Molecular phylogeny and taxonomy of Mus pahari (Rodentia: Muridae)

Mus pahari, a small rodent species distributed across Southeast and South Asia, belongs to the genus Mus within the subfamily Murinae. However, their taxonomic status has not been researched by molecular evidence, and their evolutionary history remains unexplored. In this study, we analyzed the phylogeny of M. pahari using two mitochondrial genes and six nuclear genes. The results revealed three major evolutionary lineages within the species, corresponding to Mus pahari jacksoniae, Mus pahari pahari, and Mus pahari gairdneri. Pairwise genetic distances among these three subspecies consistently exceeded 0.098. Molecular species delimitation analyses also supported the presence of three valid species within M. pahari. Divergence time estimates indicate that the differentiation among M. pahari occurred during the Pliocene (3.11–3.95 Ma), which may be associated with the uplift of the Qinghai - Tibetan Plateau. The three subspecies also show distinct morphological differences. Therefore, both molecular and morphological evidence support the reinstatement and elevation of the three subspecies of M. pahari to full species status, namely Mus jacksoniae (Thomas, J Bombay NatHist Soc 27(3):596, 1921), Mus pahari Thomas, J Bombay Nat Hist Soc 24(3):414, 1916; and Mus gairdneri (Kloss, J Nat Hist Soc Siam 4(1):60, 1920).