Abstract
Kondana soft-furred rat is a critically endangered (CR) species, known from a single locality – Sinhgad in the northern Western Ghats, India. However, the taxonomic status of this species is uncertain due to its close resemblance to the widely distributed soft-furred field rat Millardia meltada, which has serious implications on the conservation status of Millardia kondana. In this study, we assessed the current taxonomic status of M. kondana through an integrative approach combining morphological, molecular and environmental niche modeling analyses. We collected morphological data from the specimens around Sinhgad as well as preserved specimens in the museum. Both morphological and two-dimensional (2D) morphometrical analyses showed a significant difference between M. kondana and M. meltada. Molecular phylogeny based on cytochrome b gene revealed a sister relationship between M. kondana and M. meltada, and both species form distinct well-supported monophyletic clades. Niche modeling also predicted niche segregation between the two species: M. kondana preferred areas with a high elevation and precipitation seasonality while M. meltada favored regions with a low elevation and precipitation. We confirmed that M. kondana is taxonomically distinct from M. meltada, and based on our estimates of its occurrence and occupancy, M. kondana continues to be treated as CR until further detailed investigations.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund (UAE), CEPF-ATREE Western Ghats Small Grants Program, India and People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES), UK. We thank the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bengaluru for providing DNA sequencing facility. We are grateful to Maharashtra Forest Department for giving permission for this work. We thank Dr. Deepak Apte, Director; Dr. Asad Rahamani, Former Director; Rahul Khot, Assistant Director and Dr. Varad Giri, Former Curator of the BNHS for their support and encouragement throughout this project. We are grateful to the Natural History Collection Department, BNHS non-research staff Vithoba Hegade, Vinod Patil, Shyam Jadhav and Parshuram Parvate for their assistance. We also thank Ganesh Mane, Santhosh Kamble, Amol Lokhande, Sachin Patil, Mrugank Prabhu, Harish Kulkarni, Avinash Adsul, Gaurav Deshmane and Sandeep Jadhav for field assistance. We thank Mukta Joshi, Krishnapriya Tamma and Amruta Varudkar for assistance in DNA sequencing. We extend our gratitude to Santosh Dimble, Promod Mujumale, Vikas Mujumale and Vijay Mujumale for helping with local transport and lodging during fieldwork.
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