Geographic variation in the skull morphology of Ellobius lutescens Thomas, 1897 (Mammalia: Rodentia) by geometric morphometric analyses

In this study, we examined a total of 43 samples belonging to three Ellobius lutescens populations from Turkey, Iran and Nakhchivan, which are geographically separated by the Zagros, Tendürek and Alborz mountain ranges. We applied geometric morphometric methods (GMMs) to explore the differences in size and shape of the cranium and mandible. Indeed, we intriguingly found that the populations differed in cranium but not mandible size. Comparison of the Iranian and Turkish populations alone revealed morphological differences in the shape of the cranium and mandible that could be used as a barometer to predict the origin of individual animals. Importantly, our findings indicate that the Zagros and Tendürek mountain ranges may have acted as a barrier between these two populations, resulting in evolutionary divergence in these anatomical features. Consequently, we propose that within E. lutescens, subspecies including E. lutescens woosnami exists and in time, genetic, besides geographical barriers, may prevent subspecies from interbreeding with each other.