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Taxonomic status and origin of the Egyptian weasel (Mustela subpalmata) inferred from mitochondrial DNA

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Abstract

The Egyptian weasel (Mustela subpalmata) is a small mustelid with a distribution restricted to the lower Nile Valley and the Nile Delta. Traditionally considered a subspecies of the least weasel (M. nivalis), it is currently recognized as a separate species based on morphology. Here we present the first genetic assessment of the taxonomic status of the Egyptian weasel by comparing mitochondrial DNA (Cytochrome b gene and control region) sequences to those of least weasels from the western Palearctic, with a focus on the Mediterranean region. Our results provide no evidence to support the view that the Egyptian weasel is genetically distinct from the least weasel, as we found that, for both Cytochrome b and control region, haplotypes were shared between the two taxa. Specifically, the Cytochrome b and control region haplotypes detected in the Egyptian weasel were also present in M. nivalis from Turkey and Malta, two populations genetically analysed here for the first time. Our results suggest that the Egyptian weasel is distinct from the least weasel populations currently living in the Maghreb, which were inferred to be the result of an earlier colonization of North Africa, but the genetic data alone do not allow us to determine whether the Egyptian weasel is native or introduced. Nevertheless, the observed genetic patterns, together with the weasel fossil record in Israel and the unique commensal lifestyle of the Egyptian weasel, are consistent with the hypothesis that the Egyptian population is a relict of past range expansion from the Levant into Egypt. We suggest that the large size and characteristic sexual dimorphism of the Egyptian weasel are likely to represent ecotypic variation, but genomic studies are required to clarify the extent of its functional genetic divergence.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Lluís Parpal (COFIB, Spain), Afif Ben Salah (Institut Pasteur de Tunis); Maurizio Gattabria (Museo Civico di Zoologia de Roma), Federico Striglioni and Gino Damiani (Parco Nazionale del Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga), and Parco Nazionale d’Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise for providing samples. We also thank Jacquelin DeFaveri (University of Helsinki) for reviewing the manuscript and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments and suggestions. MR and CF acknowledge financial support from Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT, MCTES, Portugal) through, respectively, the PhD Fellowship SFRH/BD/60595/2009 and the Ciência 2007 Contract C2007-UL-342-CBA1. JM acknowledges support from the Academy of Finland (Grants 200940, 108601 and 118673). ARB acknowledges financial support from the American University in Cairo through a faculty research grant. PJS thanks the Malta Environment and Planning Authority for granting permits to work on the protected Maltese weasel. SOO acknowledges support from the Turkish National Science Foundation (TUBITAK) through the project 110T930.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CE3C – Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016, Lisbon, Portugal

    Mónica Rodrigues, Margarida Santos-Reis & Carlos Fernandes

  2. Ecological Genetics Research Unit, Department of Biosciences, University of Helsinki, PO Box 65, 00014, Helsinki, Finland

    Mónica Rodrigues & Juha Merilä

  3. The American University in Cairo, PO Box 74, New Cairo, 11835, Egypt

    Arthur R. Bos & Richard Hoath

  4. Naturalis Biodiversity Centre, PO Box 9517, 2300 RA, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Arthur R. Bos

  5. Department of Biology, University of Malta, Msida, MSD 2080, Malta

    Patrick J. Schembri

  6. Natural History Museum of Crete, University of Crete, 71409, Iráklion, Crete, Greece

    Petros Lymberakis

  7. SROPU Bird Observation and Protection Station of Rome, 00165, Rome, Italy

    Michele Cento

  8. Service of Medical Epidemiology, Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Tunis-Belvédère, Tunisia

    Wissem Ghawar

  9. Faculty of Education, Ahi Evran University, Kırşehir, Turkey

    Sakir O. Ozkurt

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  1. Mónica Rodrigues
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Correspondence to Mónica Rodrigues.

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Rodrigues, M., Bos, A.R., Hoath, R. et al. Taxonomic status and origin of the Egyptian weasel (Mustela subpalmata) inferred from mitochondrial DNA. Genetica 144, 191–202 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10709-016-9889-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10709-016-9889-y

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