Are the western water shrew (Sorex navigator) and American water shrew (Sorex palustris) morphologically distinct?

Author:

Nagorsen David W.1,Panter Nick1,Hope Andrew G.2

Affiliation:

1. Royal BC Museum, 675 Belleville Street, Victoria, BC V8W 9W2, Canada.

2. Division of Biology, Kansas State University, 116 Ackert Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA.

Abstract

Recent phylogenetic studies applying the mitochondrial cytochrome b (Cytb) gene and nuclear genes revealed divergent cordilleran and boreal lineages in western populations of the Sorex palustris complex that are now recognized as distinct species: Sorex navigator (Baird, 1858) (western water shrew) and Sorex palustris Richardson, 1828 (American water shrew). Their distributions in western Canada are parapatric with a potential contact zone in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Using 80 specimens including 69 of known genotype, we assessed morphological differentiation in metric and nonmetric traits among S. navigator, S. palustris, and Sorex bendirii (Merriam, 1894) (marsh shrew), a sister species of S. navigator. Multivariate analyses revealed discrete morpho groups concordant with their genetic lineages and species-level divergence. Three individuals from northwestern British Columbia and one from southwestern Alberta with discordant mitochondrial and nuclear DNA aligned with the S. navigator morpho group showing no evidence for morphological intergradation with S. palustris. Although differentiated in genotype, S. navigator and S. palustris are cryptic species that can only be discriminated from morphology with metric cranio-dental data. We developed diagnostic morphometric criteria to identify specimens lacking genetic data.

Publisher

Canadian Science Publishing

Subject

Animal Science and Zoology,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

Reference36 articles.

1. Banfield, A.W.F. 1974. The mammals of Canada. University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Ont.

2. Sorex palustris

3. Evidence of Introgression between Masked Shrews (Sorex cinereus), and Prairie Shrews (S. haydeni), in Minnesota

4. Carraway, L.N., and Verts, B.J. 1994. Relationship of mandibular morphology to relative bite force in some Sorex from western North America. In Advances in the biology of shrews. Edited by J.A. Merritt, G.L. Kirkland, R.K. Rose, and M.A. Schmidt. The Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, Pa. pp. 201–210.

5. Life History of the Water Shrew (Sorex Palustris Navigator)

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