Calomycus behzadi Akbarirad, Dezhman, Aliabadian, Siahsarvie, Shafaeipour, Mirshamsi, 2021

Dezhman, Mehdi, Akbarirad, Safieh, Aliabadian, Mansour, Siahsarvie, Roohollah, Shafaeipour, Arya & Mirshamsi, Omid, 2021, A new species of Calomyscus Thomas, 1905 (Calomyscidae: Rodentia) from Iran, Turkish Journal of Zoology 45 (7), pp. 585-593 : 585-593

Calomycus behzadi Akbarirad, Dezhman, Aliabadian, Siahsarvie, Shafaeipour, Mirshamsi sp. nov.

3.4.1. Holotype

1 ( ZMFUM-5383 ), IRAN: Ghalarang Mountains , 11 km to the north of Ilam, Ilam province (33.63°N, 46.53° E), 2473 m, 15 August 2017, skin, skull and tissues preserved in 99% ethanol (all parts in good condition), leg. M. Dezhman ( Figures 5 and 6).

Holotype measurements (in mm): BL: 85; TL: 92; FL: 22; EL: 19.

3.4.2. Paratypes

( ZMFUM-5379 ), 1 ( ZMFUM-5380 ), 1 ( ZMFUM-5381 ), ( ZMFUM-5382 ), 1 ( ZMFUM-5384 ), 1 ( ZMFUM-5385 ), ZMFUM-5386 , ZMFUM-5387 and 1 ( ZMFUM-5388 ) from Ghalarang Mountains , 11 km to the north of Ilam, Ilam province, Iran (33.63°N, 46.53° E), other data same as holotype.

3.4.3. Etymology

The epithet ‘ behzadi’ is named in honoring Professor Mahmoud Behzad (1913–2007), known as the father of modern biology in Iran.

3.4.4. Description

Calomyscus behzadi sp. nov. (or group C, in Akbarirad et al., 2016a) is a medium size brush-tailed mouse with head and body length = 83.25 ± 0.89, tail length = 92.25 ± 0.45, ear length = 18.08 ± 0.23 and hind foot length = 21 ± 0.28. The upper parts are light brown and under parts are white, there is a distinct border line between upper and under parts colors. C. behzadi sp. nov. has long hind foot, long ear, long mandible, palatine and upper diastema and broad rostrum, narrow cranium, narrow and short parietal region, large depth of braincase and long maxillary tooth row, broad interorbital region; connecting line between articluar and angular process is less curved. Tail is narrow and haired along the terminal one-third of its length with a terminal brush. M2 is long, M3 is wide and m2 is short and narrow. Mitochondrial gene sequences situated them in a distinct cluster with high genetic diversity with other species of Calomyscus .

3.4.5. Diagnosis

Although Calomyscus species are similar in external morphology but craniodental measurements can discriminate C. behzadi sp. nov. from other Calomyscus species. Univariate analyses based on size + shape data showed that in this group, cranium is narrower than C. bailwardi , group D and C.baluchi but wider than C.hotsoni , higher than C. hotsoni and longer than C. hotsoni and C. elburzensis and interorbital region is wider than C. grandis , C. elburzensis and C. hotsoni but narrower than group D. In this group, condylobasal is longer than C. hotsoni and C. elburzensis but shorter than group D and C. baluchi . C. behzadi sp. nov. show shorter nasal than C. bailwardi , group D and C. grandis and narrower than C. baluchi but wider than C. hotsoni and C. elburzensis . In the new species, the mandible is longer than C. hotsoni and C. elburzensis but shorter than group D and higher than C. elburzensis but lower than group D. C. behzadi sp. nov. has lower height of lower diastema than C. bailwardi , group D and C. baluchi . Specimens from Kermanshah and Ilam have longer mandibular tooth row than C. bailwardi , C. grandis , C. hotsoni and C. elburzensis .

Also, in shape data, C. behzadi sp. nov. show longer cranium than C. elburzensis , C. grandis and C. baluchi , narrower than C. elburzensis and C. baluchi and higher than C. baluchi and group D; shorter nasal than C. elburzensis , C. bailwardi and C. grandis and narrower than C. grandis and C. baluchi but wider than group D; lower height of lower diastema than C. elburzensis , C. bailwardi , C. hotsoni , C. baluchi and group D; longer mandible than C. elburzensis , C. bailwardi , C. hotsoni and C. baluchi and lower mandible than C. hotsoni and group D; longer M1 than group D but shorter than C. baluchi , narrower than C. elburzensis , C. bailwardi , C. baluchi and C. grandis but wider than C. hotsoni ; shorter m2 than C. elburzensis , C. bailwardi , C. hotsoni , C. grandis and group D, narrower than C. bailwardi , C. grandis and C. baluchi ; longer m3 than C. grandis , C. baluchi but shorter m3 than C. hotsoni and group D.

