Abstract Recent water voles (genus Arvicola) display a prominent morphological diversity with a strong ecotypical background but with unclear taxonomic associations. We provide a novel synthetic view on the evolutionary history and the current taxonomic richness in the genus. Our molecular reconstruction, based on a 1143-bp-long sequence of cytochrome b and a 926-bp interphotoreceptor retinoid binding protein (irbp) confirmed the monophyly of four species (amphibius, sapidus, monticola and italicus) recognized thus far, and retrieved a new deeply divergent lineage from West Iran. Genetic divergence of the Iranian lineage (>9.0%) is inside the range of interspecies distances, exceeding the interspecies divergences between the remaining Arvicola species (range, 4.3–8.7%). The oldest name available for the Iranian phylogroup is Arvicola persicus de Filippi, 1865, with the type locality in Soltaniyeh, Iran. The molecular clock suggests the divergence of A. persicus in the Early Pleistocene (2.545 Ma), and the current radiation of the remaining species between 1.535 Ma (Arvicola sapidus) and 0.671 Ma. While A. sapidus possibly evolved from Arvicola jacobaeus, a fossil ancestor to A. persicus is unknown. The aquatic life-style of Mimomys savini, a direct ancestor to some fossil Arvicola, is retained in recent stem species A. sapidus and A. persicus, while a major shift toward fossorial morphotype characterizes the terminal lineages (amphibius, italicus and monticola). We suggest that habitat-dependent morphological plasticity and positive enamel differentiation in Arvicola amphibius widened its ecological niche that might trigger a range expansion across c. 12 million km2, making it one of the largest among arvicolines.

中文翻译：

---

重新审视水田鼠的进化史：用化石记录面对来自分子数据的新系统发育模型

摘要 最近的水田鼠（Arvicola 属）表现出突出的形态多样性，具有强烈的生态背景，但分类学关联不明确。我们提供了关于该属的进化历史和当前分类丰富度的新综合观点。我们基于 1143 bp 长的细胞色素 b 序列和 926 bp 的光感受器间类视黄醇结合蛋白 (irbp) 进行的分子重建证实了迄今为止已识别的四种物种（amphibius、sapidus、monticola 和 italicus）的单系性，并检索了一个来自西伊朗的新的截然不同的血统。伊朗谱系的遗传差异（> 9.0%）在种间距离范围内，超过了其余 Arvicola 物种之间的种间差异（范围，4.3-8.7%）。可用于伊朗系统群的最古老名称是 Arvicola persicus de Filippi，1865 年，类型位于伊朗 Soltaniyeh。分子钟表明 A. persicus 在早更新世 (2.545 Ma) 出现分歧，其余物种的当前辐射在 1.535 Ma (Arvicola sapidus) 和 0.671 Ma 之间。虽然 A. sapidus 可能从 Arvicola jacobaeus 进化而来，但 A. persicus 的化石祖先是未知的。Mimomys savini 的水生生活方式是一些化石 Arvicola 的直接祖先，保留在最近的茎种 A. sapidus 和 A. persicus 中，而向化石形态型的重大转变表征了终端谱系（amphibius、italicus 和 monticola）。我们认为 Arvicola amphibius 的栖息地依赖性形态可塑性和正牙釉质分化扩大了其生态位，这可能会引发跨 c. 的范围扩展。1200 万平方公里，使其成为阿维科林中最大的一个。