Allozyme variation and systematics of the genus Apodemus (Rodentia: Muridae) in Asia Minor and Iran

Starch gel electrophoresis at 36 presumptive loci was used to study genetic variation and systematic status of 110 wood mice (genus Apodemus) from 19 sites scattered across Anatolia, Armenia, and Iran. Seventeen loci were monomorphic and fixed for the same allele among populations, whereas 19 loci were found to be polymorphic or discriminant among samples. The following species were determined in the material: A. flavicollis, A. uralensis, A. hermonensis, and a taxon provisionally called Apodemus cf. hyrcanicus. The study material was compared with previously analyzed samples from western Anatolia, increasing the total material to 245 specimens from 31 localities. In general, the pattern of variation and level of genetic differentiation within and among species were comparable between western and eastern samples. Intraspecific genetic distances were low, ranging from 0 to 0.051, but interspecific distances were an order of magnitude higher. Similarly, neighbor-joining trees showed negligible differentiation between populations of individual species and no sign of intraspecific structuring. A. uralensis seems to prefer humid sites, whereas A. hermonensis and A. flavicollis also occur in drier places. Individuals referred to Apodemus cf. hyrcanicus were limited to lowlands south of the Caspian Sea. Problems associated with the systematic relationships and taxonomy of A. falzfeini-julvipectus-hermonensis-arianus and A. cf. hyrcanicus from northern Iran are briefly discussed.