In karyology, this new species has the different chromosome formula; it has 44 chromosomes and 48 autosomal arms.

3.4.6. Comparisons

Based on size + shape data, C. behzadi sp. nov. is distinct from C. bailwardi by shorter ear, longer mandible, lower height of lower diastema, shorter nasal, narrower cranium, shorter and narrower m2, narrower M1, narrower m1, longer M2, wider M3 and in shape data lower height of lower diastema, shorter nasal, longer mandible, narrower M1, wider M3, narrower m1, shorter and narrower m2.

The new species is distinguished from C. grandis with longer maxillary tooth row, shorter distance between two meatus, shorter tympanic bulla, shorter anterior palatine foramen, narrower and shorter nasal, shorter m2, shorter M1, shorter M2, longer M3, longer cranium, longer mandible, longer m3, wider inter orbital region and in shape data shorter nasal, shorter anterior palatine foramen, narrower nasal, higher cranium, longer occipitonasal, wider inter orbital region, shorter distance between two meatus, narrower M1, narrower M2, shorter and narrower m2 and longer m3.

C. behzadi sp. nov. distinct from Calomyscus group D by lower mandibular height, shorter condylobasal, lower height of lower diastema, shorter nasal, shorter cranium, shorter mandibular tooth row, longer M1, longer m3, wider nasal, higher cranium, narrower cranium and interorbital region, shorter tympanic bulla; and longer M1, shorter m2 and in shape data, lower height of lower diastema, lower mandibular height, narrower nasal, higher cranium, shorter mandibular tooth row, longer M1, shorter m2 and shorter m3.

Individuals of the new species have longer maxillary tooth row, longer palatal length, higher mandibular height, higher upper diastema, longer occipitonasal, longer condylobasal, longer and narrower cranium, shorter and wider nasal, longer maxillary and mandibular tooth row, longer mandible, longer and wider M3 and wider m1 than C. elburzensis and in shape data, lower height of lower diastema, shorter nasal, shorter Length of anterior palatine foramen, longer occipitonasal, narrower cranium, wider inter orbital region, longer condylobasal, longer mandible, narrower M1, shorter m2 and wider M3.

C. behzadi sp. nov. have longer body, tail and hind foot; wider zygomatic, longer condylobasal, longer palatal length, longer occipitonasal, wider nasal, higher upper diastema, longer lower diastema, higher, longer and wider cranium, longer mandible and mandibular tooth row, wider interorbital width, shorter M2, wider M3 than C. hotsoni and in shape data, lower height of lower diastema, lower mandibular height, higher upper diastema, shorter tympanic bulla, longer condylobasal, shorter distance between two meatus, longer mandibular tooth row, longer mandible, narrower M1, narrower m1, shorter and narrower m2 and wider M3.

C. behzadi sp. nov. show shorter distance between two meatus, shorter anterior palatine foramen, lower height of lower diastema, shorter condylobasal, narrower nasal, narrower, shorter and higher cranium; narrower and shorter M1, shorter m2, longer m3 than C. baluchi and in shape data lower height of lower diastema, shorter anterior palatine foramen, narrower nasal, longer occipitonasal, higher and narrower cranium, shorter distance between two meatus, longer mandible, shorter and narrower M1, narrower M2, narrower m2 and longer m3.

C. behzadi sp. nov. has the same chromosome number as C. elburzensis and C. grandis ; but the number of autosomal arms is different from these two species. In C. elburzensis autosomal arms were ranged from 60 to 72, and in C. grandis is 46, while C. behzadi sp. nov. has 48 autosomal arms. Chromosome number of the new species is different from other Calomyscus species in Zagros Muntains as C. bailwardi , Calomyscus group B.

3.4.7. Distribution

Calomyscus behzadi sp. nov. is known from two locations in western Iran: one from type locality situated in Songhor of Kermanshah province and Ghalarang in Ilam province (see Figure 1 ).

Figures

Figure 1. Sampling localities of examined Calomyscus specimens in this study.

Figure 5. Dorsal, ventral and lateral views of holotype sample of Calomyscus behzadi sp.