Russian Journal of Theriology. Main page    

Russian Journal of Theriology. Main page
Free access to the published articles
Information about online submission, Articles format, Instructions for authors etc
Instructions for reviewers
Subscription and prices
Contacts

Русскоязычный вариант сайта
The first detection of a putative hybrid between Miller’s and Eurasian water shrews (Neomys milleri and N. fodiens)
Ermakov O.A., Kremneva M.Yu., Lukonina S.A., Lukiyanov S.V., Lobachev E.A., Bystrakova N.V., Lissovsky A.A.
P. 24-31
We report the discovery of a water shrew specimen displaying intermediate morphological characteristics between Neomys milleri and N. fodiens, found in the Ulyanovsk region (53.8359° N, 48.4986° E). This locality is considerably distant (360–420 km) from the known range of N. milleri. We describe the capture location and external characteristics of the animal and present an analysis of its mitochondrial cytb gene and three nuclear introns (TRAIP, CSF2 and GDAP1). Although the specimen’s mtDNA was initially identified as N. milleri, analysis of the nuclear introns revealed mixed inheritance: two were specific to N. milleri and one to N. fodiens. This combination of characteristics suggests a hybrid origin resulting from recurrent crossbreeding.

DOI: 10.15298/rusjtheriol.25.1.04

References

  • Alpeev M.A., Alferova A.V., Ruchin A.B., Esin M.N., Lukyanov S.V., Lobachev E.A., Semishin G.B. & Bystrakova N.V. 2025. [New information on the fauna of small mammals trapped in soil (2021–2023)] // Proceedings of the National Park “Smolny”. Vol.9. P.101–104 [in Russian].
  • Bannikova A.A., Jenkins P.D., Lebedev V.S., Pavlova S.V., Yakushov V.D., Raspopova A.A., Zhu Y., Fang Y., Sun Y-H. & Sheftel B.I. 2025. The morphological, chromosomal and molecular illumination of the dramatic diversity of the stripe-backed shrews, Sorex cylindricauda species complex (Eulipotyphla: Soricidae) // Vertebrate Zoology. Vol.75. P.227–243. DOI: 10.3897/vz.75.e153115
  • Bannikova A.A., Lebedev V.S., Kramerov D.A. & Zaitsev M.V. 2006. Phylogeny and systematics of the Crocidura suaveolens species group: corroboration and controversy between nuclear and mitochondrial DNA markers // Mammalia. Vol.70. No.2. P.106–119. DOI: 10.1515/MAMM.2006.011
  • Balčiauskas L. & Balčiauskienė L. 2012. Mediterranean water shrew, Neomys anomalus Cabrera, 1907 – a new mammal species for Lithuania // North-Western Journal of Zoology. No.8. P.367–369.
  • Balčiauskas L., Balčiauskienė L. & Timm U. 2016. Mediterranean water shrew (Neomys anomalus): range expansion northward // Turkish Journal of Zoology. Vol.40. P.103–111.
  • Balmori-de la Puente A., Nores C., Román J., Fernandez-Gonzalez A., Aymerich P., Gosálbez J., Escoda L. & Castresana J. 2019. Size increase without genetic divergence in the Eurasian water shrew Neomys fodiens // Scientific Reports. Vol.9. No.1. Art.e17375. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-53891-y
  • Bolfíková B. & Hulva P. 2012. Microevolution of sympatry: Landscape genetics of hedgehogs Erinaceus europaeus and E. roumanicus in Central Europe // Heredity. Vol.108. P.248–255. DOI: 10.1038/hdy.2011.67
  • Borodin P.L. 2013. [Mediterranean water shrew in the Mordovskiy Nature Reserve] // Proceeding of the Mordovskiy State Reserve. Vol.11. P.109–124 [in Russian].
  • Campos P.F. & Gilbert T.M.P. 2012. DNA extraction from formalin-fixed material // Shapiro B. & Hofreiter M. (eds.). Ancient DNA: methods and protocols. Methods in Molecular Biology. Vol.840. P.81–85. DOI: 10.1007/978-1-61779-516-9_11
  • Castiglia R., Annesi F., Aloise G. & Amori G. 2007. Mitochondrial DNA reveals different phylogeographic structures in the water shrews Neomys anomalus and N. fodiens (Insectivora: Soricidae) in Europe // Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research. Vol.45. No.3. P.255–262. DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0469.2006.00391.x
  • Černá Bolfíková B., Eliášová K., Loudová M., Kryštufek B., Lymberakis P., Sándor A.D. & Hulva P. 2017. Glacial allopatry vs. postglacial parapatry and peripatry: the case of hedgehogs // PeerJ. Vol.5. Art.e3163. DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3163
  • Clement M., Snell Q., Walker P., Posada D. & Crandall K. 2002. TCS: estimating gene genealogies // Parallel and Distributed Processing Symposium, International Proceedings. IEEE Computer Society. Vol.2. P.184. DOI: 10.1109/IPDPS.2002.1016585
