We performed a phylogeographic analysis of mitochondrial DNA in the edible dormouse, Glis glis (Linnaeus, 1766), including 15 known haplotypes obtained across large part the European species’ range along with a fragment of the cytochrome b gene of one specimen from Alonissos island (Sporades archipelago, Greece). The haplotype of this specimen did not cluster with any other haplotypes, which were grouped into four lineages. The genetic divergence (mean K2P distance) between the Greek specimen and these four lineages, comprised between 3.3 % and 5.9 %, was comparable to the genetic divergence found between the aforesaid lineages (1.9-6.4 %). Accordingly, the specimen most likely falls into a new, never described before, Mediterranean mitochondrial lineage of G. glis.
We reviewed the distribution of Robertsonian (Rb) races of Mus musculus domesticus in central and southern Italy. This Rb system is called the Apennine system and includes four races (Cittaducale, ICDE, 2n=22; Ancarano, IACR, 2n=24; Campobasso, ICBO, 2n=22; Colfiorito, ICOL, 2n=33–34) surrounded by standard populations with karyotype 2n=40. Here we evaluate the relationships between the altitudinal distribution of races, and the indoor vs. outdoor behaviour of populations, inferred from literature data on the diet of the barn owl Tyto alba. We assume that a higher prevalence of mice in owl pellets reflects a higher outdoor occurrence of mice. The IACR and ICDE races were found at higher altitudes than the standard populations, while the ICBO race is present at lower altitudes like the standard race. The standard race has indoor and outdoor populations; in all the Rb races an indoor life has been suggested by our data. This behaviour is only partly due to altitude, since the ICBO race also lives at sea level. We speculated that indoor life is an intrinsic characteristic of the ICBO race irrespective of the environment. This pattern reinforces the idea that indoor life, through its population dynamics, has played a significant role in the evolutionary history of Rb races.
The increasing use of phylogeographic studies, based on mitochondrial DNA, in European mammals not only provides the genetic structure of the populations and a reconstruction of the evolutionary history of each taxon but is also useful in identifying cryptic species and areas that may represent conservation priorities. We reviewed the published data (about 60 articles) reporting phylogeographic studies, based on sequences of mtDNA genes, in order to identify those populations representing putative species, not yet formally described among European mammal species of all orders, with the exception of Chiroptera. A DNA taxonomic approach and the value of subspecies are also discussed in relation to conservation activities.