Abstract The genus Scotophilus is composed of 15 recognized species with 7 species distributed throughout sub-Saharan Africa, 4 distributed across southern and southeastern Asia, 3 endemic to Madagascar, and 1 endemic to Reunion Island. Scotophilus is plagued with problems in species definition, and systematic relationships among members of the genus are poorly understood. We used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y-chromosome sequence data from 11 of the 15 recognized species, which represent the most comprehensive taxonomic coverage to date, to examine phylogenetic patterns within Scotophilus. All trees have S. kuhlii from Asia as the most basal species followed by S. nux from Africa. However, S. heathii from Asia is embedded within the other African Scotophilus, indicating a complex biogeography with multiple continental exchanges. Furthermore, the Malagasy taxa are most closely related to 2 different African species, suggesting independent colonizations of Madagascar from the continental mainland. In addition, African S. dinganii did not comprise a monophyletic group but exhibited at least 2 additional cryptic species based on high levels of genetic divergence in the cyotchrome-b gene. The large-bodied S. nigrita is closely related to S. dinganii with a similar mtDNA haplotype but distinct zfy haplotype, suggesting a possible hybridization event in the most recent common ancestor that potentially represents a mitochondrial capture. Overall measures of interspecific genetic distances ranged from 4.2% to 19.2% for mtDNA data and 0.18% to 2.14% for Y-chromosome data, indicating that members of the genus Scotophilus are highly divergent from one another.

Molecular phylogenetics of the bat genus Scotophilus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae): Perspectives from paternally and maternally iInherited genomes

The genus Scotophilus contains 21 currently recognized species ranging throughout Africa and Southeast Asia. Among the 13 species recognized from continental Africa, systematic relationships remain poorly understood. Taxonomic uncertainty regarding names, suggestions of polytypic species complexes, and undescribed cryptic diversity all contribute to the current confusion. To gain insights into the systematics of this group, we inferred single locus and multi-locus phylogenies and conducted lineage delimitation analyses using seven unlinked genes for specimens from across Africa. Recent collections from Kenya allowed us to carry out population-level analyses for the diverse assemblage of East African Scotophilus. Multi-locus coalescent delimitation methods indicated strong support for three recently named lineages thought to be restricted to Kenya and Tanzania; it also uncovered two new distinctive lineages at present known only from Kenya. Subsequent taxonomic assessments that integrate these genetic data with phenotypic, distributional, and/or ecological traits are needed to establish these lineages as valid species. Nevertheless, as many as 15 Scotophilus species may occur in continental Africa, 10 of these in Kenya alone. Our analysis highlights the importance of population-level surveys for the detection of cryptic diversity in understudied regions such as the Afrotropics.

Hidden Diversity of African Yellow House Bats (Vespertilionidae, Scotophilus): Insights from Multilocus Phylogenetics and Lineage Delimitation

Sierra Leone is situated at the western edge of the Upper Guinean Forests in West Africa, a recognised biodiversity hotspot which is increasingly threatened by habitat degradation and loss through anthropogenic impacts. The small mammal fauna of Sierra Leone is poorly documented, although bats and rodents account for the majority of mammalian diversity. Based on morphological, genetic and echolocation data, we recorded 30 bat (Chiroptera), three shrew (Soricomorpha) and eleven rodent (Rodentia) species at the Seli River in the north of the country in 2014 and 2016, during a baseline study for the Bumbuna Phase II hydroelectric project. In 2016, 15 bat species were additionally documented at the western fringe of the Loma Mountains, a recently established national park and biodiversity offset for the Bumbuna Phase I dam. Three bat species were recorded for the first time in Sierra Leone, raising the total number for the country to 61. Further, two bat species are threatened and endemic to the Upper Guinean Forest and several taxa of small mammals are poorly known or represent undescribed species. Overall, the habitats of the project area supported a species-rich small mammal fauna including species of global conservation concern. Suitable mitigation measures and/or offsets are necessary to maintain biodiversity and ecosystems in a region that is under high human pressure.

New records of bats and terrestrial small mammals from the Seli River in Sierra Leone before the construction of a hydroelectric dam.

. Evolutionary parallelism complicates taxonomy of the bat genus Scotophilus. This implies the necessity for a careful examination of morphologically similar species. Robbins' — or “nutlet” — house bat Scotophilus nucella is an insufficiently known taxon of the African rainforest zone based on just a handful of recorded specimens previously included in the nut-coloured house bat S. nux. Because its phylogenetic relationship to S. nux and other congeneric species is unknown, it was assessed using analysis of DNA sequences of single mitochondrial and nuclear genes. Based on the mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences, S. nucella was placed in sister position to S. nux. A genetic divergence of 7.8–9.4 % between them supports the recognition of S. nucella as a distinct species. Analysis of partial sequences of the nuclear zinc finger protein gene on the Y-chromosome corroborated the sister relationship of S. nucella and S. nux, while showing sufficient differences to consider them as two species. Mitocho...

https://bioone.org/journals/Folia-Zoologica/volume-65/issue-4/fozo.v65.i4.a2.2016/Nutlet-is-a-little-nut--disclosure-of-the-phylogenetic/10.25225/fozo.v65.i4.a2.2016.pdf

Nutlet is a little nut: disclosure of the phylogenetic position of Robbins' house bat Scotophilus nucella (Vespertilionidae)

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Nutlet is a little nut: disclosure of the phylogenetic position of Robbins' house bat Scotophilus nucella (Vespertilionidae)