title: Taxonomic position of Eothenomys wardi (Arvicolinae: Cricetidae) based on morphological and molecular analyses with a detailed description of the species.
abstract: Ward's Red-backed Vole (Eothenomys wardi) is a rodent from the family Cricetidae. This endemic species occurs only in extreme northwestern Yunnan province, China in the Mekong and Salween river divide. It occupies steep cliffs at 2,800 to 4,250 m above sea level on the remote Qinghai-Tibetan plateau. The validity of E. wardi is controversial and no specimens exist apart from the nominal series. In 2010, we collected 38 topotypes of E. wardi from Meri Snow Mountain. The results of our phylogenetic analyses based on nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial genes cytochrome b (cytb) and cytochrome c oxidase subunit one (COI) suggest that E. wardi is the sister group of E. custos, against its previously presumed sister species or conspecific species E. chinensis. In addition, seven out of 34 morphological characters differentiate E. wardi from other members of the genus Eothenomys. Therefore, we consider E. wardi to be a valid species and we provide its detailed morphological description.
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Zhi Yu
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Robert W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.forename: Jian Rong
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Quan Fen
authors.initials: QF
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.forename: Fei Yun
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Tu
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: Shao Ying
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Bi Song
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Yue
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003411:Arvicolinae / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D002681:China; D045303:Cytochromes b / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D045303:Cytochromes b; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV