Open AccessA revised evolutionary history of armadillos ( D asypus ) in N orth A merica based on ancient mitochondrial DNA
Author(s) -
Shapiro Beth,
Graham Russell W.,
Letts Brandon
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
boreas
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.95
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1502-3885
pISSN - 0300-9483
DOI - 10.1111/bor.12094
Subject(s) - armadillo , pleistocene , ancient dna , mitochondrial dna , range (aeronautics) , biology , xenarthra , zoology , evolutionary biology , paleontology , ecology , genetics , demography , population , sociology , gene , materials science , composite material
The large, beautiful armadillo, D asypus bellus , first appeared in N orth A merica about 2.5 million years ago, and was extinct across its southeastern US range by 11 thousand years ago (ka). Within the last 150 years, the much smaller nine‐banded armadillo, D. n ovemcinctus , has expanded rapidly out of M exico and colonized much of the former range of the beautiful armadillo. The high degree of morphological similarity between these two species has led to speculation that they might be a single, highly adaptable species with phenotypical responses and geographical range fluctuations resulting from environmental changes. If this is correct, then the biology and tolerance limits for D. n ovemcinctus could be directly applied to the Pleistocene species, D. b ellus . To investigate this, we isolated ancient mitochondrial DNA from late Pleistocene‐age specimens of D asypus from M issouri and F lorida. We identified two genetically distinct mitochondrial lineages, which most likely correspond to D. b ellus ( M issouri) and D. n ovemcinctus ( F lorida). Surprisingly, both lineages were isolated from large specimens that were identified previously as D. b ellus . Our results suggest that D. n ovemcinctus , which is currently classified as an invasive species, was already present in central F lorida around 10 ka, significantly earlier than previously believed.