New look at the con-specificity of the two shrews, Crocidura gmelini and C. suaveolens from Iran; geometric morphometrics approach

Document Type : Research articles

Authors

• Somayeh Saeedzadeh ¹
• Ahdiyeh Mehdipour ²
• Jamshid Darvish ³
• Mansour Aliabadian ⁴
• Ahmad Mahmoudi ²

¹ Ferdowsi University of Mashhad

² Biology Department

³ Dept. of Rodentology, Faculty of Sciences, Ferdowsi university of Mashhad, Mashhad, IRAN

⁴ Department of Biology

10.22067/ijab.v13i2.51950

Abstract

New advances in molecular techniques are substantially reshaping our understanding of taxonomy. However, combining molecular and morphologic data is a prevailing trend towards integral taxonomy. In a genetic frame, two nominal species, Crocidura gmelini and C. suaveolens have recently been lumped into one species. This study aimed to evaluate this hypothesis morphologically. For this, 42 specimens from northern Iran classified either as C. gmelini or C. suaveolens were subjected to the geometric morphometrics analyses. Landmark based method on labial side of mandible along postcranial morphology showed profound resemblance, provide further supports for genetic results.

Keywords

• Crocidura gmelini
• Crocidura suaveolens
• Geometric Morphometrics

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