serie C: Sciences naturales, 9, 252–273.
Mursaloğlu, B. (1965) Geographic variation in Citellus citellus (Mammalia: Rodentia) in Turkey. Communications de la Faculte des Sciences de L'universite D'Ankara Serie C: Sciences naturales, 10, 79–109.
Nevo, E., Filipucci, M. G., Redi, C., Simson, S., Heth, G. & Beiles, A. (1995). Karyotype and genetic evolution in speciation of subterranean mole rats of the genus Spalax in Turkey. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 54, 203-229.
Nevo, E., Filipucci, M. G., Redi, C., Korol, A. & Beiles, A. (1994). Chromosomal speciation and adaptive radiation of mole rats in Asia Minor correlated with increased ecological stress, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 91, 8169-8164.
Ognev, S.I. (1963) Mammals of the USSR and adjecent countries: Rodents (continued). (Mammals of eastern Europe and northern Asia). (A translation of S.I. Ognev, 1947, Zveri SSSR i prilezhashchikh stran: Gryzuny (prodolzhenie). (Zveri vostochnoi Evropy i Azii)). Israel Program for Scientific Translations, Jeruselem, 5:1-662.
Orlov, V.N., Rodova, M.A. & Kotenkova, E.V. (1969) Chromosome differentiation of the ground squirrels subgenus Citellus. The Mammals (Evolution, Karyology, Taxonomy, Fauna). Edited by N.N.Vorontsov. Materials for the II All-Union Mammalogy Conference (Moscow, December, 1969), Novosibirsk, 1969, 48–49.
Osborn, D.J. (1964) The hare, porcupine, beaver, squirrels, jerboas and dormice of Turkey. Mammalia, 28, 573–592.
Özkurt, Ş., Yiğit, N. & Çolak, E. (2002) Karyotype variation in Turkish populations of Spermophilus (Mammalia: Rodentia). Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde, 67, 117–119.
Qui, Z.D. (1991) The Neogene mammalian faunas of Ertemte and Harr Oboin Iner Mongolia (Nei Monol), China. 8. Sciuridae (Rodentia). Senckenbergiana Lethaea, 71, 223–255.
Santel, W. & Koenigswald, W. von (1998) Preliminary report on the middle Pleistocene small fauna from Yarımburgaz Cave in Turkish Thrace. Eiszeitalter und Gegenwart, 48, 162–169.
Savic, I., Milosevic, M. & Zivcivic, S. (1971) Hromozomi tekunice (Ciellus citellus Linnaeus, 1766) iz Jugoslavije. Arhiv Bioloskih Nauka (Beograd), 23, 35–37.
Vorontsov, N.N. & Liapounova, E.A. (1969). The chromosomes of Palaearctic ground squirrels (Citellus, Mamotinae, Scuridae, Rodentia). The Mammals (Evolution, Karyology, Taxonomy, Fauna). Edited by N.N.Vorontsov. Materials for the II All-Union Mammalogy Conference (Moscow, December, 1969), Novosibirsk, 1969, 41–47.
Wilson, E., & Reeder, D.M. (2005) Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, third ed. Vol:II, The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimor, ML.
Yiğit, N., Gharkheloo, M.M., Çolak, E., Özkurt, Ş., Bulut, Ş., Kankılıç, T. & Çolak, R. (2006) The karyotypes of some rodent species (Mammalia: Rodentia) from eastern Turkey and northern Iran with a new record, Microtus schidlovskii Argyropulo, 1933, from eastern Turkey. Turkish Journal of Zoology, 30, 459–464.
Yiğit, N., Neumann, K., Özkurt, Ş., Çolak, E. & Çolak, R. (2005) Biometric and genetic evolution of Spermophilus (Mammalia: Rodentia) populations in Turkey. Israel Journal of Zoology, 51, 191–198.
Zima, J. (1987) Karyotypes of certain rodents from Czechoslovakia (Sciuridae, Gliridae, Cricetidae). Folia Zoologica, 36, 337–343.
Zima, J. & Krâl, B. (1984) Karyotypes of European mammals II. Acta scientiarum naturalium Academiae Scientiarum Bohemoslovacae Brno, 18, 1–62.
Zivkovic, S., Soldatovic, B., Milesovic, M. & Saviv, I. (1968) Analyse der chromosomen der drei populationen von Ziesel (Citellus citellus L.) aus Serbien. Zoologischer Anzeiger, Jena, 181, 181–185.