The Persian squirrel (Sciurus anomalus) is limited to the Irano-Anatolian region of western Asia. The evolutionary history and phylogenetic status of the Persian squirrel are ambiguous. Here, we present a molecular phylogeny using mitochondrial and nuclear genes (D-loop noncoding region, Cyt b, COI, Cmyc, and Rag1) for S. anomalus and other Sciurus species. Our analyses revealed three major clades comprising (i) Sciurus species in North America, (ii) Sciurus vulgaris and Sciurus lis in Eurasia and (iii) S. anomalus in western Asia. For mitochondrial and nuclear genes, uncorrected genetic distances between S. anomalus and each of the two other clades were similar. We conclude that the divergence of S. anomalus from the ancestor of New World species occurred on the Eurasian continent during the Miocene period 10 Mya (HPD: 11-8 Mya), with the ancestral New World species then moving from Eurasia through Beringia to North America. During the Pleistocene period S. anomalus gradually became widespread in association with prevalent woodlands throughout the Irano-Anatolian terrain and the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Today we find this species in fragmented forests in and around the Mediterranean Sea, Anatolia (Turkey) and in the Zagros Mountains (western Iran).

波斯松鼠（Sciurus anomalus）仅限于西亚的伊朗-安那托利亚地区。波斯松鼠的进化历史和系统发育状况是模棱两可的。在这里，我们提出了使用线粒体和核基因（D环非编码区，Cyt b，COI，Cmyc和Rag1）的S. anomalus和其他松鼠物种的分子系统发育研究。我们的分析显示，包括（i）三种主要分支松鼠在北美物种，（ⅱ）松鼠 寻常和松鼠LIS欧亚和（iii）S. anomalus在西亚。对于线粒体和核基因，异常链球菌与其他两个进化枝之间的未校正遗传距离相似。我们得出的结论是，中新世时期10 Mya（HPD：11-8 Mya）发生在欧亚大陆，S。anomalus与新世界物种的祖先之间发生了分歧，新世界的祖先物种随后从欧亚大陆经白令到达北美国。在更新世时期，S。anomalus与遍布伊朗-安纳托利亚地区和地中海东部沿海的普遍林地逐渐流行。今天，我们在地中海，安纳托利亚（土耳其）和扎格罗斯山脉（伊朗西部）及其周围零散的森林中发现了该物种。