title: Genetics, morphology and ecology reveal a cryptic pika lineage in the Sikkim Himalaya.
abstract: Asian pika species are morphologically ∼similar and have overlapping ranges. This leads to uncertainty and species misidentification in the field. Phylogenetic analyses of such misidentified samples leads to taxonomic ambiguity. The ecology of many pika species remains understudied, particularly in the Himalaya, where sympatric species could be separated by elevation and/or substrate. We sampled, measured, and acquired genetic data from pikas in the Sikkim Himalaya. Our analyses revealed a cryptic lineage, Ochotona sikimaria, previously reported as a subspecies of O. thibetana. The results support the elevation of this lineage to the species level, as it is genetically divergent from O. thibetana, as well as sister species, O. cansus (endemic to central China) and O. curzoniae (endemic to the Tibetan plateau). The Sikkim lineage diverged from its sister species' about 1.7-0.8myrago, coincident with uplift events in the Himalaya. Our results add to the recent spate of cryptic diversity identified from the eastern Himalaya and highlight the need for further study within the Ochotonidae.
authors.affiliation: National Centre for Biological Sciences, TIFR, Bellary Road, Bangalore 560065, India; Manipal University, Manipal-576104, Karnataka. Electronic address: nishmad@ncbs.res.in.
authors.forename: Nishma
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dahal
authors.affiliation: Zoological Museum of Moscow State University, B. Nikitskaya, 6, Moscow 125009, Russia.
authors.forename: Andrey A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Lissovsky
authors.affiliation: Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, PR China.
authors.forename: Zhenzhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Stanford University, Department of Biology, 371 Serra Mall, Stanford, CA 94305-5020, United States.
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Solari
authors.affiliation: Stanford University, Department of Biology, 371 Serra Mall, Stanford, CA 94305-5020, United States; Woods Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, United States.
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Hadly
authors.affiliation: Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, PR China.
authors.forename: Xiangjiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhan
authors.affiliation: National Centre for Biological Sciences, TIFR, Bellary Road, Bangalore 560065, India. Electronic address: uramakri@ncbs.res.in.
authors.forename: Uma
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ramakrishnan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D045303:Cytochromes b / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D007793:Lagomorpha / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012819:Sikkim
chemical_list: D004247:DNA; D045303:Cytochromes b
keywords: Cryptic lineage; Himalaya; Ochotona; Phylogeny; Sikkim