Caryologia. International Journal of Cytology, Cytosystematics and Cytogenetics 72(4): 79-83, 2019 Firenze University Press www.fupress.com/caryologiaCaryologia International Journal of Cytology, Cytosystematics and Cytogenetics ISSN 0008-7114 (print) | ISSN 2165-5391 (online) | DOI: 10.13128/caryologia-318 Citation: Z.A. Hamad, A. Kaya, Y. Coşkun (2019) Geographical distribu- tion and karyotype of Nannospalax ehrenbergi (Nehring 1898) (Rodentia, Spalacidae) in Iraq. Caryologia 72(4): 79-83. doi: 10.13128/caryologia-318 Published: December 23, 2019 Copyright: © 2019 Z.A. Hamad, A. Kaya, Y. Coşkun. This is an open access, peer-reviewed article pub- lished by Firenze University Press (http://www.fupress.com/caryologia) and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distri- bution, and reproduction in any medi- um, provided the original author and source are credited. Data Availability Statement: All rel- evant data are within the paper and its Supporting Information files. Competing Interests: The Author(s) declare(s) no conflict of interest. Geographical distribution and karyotype of Nannospalax ehrenbergi (Nehring 1898) (Rodentia, Spalacidae) in Iraq Zaitoon Ahmed Hamad1, Alaettin Kaya2, Yüksel Coşkun2,* 1 Dicle University Institute of Science Biology Section, Diyarbakır /Turkey 2 Dicle University Science Faculty, Department of Biology, Diyarbakır/Turkey *Corresponding author: yukselc@dicle.edu.tr Abstract. This paper concerns the karyological analysis of fourteen mole rats collected in four different localities of North-Iraq (Kurdistan Region). The result showed that they belong to the following cytotypes of Nannospalax ehrenbergi: «Duhok-Bardarash Population» 2n = 52, NF = 76, and NFa = 72 and «Arbil-Sulaimania-Kirkuk popula- tions» 2n = 52, NF = 80 and NFa = 76. The karyotypes of the Duhok population are similar to those from Mosul, but the Arbil-Sulaimania-Kirkuk populations’ karyotype represents a new chromosomal form. Their distribution extends from North Iraq to Sulaimania. Keywords. Rodentia, Spalacidae, Nannospalax ehrenbergi, Karyology, Iraq. 1. INTRODUCTION Scientific research on mammals in Iraq is scarce in the country and requires special attention in order to determine the mammalian fauna of Iraq. Amr (2009), Garstecki & Amr (2011) noted that the mammalian fauna of Iraq consists of 74 species, including insectivores (6), bats (15), and car- nivores (19) as well as extinct species such as the leopard (Panthera pardus), artiodactyls (8). Rodents constituted the largest mammalian group in Iraq with 25 species. Recently, an updated checklist of the mammals of Iraq was published by Al-Sheikhly et al. (2015). The checklist takes into account 93 mammalian species of Iraq and listed the mole rats under the name Nanno- spalax ehrenbergi. The Palearctic rodent blind mole rats (Rodentia: Spalacidae) are subterra- nean mammals and the chromosomally diverse and they are difficult to dis- tinguish based on phenotype, whose phylogenetic relationships are problem- atic, resulting in taxonomic uncertainties at every level from species to high- er taxa (Savic & Nevo 1990; Musser & Carleton 2005). Fossil, morphologi- cal, chromosomal and molecular evidence suggest that Spalacidae have two distinct genera Spalax and Nannospalax (Topachevski 1969, Lyapunova et al. 1974, Hadid et al. 2012). Morphologically Nannospalax differs from Spalax 80 Zaitoon Ahmed Hamad, Alaettin Kaya, Yüksel Coşkun by the presence of supracondyloid foramina and two longitudinal ridges anterior surface of the upper incisors (Topachevski 1969). Karyologically, Nannospalax has both low diploid (2n) and fundamental (NF) numbers and acrocentric chromosomes (Lyapunova et al. 1974). The species Nannospalax ehrenbergi is the south eastern representative of the genus – initially described by Nehring (1898) on specimens, who were collected from Yafa-Israel – also