  • Curto M., Winter S., Seiter A., Schmid L., Scheicher K., Barthel L.M.F., Plass J. & Meimberg H. 2019. Application of a SSR-GBS marker system on investigation of European hedgehog species and their hybrid zone dynamics // Ecology and Evolution. Vol.9. P.2814–2832. DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4960
  • Dubey S., Diker E., Kurtonur C. & Vogel P. 2008. Secondary contact zones and hybridizations: the case of the lesser white-toothed shrew (Crocidura suaveolens group, Soricidae) // Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. Vol.95. No.3. P.557–565.
  • Eliášová K., Lucas Lledó J.I., Grau J.H., Loudová M., Bannikova A.A., Zolotareva K.I., Beneš V., Hulva P. & Černá Bolfíková B. 2022. Contrasting levels of hybridization across the two contact zones between two hedgehog species revealed by genome-wide SNP data // Heredity (Edinb). Vol.129. No.5. P.305–315. DOI: 10.1038/s41437-022-00567-5
  • Ermakov O.A. 2025. Miller’s water shrew Neomys milleri // Lissovsky A.A., Stakheev V.V., Saveljev A.P., Ermakov O.A., Smirnov D.G., Glazov D.M., Obolenskaya E.V., Sheftel B.I. & Titov S.V. (eds.). [Atlas of Mammal Distribution in the European Part of Russia]. Moscow: KMK Scientific Press. P.78–79 [in Russian].
  • Ermakov O.A., Mishta A.V., Sheftel B.I., Obolenskaya E.V., Lada G.A., Bystrakova N.V., Ruchin A.B. & Lissovsky A.A. 2020. Does the Mediterranean water shrew Neomys anomalus (Soricidae, Eulipotyphla) expand the eastern part of the distribution range? // Russian Journal of Theriology. Vol.19. No.2. P.112–130. DOI: 10.15298/rusjtheriol.19.2.02
  • Fu X.Y. 1997. Statistical tests of neutrality of mutations against population growth, hitchhiking, and background selection // Genetics. Vol.147. P.915–925. DOI: 10.1093/genetics/147.2.915
  • Gazzard A. 2024. Neomys fodiens. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2024: e.T29658A226862036. Accessed on 15 November 2025. DOI: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2024-2.RLTS.T29658A226862036.en
  • Gazzard A. & Meinig H. 2023. Neomys milleri. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2023: e.T221738646A221738688. Accessed on 06 November 2024. DOI: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2023-1.RLTS.T221738646A221738688.en
  • Gritsyshin V.A., Lisenkova A.A., Speranskaya A.S., Artyushin I.V., Sheftel B.I., Lebedev V.S. & Bannikova A.A. 2023. Multilocus analysis of phylogenetic relationships in the Crocidura suaveolens sensu lato species complex: a comparison with mitochondrial data // Doklady Biological Sciences. Vol.509. P.128–134. DOI: 10.1134/S0012496623700308
  • İbiş O., Koepfli K.P., Özcan S. & Tez C. 2023. Whole mitogenomes of Turkish white-toothed shrews, genus Crocidura (Eulipotyphla: Soricidae), with new insights into the phylogenetic positions of Crocidura leucodon and the Crocidura suaveolens group // Organisms Diversity & Evolution. Vol.23. P.221–241. DOI: 10.1007/s13127-022-00579-3
  • Igea J., Aymerich P., Bannikova A.A., Gosálbez J. & Castresana J. 2015. Multilocus species trees and species delimitation in a temporal context: application to the water shrews of the genus Neomys // BMC Evolutionary Biology. Vol.15. No.209. P.1–16. DOI: 10.1186/s12862-015-0485-z
  • Keckel M.R., Ansorge H. & Stefen C. 2014. Differences in the microhabitat preferences of Neomys fodiens (Pennant, 1771) and Neomys anomalus Cabrera, 1907 in Saxony, Germany // Acta Theriologica. Vol.59. P.485–494. DOI: 10.1007/s13364-014-0189-6
  • Korol’kov M.A. 2025. [Eurasian water shrew Neomys fodiens Pennant, 1771] // Korepov M.V., Maslennikov A.V. & Volkova Ju.S. (eds.). [Red Book of the Ulyanovsk Region]. Ulyanovsk: NITS “Povolzhye”. P.605 [in Russian].
  • Koryavchenkov D.M. 2017. [Mediterranean water shrew Neomys anomalus Cabrera, 1907] // Antokhina V.A. (ed.). [Red Book of the Kaluga Region. Vol.2. Animals]. Kaluga: OOO Vash dom. P.334 [in Russian].
  • Kryštufek B. & Vohralík V. 2001. Mammals of Turkey and Cyprus. Introduction, Checklist, Insectivora. Zgodovinsko društvo za južno Primorsko, Znanstveno-raziskovalno stredišče Republice Slovenije Koper. 140 p.
  • Kumar S., Stecher G. & Tamura K. 2016. MEGA7: Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis version 7.0 // Molecular Biology and Evolution. Vol.33. P.1870–1874. DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msw054
  • Kunerth H.D., Tapisso J.T., Valente R., Mathias M.d.L., Alves P.C., Searle J.B., Vega R. & Paupério J. 2022. Characterising mitochondrial capture in an Iberian shrew // Genes. Vol.13. No.12. P.2228. DOI: 10.3390/genes13122228
