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Goodwin's brush‐tailed mouse (Calomyscus elburzensis Goodwin, 1939) is a poorly known small rodent that occupies rocky habitats in Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, and Syria. Herein, a detailed description of the shape, size, and function of the postcranial skeleton of this species is presented for the first time. Trapping was carried out in eastern Iran between the years 2013 and 2015. Skeletal parts of 24 adult male specimens were removed using the papain digestion protocol, and several postcranial morphological characteristics and measurements were examined. We attempted to achieve a morpho‐functional characterization of Goodwin's brush‐tailed mouse and to match morphological specializations with previous information on the ecology, behavior, and phylogenetic inferences of this rodent. Goodwin's brush‐tailed mouse has extended transverse processes and long zygapophyses in the first five caudal vertebrae along with a good innervation of the caudal vertebrae, which has resulted in a well‐developed basal musculature of the tail. It has extended forelimb, long ilium, and short post‐acetabular part of the innominate bone, loose hip joint with high degree of lateral movement of the hindlimb, and long distal elements of the hindlimb. These features have resulted in fast terrestrial movements in open microhabitats, including climbing and jumping. Although superficial scratching of the ground is observed, the species is incapable of digging burrows. Evaluation of postcranial morphological characteristics and character states further indicated the basal radiation of the genus Calomyscus among other Muroidea. Findings constitute a source of information for morpho‐functional and phylogenetic comparisons between Calomyscidae and other mouse‐like muroids. Research Highlights: Postcranial morphological specializations of Calomyscus elburzensis were matched with information on its ecology and phylogeny.Findings constitute a data set for morpho‐functional and phylogenetic comparisons between Calomyscidae and other rodents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Birds of prey feed mainly on small vertebrates and regurgitate indigestible remains, such as hair and bones of their prey, as pellet. Hence, the analysis of pellets provides valuable information on the distribution of the prey species. In this paper, we used elements of the postcranial skeleton for the identification of gerbilline rodents in pellets of birds of prey in Iran for the first time. These pellets were collected during several field campaigns in 11 regions of North, Razavi, and South Khorasan provinces (Iran), and supplemented with museum data from 13 regions in Razavi Khorasan, Golestan, and Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari provinces (Iran). A total of 320 rodent individuals from 102 different pellets were identified, of which 44 (13%) rodent specimens belong to Gerbillinae. The gerbilline species Meriones crassus, M. zarudnyi and Tatera indica were recognized based on diagnostic traits of their postcranium. Identification based on postcranial traits was confirmed by skull and tooth identifications. Using pellet remains, the record of Zarudny's jird (M. zarudnyi) expanded the distribution range of the species. We also provided some notes on the shape and size of the pellets of birds of prey. Further studies are necessary to evaluate the role of postcranial elements in identification of rodents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Great gerbil (Rhombomys opimus Lichtenstein, 1823) is distributed in Central Asia and some parts of the Middle East. It is widely found in central and northeast parts of Iran with two distinct genetic lineages: R. o. sodalis in the northern slopes of the Elburz Mountains and R. o. sargadensis in the southern slopes. This large rodent acts as the main host of natural focal diseases. No study has surveyed the ecological niche of the lineages and how their distribution might be influenced by different climatic variables. To examine the distribution patterns of this murid rodent, we aimed to determine the habitat preferences and effects of environmental variables on the ecological niche. Using a species distribution approach for modeling of regional niche specialization, suitable habitats predicted for R. o. sodalis were mainly located in Golestan province in northern Iran, along the northern slope of Elburz, while R. o. sargadensis, showed great potential distribution along the southern slope of Elburz and around the Kavir Desert and the Lut Desert. Despite the widest potential distribution of R. o. sargadensis from northeast to northwest and through Central Iran, the geographic range of R. o. sodalis was smaller and mostly confined to Golestan province. The results support the presence of the two genetic lineages of Rhombomys in Iran and confirm that there is no significant niche overlap between the two subspecies. Furthermore, it