Phylogenetic relationships among Callosciurus squirrels in the Indochina Peninsula: phylogenetic position of C. pygerythrus from Myanmar

  • Tatsuo Oshida Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0863-9530
  • Wynn Than Zoology Department, West Yangon University, Httantabin Township, Yangon 11401, Myanmar https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2236-8899
  • Thida Oo Zoology Department, West Yangon University, Httantabin Township, Yangon 11401, Myanmar https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7941-610X
  • Khin Yu Yu Swe Zoology Department, Mandalar University, Amarapura Township, Mandalay 0561, Myanmar https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7417-5952
  • Hiroaki Saito Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
  • Masaharu Motokawa The Kyoto University Museum, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5359-0070
  • Junpei Kimura Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742, Korea https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3130-9716
  • Son Truong Nguyen Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet Street, Hanoi, Vietnam https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3214-4407
  • Hai Tuan Bui Vietnam National Museum of Nature, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology 18 Hoang Quoc Street, Hanoi, Vietnam https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4065-7229
  • Phuong Huy Dang Me Linh Station for Biodiversity, Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Street, Hanoi, Vietnam https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2323-9511
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17109/AZH.67.1.87.2021
Keywords: cytochrome b, global cooling, Irrawaddy squirrel, Phayre’s squirrel

Abstract

The phylogenetic relationships among seven Callosciurus species from the Indochina Peninsula, including the C. honkhoaiensis which is endemic to Hon Khoai Island, were studied using complete mitochondrial cytochrome b gene sequences (1140 bases). We primarily focused on the phylogenetic position of C. pygerythrus, which is distributed in the western part of the peninsula. We identified two main lineages: 1) C. caniceps, C. honkhoaiensis, C. inornatus, C. phayrei and C. pygerythrus, and 2) C. erythraeus and C. finlaysonii. Estimated divergence time between the two lineages was at the junction of the Zanclean and Piacenzian in the Pliocene. Within the first linage, the divergence time of sub-lineages corresponded to the Pliocene-Pleistocene boundary, although phylogenetic relationships were unclear. These two divergence times estimated in the present study correspond to episodes of global cooling, suggesting that climate may have contributed to the divergence of these Callosciurus squirrels.

Published
2021-02-22
How to Cite
OshidaT., ThanW., OoT., SweK. Y. Y., SaitoH., MotokawaM., KimuraJ., NguyenS. T., BuiH. T., & DangP. H. (2021). Phylogenetic relationships among Callosciurus squirrels in the Indochina Peninsula: phylogenetic position of C. pygerythrus from Myanmar. Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, 67(1), 87-98. https://doi.org/10.17109/AZH.67.1.87.2021
Issue
Vol. 67 No. 1 (2021): Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae
Section
Article

Copyright (c) 2021 Tatsuo Oshida

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Manuscripts must be solely the work of the author(s) stated, must not have been previously published elsewhere, and must not be under consideration by another journal. This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. The authors retain copyright and publishing rights without restrictions of papers published in Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae.