Insights on the evolution of the tribe Pliomyini (Arvicolinae, Rodentia): Ancient DNA from the extinct Pliomys lenki

The partially unresolved phylogeny of the Arvicolinae subfamily has been a recurrent topic of discussion in scientific papers. Among the species belonging to this subfamily, Dinaromys bogdanovi is one of the species with an unclear phylogenetic position. Paleontologists have traditionally compared and related its molars to the extinct Pliomys , whose geologically youngest fossil representative, Pliomys lenki , persisted until the Late Pleistocene. Although both genera have been morphologically related, there has always been discussion about when these genera should have separated. In this paper, we use ancient DNA data from Pliomys lenki (= Pliomys coronensis ) to demonstrate the phylogenetic relationship between Dinaromys and Pliomys, forming the tribe Pliomyini. Additionally, we propose an evolutionary model of the Pliomyini tribe, placing the separation Dinaromys/Pliomys around 3.8 Ma (2.6-4.9 Ma).