provided several perspectives for future taxonomic studies and prevention hygiene programs for public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Duikers from the subfamily Cephalophinae are small to medium-sized antelope native to sub-Saharan Africa. Since most of the species belonging to this group are considered at-risk due to the process of population decline and probable extinction, recognizing their evolutionary biology will be useful toward preventing their extinction. Herein, molecular phylogeny of fourteen species of duikers were re-evaluated using complete mitochondrial genome sequences (n=17), cytochrome b (n=64), cytochrome c oxidase I (n=81), as well as the tRNA-proline gene and D-loop sequences. The analysis of a total of 225 gene sequences showed the average base composition of mtDNA sequences, based on mitogenome sequences, as follows: 26.8 % T, 26.5 % C, 33.3 % A, and 13.4 % G, with a great AT bias (60.1 %). According to the phylogenetic trees which resulted from maximum likelihood analysis, five distinct groups were indicated as West African red (Cephalophus callipygus, C. ogilbyi), East African red (C. leucogaster, C. natalensis, C. rufilatus, C. nigrifrons), savanna (Sylvicapra grimmia), giant (C. dorsalis, C. jentinki, C. silvicultor, C. spadix), and dwarf (Philantomba maxwellii, P. monticola) duikers. Furthermore, the current study showed that results will be similar using limited mitochondrial genes or either mitogenomes. Giving a careful attention to the phylogeny of duikers, two distinct evolutionary lineages were observed which could be defined as two distinct tribes (i.e. dwarf duikers and other species) within this subfamily. It means that their phylogeny is in accordance with their body-size classes. Therefore, similar approaches would be useful for those animals in which phylogeny is in accordance with their geographic position and body size, as can be seen in duikers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brush-tailed mice (family Calomyscidae) are small rodents found on the Iranian plateau and surrounding areas. To date, little discussion of the ecological aspects, habitat suitability and niche differentiation has been provided for members of this family. Herein, to model the potential distributions and describe habitat preferences of Calomyscus elburzensis and C. hotsoni, the maximum entropy modelling (MaxEnt) approach was used based on data collected through field expeditions, review of the literature and various databases. Species distribution modelling showed that minimal temperature of the coldest month and precipitation of the coldest quarter were the most important factors in predicting the distribution of C. elburzensis. However, occurrence of C. hotsoni was affected greatly by isothermality and annual precipitation. The mountainous regions in northeastern Iran, the central portions of the Elburz Mts, and the eastern hillsides of the Zagros Mts were identified as the most suitable habitats for C. elburzensis, whereas the western parts of South Khorasan province, the forest steppes in the southeast of Iran, and the southwestern extension of the Jebal Barez Mts in central Iran were highly suitable for C. hotsoni. Measurement of ecological niche overlaps showed low similarity between the niches of these two species. Nevertheless, the modelling identified areas of suitable habitat in the north centre parts of both South Khorasan and Kerman provinces where both or either of these species could occur. Moreover, C. elburzensis inhabited cold mountains, Mediterranean, and cold semi-desert climatic conditions, whereas C. hotsoni was generally showed high level of habitat suitability to hot dry desert and hot semi-desert climatic conditions. C. elburzensis mainly inhabits forest steppe and semi-desert biotopes, whereas C. hotsoni occupies desert lowlands in addition to forest steppe and semi-desert biotopes. Further studies are needed to resolve the distribution of each species and to follow their interactions in potential contact zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paralactaga williamsi, a five-toed jerboa, is known to occur in Anatolian Turkey, northern Lebanon, Armenia, Azerbaijan and western Iran. Here, we report the first record of this species in Kopet-Dag Mountains, northeastern Iran. Species identification was based on external morphology, skull and molar teeth morphology and morphometrics studies, as well as molecular analyses. Brief notes on the ecology of the species are also provided. This new record expands the distribution of P. williamsi in Iran about 850 km eastward, however further sampling will be needed for a better judgment on the taxonomic status of this species in eastern Iran and to determine the patterns of its distribution. Since the specimen did not group with other P. williamsi in the cytochrome b analysis, we provisionally classify the specimens as P. cf. williamsi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]