Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/38511

KEYWORDS : Chiroptera;Myotis;Taxonomy;Morphology;Mitochondrial DNA;Cytochrome b;ND1

Morphological features and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences were analysed to study the phylogenetic relationships among eight species of whiskered bats (genus Myotis, subgenus Selysius) in the Palaearctic region. The mtDNA phylogeny did not support the current division of the subgenus into species groups based on morphological data and species distributions, but showed instead that several species in the subgenus Selysius originated from distant lineages. The morphological similarity in some species could be due to convergence as a result of adaptation to similar habitats.