Phylogenetic Evaluation of Three Subspecies from the Mustela nivalis Group
Urmas Saarma and Igor L. Tumanov (2006) Extensive morphological variation has been a foundation for speculation and controversy about the evolutionary history and systematics of the Mustela nivalis group. Our aim was to assess the phylogenetic relationship of 3 subspecies of the Mustela nivalis group: M. n. dinniki, M. n. boccamela, and M. n. heptneri. A phylogenetic network, based on partial mtDNA cytochrome b sequences, revealed that all analyzed subspecies belong to the same clade with M. n. nivalis. These results support the hypothesis that the M. nivalis group can largely be considered a single species with remarkable phenotypic and geographic variations.
Keywords
Mustelids, Cytochrome b, Phylogeny, Speciation, Subspecies.
