Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
ANIMAL TAXONOMY AND ECOLOGY, cilt.131, ss.110-166, 2026 (SCI-Expanded)
Chromosomal evolution is a principal mechanism of speciation in subterranean mammals, particularly blind mole rats (Nannospalax).
Extensive cytogenetic research across Anatolia has revealed striking
karyotypic variation, yet its evolutionary and taxonomic significance
remains incompletely resolved. Here, we synthesize cytogenetic,
molecular, morphological, and behavioral evidence to evaluate how
chromosomal change structures lineage diversification. Robertsonian
rearrangements, pericentric inversions, and centromeric shifts emerge as
primary drivers of reproductive isolation, frequently in the absence of
overt morphological differentiation. Complementary evidence from
seismic communication and baculum morphology further supports the
interpretation of cytotypes as reproductively and evolutionarily
cohesive units. Within this integrative framework, we revise species
limits in the Nannospalax complex and describe 17 new species: N. gazii sp. nov., N. karatasi sp. nov., N. abiissent sp. nov., N. occidentalis sp. nov., N. tenebrosus sp. nov., N. mursalogluae sp. nov., N. flavus sp. nov., N. eflani sp. nov., N. kemali sp. nov., N. medialis sp. nov., N. inspirata sp. nov., N. guleki sp. nov., N. victoriosus sp. nov., N. kastamonuensis sp. nov., N. montanus sp. nov., N. artus sp. nov., and N. irenaeus
sp. nov. We further show that geographic isolation, ecological
divergence, and interacting pre- and postzygotic barriers can accelerate
diversification within Anatolia, a recognized hotspot for spalacine
evolution. By reconciling signals across datasets, our synthesis
supports a “cytotype-equals-species” framework as a parsimonious working
model for Nannospalax diversification and clarifies
long-standing taxonomic ambiguities within Anatolian lineages. We also
outline testable predictions for future genome-scale and bioacoustic
analyses, including expectations for contact-zone dynamics, hybrid
fitness, and the genomic distribution of rearrangement breakpoints.
More broadly, this revision advances understanding of cryptic speciation
in fossorial mammals and provides an evidence-based rationale for
conservation prioritization in subterranean biodiversity hotspots across
Eurasia.