occurs in the Middle East, Egypt, and Southeast Anatolia of Turkey (Lay & Nadler 1972; Musser & Carleton 2005; Coşkun et al. 2006). Nanno- spalax ehrenbergi exhibits great diversity in both diploid number of chromosomes (2n= 48-62) and the number of chromosome arms (NF= 62-90) (Wahrman et al. 1969; Ivanitskaya et al. 1997; 1998; Coşkun et al. 2006 and ref- erence therein). The distribution of Nannospalax ehrenbergi in Iraq has been known mainly from morphological studies, which have not been extensive (Cheesman 1920; Reed 1958; Harrison 1956; Hatt 1959; Turnbull & Reed 1974; Harrison & Bates 1991). Recently, spalacids from the Hawraman Mountains were identified as Spalax leuco- don by Lahony et al. (2013). The old records and distri- bution of the species in Iraq were previously summa- rized in detail by Coşkun et al. (2012). The cytogenetic information, which was available for this mole rat (N. ehrenbergi) and the existing data, were restricted to con- ventional stained karyotypes or reports of the diploid chromosome number (Coşkun et al. 2012; 2014). The geographical distribution and karyological peculiarities have not yet been documented in detail. The aim of the present work is to verify the distri- bution and the karyotype characteristics of several Nan- nospalax populations from Iraq to fill the gap in our knowledge about karyological forms as well as their dis- tributional areas in the north of Iraq. 2. MATERIAL AND METHODS The territory of Iraq is lies between latitudes 29° to 38° N and longitudes 39° to 49° E and the landscape includes high mountains in the North (Kurdistan), desert, arid lands and sandy steppes in the western and south-western plateau (Al-Badiyah), and the Mesopota- mian marshlands in the southern alluvial plain (Zohayr 1973). The study was conducted on four populations of blind mole rats from Duhok- Bardarash, Arbil-New Arbil, Sulaimania-Mughagh and Kirkuk-Shwan in the Kurdistan Province of Iraq (Fig. 1). In total, fourteen specimens (4 males, 10 females) of blind mole rats were studied. The sampled localities, the number of individu- als analyzed, and karyological results are presented in Table 1. Direct chromosome preparations were made from bone marrow (Hsu 1969) and about 25-30 metaphase cells, which were well stained, and whose chromosomes were separately examined. The diploid number of chro- mosomes (2n), the number of autosomal arms (NFa), the total number of chromosomal arms (NF), and the sex chromosomes were determined from photos of the metaphase plates according to the centromere position. The karyotype preparations and animals examined were deposited in the Department of Biology, the Faculty of Sciences at Dicle University. 3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Morphological peculiarities of the mole rats of Iraq were documented in detail by Coşkun et al. (2016). They conclude that morphologically all studied populations in North Iraq show great similarities and can be mor- phologically classified as Nannospalax ehrenbergi. The approximate geographic area of each chromosomal form is shown in Fig. 1. Figure 1. Sampling localities and geographical distribution of chromosomal forms of Nannospalax ehrenbergi in the Kurdis- tan region-Iraq (∗: Old records) 1- Near Mosul (Cheesman 1920); 2- Near Sulaimania (Bate 1930); 3- Sarsank (Hatt 1959); 4- Jarmo, Chemchamal Valley (Reed 1958); 5- Ser ‘Amadia and Tinn (Har- rison 1956); 6- Jarmo, Palegawra Cave (Turnbull and Reed 1974); 7-Al-Jurn (Coşkun et al. 2012); 8- Al-Jurn (Coşkun et al. 2014); 9- Kirkuk-Shwan (Coşkun et al. 2014);10- Sulaimania- Mughagh (Coşkun et al. 2014); 11- Al-Jurn (Coşkun et al. 2016); (▲: This study) 12- Duhok-Bardarash; 13- Arbil-New Arbil; 14- Kirkuk- Shwan; 15- Sulaimania- Mughagh. 