EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY OF HARES (Lepus spp.) IN ETHIOPIA INFERRED FROM MTDNA AND NUCLEAR SEQUENCES

Three Lepus species are currently considered to occur in Ethiopia: Lepus habessinicus Hemprich and Ehrenberg 1832 (Abyssinian Hare), L. fagani Thomas 1903 (Ethiopian Hare) and L. starcki Petter 1963 (Ethiopian Highland Hare) based on limited morphological and cytogenetic data. To clarify the systematics of these taxa, analyses of sequences of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA were performed, including other Lepus species (L. capensis, L. saxatilis, L. europaeus and L. timidus) for phylogenetic comparison. In general, this study supports the specific status of L. habessinicus, L. fagani and L. starcki, but suggests some instances of secondary introgression.

Zelalem Tolesa is Assistant Professor of Genetics at Hawassa University, Ethiopia. He concluded his PhD in Genetics/Biology in 2014 in Addis Ababa University and the University of Kiel, Germany, in which he studied the evolutionary relationships of hares (Lepus spp.) from Ethiopia.

[Group Leader: Paulo Célio Alves, Conservation Genetics and Wildlife Management]

Image credits: jtkerb