New data on distribution and taxonomy of the genus Suncus (Mammalia: Soricidae) in Iran; molecular evidence

We studied 1140 base pairs of mitochondrial cytochrome b (cytb) gene of three samples of small shrews, genus Suncus Ehrenberg, 1832, from Iran. Using previous published data for the genus, phylogenetic trees showed affiliation of the Iranian samples to the Madagascan Pgymy Shrew, Suncus madagascariensis which is the first report of the species for the Iranian Plateau. This result questioning the presence of Suncus etruscus for the country. Kimura 2 parameter genetic divergence of 5.4% between the two nominative geographic clades, ‘etruscus’ and ‘madagascariensis’ (the Western and Eastern clades, respectively) is located beyond of intraspecific divergence for mammalian cytochrome b (2.4%). This finding reflects the importance of molecular data to discriminate groups, when traditional approaches are not adequate, as well as it sheds more light on the current geographic range of small shrews.