  • Leigh J.W. & Bryant D. 2015. PopART: Full-feature software for haplotype network construction // Methods of Ecology and Evolution. Vol.6. P.1110–1116. DOI: 10.1111/2041-210X.12410
  • Lissovsky A.A., Shakula G.V. & Obolenskaya E.V. 2024. Geographic distribution and ecological niche divergence of the Palaearctic petrophilous pikas (Ochotona, Lagomorpha, Mammalia) of the subgenus Pika // Russian Journal of Theriology. Vol.23. No.2. P.114–125. DOI: 10.15298/rusjtheriol.23.2.02
  • Loy A., Capula M., Palombi A. & Capanna E. 2001. Genetic and morphometric evidence of introgression between two species of moles (Insectivora: Talpa europaea and Talpa romana) in central Italy // Journal of Zoology. Vol.254. No.2. P.229–238. DOI: 10.1017/S0952836901000747
  • Lukiyanov S. & Lobachev E. 2023. Neomys milleri. https://rusmam.ru/data/view?id=295523. Mammals of Russia. Uploaded by: Oleg Ermakov 24.12.2024.
  • Mishta A.V. 2003. [Shrews (Soricidae, Mammalia) of the Desnyansko-Starogutsky National Natural Park] // [The role of nature reserves in the maintenance of biodiversity] (Proceedings of the conference dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Kaniv Nature Reserve, Kaniv, September 9–11, 2003). Kaniv. P.250–252 [in Russian].
  • Neves T., Tapisso J.T., Gabriel S.I., Rychlik L., Ramalhinho M.G., Borda-de-Água L., Mishta A. & Mathias M.L. 2025. The Rise (and fall?) of European water shrews: phylogeography and species distribution models uncover the impact of climate change // Journal of Biogeography. Vol.52. No.5. Art.e15073. DOI: 10.1111/jbi.15073
  • Querejeta M. & Castresana J. 2018. Evolutionary history of the endemic water shrew Neomys anomalus: Recurrent phylogeographic patterns in semi-aquatic mammals of the Iberian Peninsula // Ecology and Evolution. Vol.8. No.20. P.10138–10146. DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4487
  • Ramos-Onsins S.E. & Rozas J. 2002. Statistical properties of new neutrality tests against population growth // Molecular Biology and Evolution. Vol.19. P.2092–2100. DOI: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.molbev.a004034
  • Raspopova A.A., Lebedev V.S., Searle J.B. & Bannikova A.A. 2023. Discordant phylogenies in the Sorex araneus group (Soricidae, Mammalia): Footprints of past reticulations? // Zoologica Scripta. Vol.52. No.4. P.331–344. DOI: 10.1111/zsc.12590
  • Rozas J., Ferrer-Mata A., Sánchez-DelBarrio J.C., Guirao-Rico S., Librado P., Ramos-Onsins S.E. & Sánchez-Gracia A. 2017. DnaSP 6: DNA Sequence Polymorphism Analysis of large data sets // Molecular Biology and Evolution. Vol.34. P.3299–3302. DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msx248
  • Rychlik L. 2000. Habitat preferences of four sympatric species of shrews // Acta Theriologica. Vol.45. P.173–190. DOI: 10.4098/AT.arch.00-72
  • Savarin A. & Savarina V. 2019. The Mediterranean water shrew (Neomys anomalus) in northern Belarus: new records and identification criteria // Theriologia Ukrainica. Vol.18. P.137–143.
  • Sęk O., Al Belbeisi R. & Rychlik L. 2023. Differentiation of activity rhythms and space use between two competing water shrew species in a laboratory experiment // Mammal Research. Vol.68. P.427–435. DOI: 10.1007/s13364-023-00675-5
  • Stephens M., Smith N.J. & Donnelly P. 2001. A new statistical method for haplotype reconstruction from population data // American Journal of Human Genetics. Vol.68. P.978–989. DOI: 10.1086/319501
  • Tajima F. 1989. Statistical method for testing the neutral mutation hypothesis by DNA polymorphism // Genetics. Vol.123. No.3. P.585–595. DOI: 10.1093/genetics/123.3.585
  • Wikar Z., Ciechanowski M. & Zwolicki A. 2024. The positive response of small terrestrial and semi-aquatic mammals to beaver damming // Science of the Total Environment. Vol.906. Art.167568. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167568
  • Zaitsev M.V., Voyta L.L. & Sheftel B.I. 2014. [The Mammals of Russia and Adjacent Territories. Lipotyphlans.] Saint Petersburg: Nauka. 391 p. [in Russian].
  • Zolotareva K.I., Belokon M.M., Belokon Y.S., Rutovskaya M.V., Hlyap L.A., Starykov V.P., Politov D.V., Lebedev V.S. & Bannikova A.A. 2021. Genetic diversity and structure of the hedgehogs Erinaceus europaeus and Erinaceus roumanicus: evidence for ongoing hybridization in Eastern Europe // Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. Vol.132. No.1. P.174–195. DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blaa135

Download PDF