Coats of Variable Hue in Tunisian Hares (Genus Lepus): Population Genetics and Mitochondrial Phylogenetics for Species Delimitation

In Africa, hares (Lepus spp.) show a high variability in external phenotypes. Species identification, delimitation, and distinction are difficult, due to the generally shallow evolutionary divergence of species, high intraspecific phenotypic variability, potentially complex reticulate evolutionary scenarios, and absence of relevant data across large areas. Our microsatellite and mitochondrial (mt) CR1 sequence data of hares from Tunisia with four different coat color morphs revealed high levels of gene flow both in nuclear and mt gene pools but no relevant partitioning of genetic variability parallel to the four coat color types. Nuclear and mt gene pool correspondence was at a very low level, and no phylogenetic gaps were observed in the mtDNA. Our results indicate only one hare species with different coat colors in Tunisia that shows no signals of reticulate evolution or incipient speciation. Because of potential reticulate evolutionary signals, especially in the mtDNA and the probably high adaptive significance of coat colors and patterns, external phenotypes combined with mtDNA alone may not serve as good proxies for species delimitation in hares from wide ranges in Africa. Combined nuclear and mtDNA population genetic and phylogenetic data allow more complex inferences on current and ancestral evolutionary processes for species identification and delimitation.