New Insights into the Taxonomy of <i>Myotis</i> Bats in China Based on Morphology and Multilocus Phylogeny

• Published in: Diversity
• Main Authors: Tong Liu, Jiachen Jia, Lingyu Liu, Jie Wang, Wenjie Chen, Guiyin Miao, Yilin Niu, Wei Guo, Kangkang Zhang, Keping Sun, Wenhua Yu, Jiang Zhou, Jiang Feng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2023-06-01
• Subjects: <i>Myotis</i>; taxonomy; multilocus phylogeny; morphometrics; conservation
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/7/805

The genus <i>Myotis</i> is one of the most diverse and widely distributed mammals, providing a good model for studies of speciation and diversification across large geographic scales. However, the classification within this genus has long been chaotic. Taxonomic revisions based on multiple data sources are essential and urgent. In this study, morphometrics and genetic markers with different modes of inheritance were used to clarify the taxonomy of <i>Myotis</i> distributed in China. Based on 173 mitochondrial <i>Cytb</i> sequences and five morphological characteristics, 114 specimens collected nationwide over the past 20 years were assigned to 11 <i>Myotis</i> species. All Chinese samples classified into <i>M. davidii</i> and <i>M. longipes</i> were revised to <i>M. alticraniatus</i> and <i>M. laniger</i>. Then, two nuclear fragments (<i>Rag2</i> and <i>Chd1</i>) and <i>Cytb</i> sequences from representative individuals of Chinese <i>Myotis</i> were used for multilocus phylogeny reconstruction and genetic divergence evaluation. The phylogenetic relationships were clearly demonstrated in the species tree: <i>M. alticraniatus</i> and <i>M. laniger</i>; <i>M. fimbriatus</i>, <i>M. pilosus</i>, <i>M. macrodactylus</i>, and <i>M. petax</i>; and <i>M. pequinius</i>, <i>M. chinensis</i>, and <i>M. blythii</i> formed three strongly supported monophyletic clades. Mitochondrial divergence was almost 10 times that of nuclear divergence, with interspecific K2P distances ranging from 8% to 20% for <i>Cytb</i> and 0.3% to 2.3% for concatenated nuclear genes. Low levels of genetic divergence were observed between <i>M. alticraniatus</i> and <i>M. laniger</i>, as well as <i>M. fimbriatus</i> and <i>M. pilosus</i>. These results provide new insights into the taxonomy and phylogeny of <i>Myotis</i> bats in China and are important for the future research and conservation of Chinese <i>Myotis</i>.