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Genetic evidence supports three previously described species of greater glider, Petauroides volans, P. minor, and P. armillatus.

ABSTRACT: The identification and classification of species are essential for effective conservation management. This year, Australia experienced a bushfire season of unprecedented severity, resulting in widespread habitat loss and mortality. As a result, there has been an increased focus on understanding genetic diversity and structure across the range of individual species to protect resilience in the face of climate change. The greater glider (Petauroides volans) is a large, gliding eucalypt folivore. This nocturnal arboreal marsupial has a wide distribution across eastern Australia and is considered the sole extant member of the genus Petauroides. Differences in morphology have led to suggestions that the one accepted species is actually three. This would have substantial impacts on conservation management, particularly given a recent history of declining populations, coupled with extensive wildfires. Until now, genetic evidence to support multiple species has been lacking. For the first time, we used DArT sequencing on greater glider tissue samples from multiple regions and found evidence of three operational taxonomic units (OTUs) representing northern, central and southern groups. The three OTUs were also supported by our morphological data. These findings have important implications for greater glider management and highlight the role of genetics in helping to assess conservation status.

SUBMITTER: McGregor DC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7648813 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Four species of true crocodile (genus Crocodylus) have been described from the Americas. Three of these crocodile species exhibit non-overlapping distributions-Crocodylus intermedius in South America, C. moreletii along the Caribbean coast of Mesoamerica, and C. rhombifer confined to Cuba. The fourth, C. acutus, is narrowly sympatric with each of the other three species. In this study, we sampled 113 crocodiles across Crocodylus populations in Cuba, as well as exemplar populations in Belize and Florida (USA), and sequenced three regions of the mitochondrial genome (D-loop, cytochrome b, cytochrome oxidase I; 3,626 base pair long dataset) that overlapped with published data previously collected from Colombia, Jamaica, and the Cayman Islands. Phylogenetic analyses of these data revealed two, paraphyletic lineages of C. acutus. One lineage, found in the continental Americas, is the sister taxon to C. intermedius, while the Greater Antillean lineage is most closely related to C. rhombifer. In addition to the paraphyly of the two C. acutus lineages, we recovered a 5.4% estimate of Tamura-Nei genetic divergence between the Antillean and continental clades. The reconstructed paraphyly, distinct phylogenetic affinities and high genetic divergence between Antillean and continental C. acutus populations are consistent with interspecific differentiation within the genus and suggest that the current taxon recognized as C. acutus is more likely a complex of cryptic species warranting a reassessment of current taxonomy. Moreover, the inclusion, for the first time, of samples from the western population of the American crocodile in Cuba revealed evidence for continental mtDNA haplotypes in the Antilles, suggesting this area may constitute a transition zone between distinct lineages of C. acutus. Further study using nuclear character data is warranted to more fully characterize this cryptic diversity, resolve taxonomic uncertainty, and inform conservation planning in this system.

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Genetic evidence supports three previously described species of greater glider, Petauroides volans, P. minor, and P. armillatus.

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