Distribution of Asellia tridens (Chiroptera: Hipposideridae) lineages including representatives from Saudi Arabia
Abstract
The genus Asellia was recently revised, giving an insight into the genetic and morphological characteristics of a group whose distribution spans from North Africa into Asia. We studied the genus further by considering additional mitochondrial markers and sampling localities.
The deepest previously identified split in A. tridens is supported (Middle East/North Africa), along with the association of North and West African lineages. Central Saudi Arabia is found to represent the easternmost extent of a North African haplogroup when considering concatenated fragments of Cytochromeb, NADH Dehydrogenase 2, and Cytochrome Oxidase 1 genes.
New distribution data further emphasises the diversity found in the Middle East and suggests some mixing of haplotypes over long distances.