关键词: :DNA 系统学, 细胞色b 基因, 控制区, 黑线姬鼠, 韩国, 中国东北

Abstract: To determine the degree of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) divergence between two subspecies of Apodemus agra- rius (A.a. mantchuricus from Northeastern China and nearby far-eastern Russia and A. a. coreae from the Korean peninsula) and to confirm the taxonomic status of the Korean subspecies,we obtained partial sequences of the mtDNA cytochrome b gene (1 054 bp) and the control region (860 bp)of these two subspecies. These sequences were compared to the corresponding haplotypes of these two subspecies,obtained from GenBank. It was observed that the A. a. mantchuricus sequences were somewhat divergent and could be separated into two or three subgroups,and we propose further DNA analyses with additional specimens to confirm the subspecific status of A. a. mantchuricus. Additionally, the sequences of A. a. coreae, from Korea,were similar to the two subgroups in A. a. mantchuricus (one subgroup of two haplotypes in the cytochrome b; another subgroup of two haplotypes in the control region),from Longjiang and Harbin in Northeastern China, indicating that the genetic diversity of these mice based on mtDNA sequencing is not concordant with their current classification based on morphological characters. We conclude that A. a. coreae from Korea is an endemic subspecies, with only morphological distinctness from A. a. mantchuricus, though we propose further analyses with other DNA markers to reexamine the subspecies status of A. a. coreae. We also conclude that the Korean peninsula did not act as a refugium for A. agrarius during the last glaciation.

Key words: Apodemus agrarius, Control region, Cytochrome b gene, DNA systematics, Korea, Northeastern China, Striped field mouse