Abida Sanjida, Islam Md Sirazul, Yasmin Zebunnahar, Kumar Nachimuthu Senthil, Siddiki Amam Zonaed, Ahsan Md Farid
Department of Zoology, University of Chittagong, Chittagong, Bangladesh.
Department of Pathology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Chattogram Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Chattogram, Bangladesh.
Vet Med Sci. 2025 Sep;11(5):e70550. doi: 10.1002/vms3.70550.
To investigate the phylogenetic relationship between two species of squirrels, the hoary-bellied Himalayan squirrel Callosciurus pygerythrus and five-striped palm squirrel Funambulus pennantii, at the population level to assist conservation and management, we analysed partial mitochondrial cytochrome b gene sequences (1140 base pairs). The hoary-bellied Himalayan squirrels were collected from the Chittagong University campus and the Hazarikhil Wildlife Sanctuary, Chattogram, and the five-striped palm squirrels were collected from the Rajshahi Zoo area of Bangladesh. Blood samples were collected from anaesthetized squirrels by expert veterinarians, drawing blood from femoral veins in accordance with proper protocols and permission from respective authorities for the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) study. Mitochondrial sequences from seven individual animals were submitted to the global NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) database, retrieved seven accession numbers (MT227570, MT252006, MT227571, MT227572, MT227573, MT227574 and MT227575), and data analyses using modern bioinformatics tools were conclusive in identifying the animals. The phylogenetic relationship between the two species was inferred from the partial mitochondrial cytochrome b gene of 1140 bp using Mega software in maximum likelihood methods. Results reveal a close genetic relationship among all haplotypes of C. pygerythrus within a single clade, supported by a high bootstrap value of 61%, providing insight into its systematic position. On the other hand, three subjected haplotypes of F. pennantii were observed to exhibit close relatedness to another two Australian haplotypes of F. pennantii sourced from the GeneBank, with a bootstrap value of 87%, contributing valuable insights into its systematic position. The divergence of the two species into distinct clusters on the phylogenetic tree is attributed to substantial morphological differences and significant genetic distances. Phylogenetic analysis among all available haplotypes to date among the two genera and species provides valuable analytical perspectives about intra- and inter-specific relationships and quantifies the genetic diversity between Bangladesh and other geographic populations. The study emphasizes the necessity of conducting additional research with a substantial sample size to comprehensively investigate the genetic diversity of squirrel population in Bangladesh. The study will enhance our comprehension of wildlife biodiversity and contribute to the development of natural conservation strategies for these species. The global and local status of both of the species is 'Least Concern'.
为了在种群水平上研究两种松鼠——花白腹喜马拉雅松鼠（Callosciurus pygerythrus）和五纹棕榈松鼠（Funambulus pennantii）之间的系统发育关系，以辅助保护和管理工作，我们分析了部分线粒体细胞色素b基因序列（1140个碱基对）。花白腹喜马拉雅松鼠采自吉大港大学校园和吉大港市的哈扎里希尔野生动物保护区，五纹棕榈松鼠采自孟加拉国拉杰沙希动物园地区。血液样本由专业兽医从麻醉的松鼠身上采集，按照适当的方案并经相关当局许可，从股静脉取血用于聚合酶链反应（PCR）研究。来自7只个体动物的线粒体序列提交到全球NCBI（美国国立生物技术信息中心）数据库，获得了7个登录号（MT227570、MT252006、MT227571、MT227572、MT227573、MT227574和MT227575），并使用现代生物信息学工具进行数据分析，从而确定了这些动物的身份。利用Mega软件，采用最大似然法，从1140bp的部分线粒体细胞色素b基因推断出这两个物种之间的系统发育关系。结果显示，在一个单一的进化枝内，花白腹喜马拉雅松鼠的所有单倍型之间存在密切的遗传关系，自展值高达61%，这为其系统位置提供了见解。另一方面，观察到五纹棕榈松鼠的三个受试单倍型与来自基因库的另外两个澳大利亚五纹棕榈松鼠单倍型密切相关，自展值为87%，这为其系统位置提供了有价值的见解。这两个物种在系统发育树上分成不同的簇，归因于显著的形态差异和较大的遗传距离。对这两个属和物种目前所有可用单倍型进行的系统发育分析，为种内和种间关系提供了有价值的分析视角，并量化了孟加拉国与其他地理种群之间的遗传多样性。该研究强调有必要进行更大样本量的进一步研究，以全面调查孟加拉国松鼠种群的遗传多样性。这项研究将增进我们对野生动物生物多样性的理解，并有助于制定这些物种的自然保护策略。这两个物种的全球和本地保护状况均为“无危”。