81Geographical distribution and karyotype of Nannospalax ehrenbergi (Nehring 1898) (Rodentia, Spalacidae) in Iraq 3.1. Duhok Population The karyotype of individuals from Duhok (Bard- arash locality) was 2n = 52, NF = 76, NFa =72, which consists of 11 pairs of metacentric/submetacentric auto- somes, and 14 pairs of acrocentric autosomes. The X chromosomes were large metacentrics (Fig. 2A). This cytotype is similar to that observed in the previously studied individuals ascribed to Nannospalax ehrenbergi from Al-Jurn (Mosul) by Coşkun et al. (2012). Mole rats of this locality (Duhok populations) inhabit the north of the Great Zab River (Tab.1). 3.2. Arbil Population The samples from Arbil (New Arbil), Kirkuk (Shwan; 50 km north Kirkuk) and Sulaimania (Mughagh; 55 km west Sulaimania) possessed karyotypes of 2n=52, NF=80, NFa=76 and consists of 13 pairs meta /submetacentric 12 pairs acrocentric autosomes. The X chromosome was large metacentrics and the Y chromosome was small acrocentric (Fig. 2B and Tab. 1). The karyotypes of these three populations which is newly described here, are sim- ilar with each other’s and they are located on the south side of the Great Zab river,in Iraq. According to Gromov & Baranova (1981), Spalacidae has two distinct genera, Nannospalax and Spalax, and Turkish spalacids belong to the genus Nannospalax. Iraqi populations also belong to the genus Nannospalax. Reed (1958), Hatt (1959), Turnbull & Reed (1974), Harrison & Bates (1991), Lahony et al. (2013) have stated that mole rat samples in all Iraq are S. leucodon but our results show that all samples across Iraq are N. ehrenbergi. Mole rat, belonging to the N. ehrenbergi exhib- its two chromosomal forms that are widely distributed across north Iraq. One chromosomal form is 2n= 52 and NF= 76, NFa= 72. This chromosomal form (Duhok populations) is found north of the Great Zab river and is similar to the Mosul-Al Jurn (Coşkun et al. 2012) and Turkish Diyarbakır (Coşkun et al, 2006) populations. The other form, 2n= 52 and NF= 80, NFa= 76 (Arbil, Kirkuk-Sulaimania populations) in the south of the Great Zab river is a new chromosomal form that has not been previously described. Each of the karyotype forms exhibits an allopatric distribution, separated mostly by the Great Zab river or some ecological barriers, which may limit their dispersal (Fig. 2). Chromosomal differences are frequently associated with taxonomic differences at the species level (Patton & Sherwood 1983). Chromosomal change has been impli- cated as a primary isolating mechanism in speciation. Chromosomal divergence is considered an indication of speciation events (Nevo et al. 2001). This study filled the gaps in the knowledge of dis- tribution of blind mole rat chromosomal forms in the north of Iraq. According to the results N.ehrenbergi are distributed in all parts of North Iraq, and it forms a potential species complex of N. ehrenbergi. Figure 2. The karyotype Nannospalax ehrenbergi: A. Duhok-Bard- arash population, B. Arbil population. (a: karyotype, b: metaphase plate). Table 1. The localities of samples that chromosomal analysis was performed in Iraq (N: sample size,2n: diploid chromosome numbers, NF: chromosomal arm numbers, NFa: autosomal arm number, m: metacentrics, sm: submetacentrics, a: acrocentric). Locations N 2n Autosomes NF NFa Gonosomes Reference City Town Village m/sm a X Y Kirkuk Shwan --- 4♀ 52 13 12 80 76 Sm . Th is s tu dy Sulaimania Dukan Mughagh 2♂, 2♀ 52 13 12 80 76 Sm a Arbil NewArbil ---- 2♂, 3♀ 52 13 12 80 76 Sm a Duhok Bardarash Zamzamok 1♀ 52 11 14 76 72 Sm - Mosul Al Jurn ---- 3♂ 52 11 14 76 72 Sm a Coşkun et al. (2012) 82 Zaitoon Ahmed Hamad, Alaettin Kaya, Yüksel Coşkun In order to fully understand the distribution and karyology of blind mole rats in Iraq, we need more information on hybrid zones in the territory, population structure and population size. There is a real necessity to establish long-term cytogenetic studies for this rodent. 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