Phylogenetic relationships of vespertilionid bats from West Africa based on molecular and cytogenetic approach.
Abstract
Phylogenetic relationships among African members of the family Vespertilionidae were reconstructed mainly on the basis of morphological and cytogenetic characters in the past and the interest was focused especially on populations distributed in the northern and southern parts of the continent. In our study, we analyzed samples collected during seven expeditions at fourteen collecting sites mainly at the area of the Niokolo Koba National Park in the southeastern part of Senegal (western Africa).
Sequences of both mitochondrial (cytochrome b, 12S, tRNA-Thr) and nuclear genes (RAG1, RAG 2) from specimens originating from Senegal and provisionally assigned to seven genera (Pipistrellus, Laephotis, Neoromicia, Scotoecus, Myotis, Nycticeinops, Glauconycteris) together with published data from GenBank were used for the phylogenetic analysis. Variations at the molecular level of the Senegalese specimens were compared with the results obtained from the analysis of standard Giemsa-stained karyotypes.