LAUSR

The Anatolian and the Lesser blind mole rats (Nannospalax xanthodon and N. leucodon) are widely distributed in Anatolia and Thrace and feature remarkable diversity of chromosomal races. The evolutionary relationship among various cytotypes has not been fully resolved, and little is known about the genetic diversity at the population level. Traditionally, N. xanthodon is divided into Western and Central Anatolian phylogenetic clades, but the inclusion of particular cytotypes into one or the other clade still causes controversy, and the relationship of N. leucodon from Thrace to other Turkish populations is not known. We genotyped 67 and 62 individuals, sampled across Western Turkey, respectively at one mtDNA (1048 bp long fragment of cyt b) and ten highly polymorphic microsatellite markers. The population genetic structure was analyzed (i) in respect to previously assigned karyotype (cytotypes 2n = 38, 50, 52, 56 and 60 of N. xanthodon and 2n = 56 of N. leucodon) and geographic locality data, and (ii) without assuming any prior grouping. Both the phylogeny constructed from the cyt b sequence and the population structure revealed by the microsatellite genotyping revealed the presence of two major clades. The first included the Western Anatolian populations of N. xanthodon (cytotypes 2n = 38, 2n = 50 and 2n = 52), but also N. leucodon from Thrace (2n = 56). The second clade included the Central Anatolian populations of N. xanthodon with cytotypes 2n = 56 and 2n=60. These findings support and refine the previously suggested relationships between 2n = 38, Thracian N. leucodon and 2n = 60 (Hadid et al., 2012). We also revealed higher genetic diversity, particularly within cytotype 2n = 38 (race anatolicus), and stronger population structuring within the Western Anatolian clade. In contrast, the microsatellite genotypes of two races in Central Anatolian clade (2n = 60 and 2n = 56 from Manisa province), showed less diversity and weaker population structure.