Sains Malaysiana 55(5)(2026):774-784

http://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2026-5505-01

 

Phylogenetic Relationships of House Shrews with the Genetic Divergence from Peninsular Malaysia

(Hubungan Filogenetik Cencurut Rumah dengan Perbezaan Genetik dari Semenanjung Malaysia)

 

NURUL AIN AQILAH MOHD ZIN¹, SATOSHI D. OHDACHI², SUBHA BHASSU^1,3, MASAHARU MOTOKAWA⁴ & HASMAHZAITI OMAR^1,5,*

 

¹Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

²Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0819, Japan

³Genetics and Molecular Biology, Centre for Research in Biotechnology for Agriculture, Institute of Biological Sciences, Universiti Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

⁴The Kyoto University Museum, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan

⁵Museum of Zoology (Block J14), Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

 

Diterima: 17 Ogos 2024/Diterima: 24 April 2026

 

 

Abstract

The house shrew (Suncus murinus) displays a wide distribution extending from the coastal region of eastern Africa and reaching southern East Asia through West Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Here, we used mitochondrial cytochrome b sequence data to investigate the phylogenetics relationships of S. murinus in Peninsular Malaysia. Our findings indicated that the populations from southwestern and eastern Peninsular Malaysia exhibit minimal genetic divergence, with K2P values between inter-populations and intra-populations for both populations ranging from 0.00% to 0.03%. Based on phylogenetic trees, these populations were grouped together in one monophyletic clade with those shrews from southern Myanmar, Java, Vietnam, Japan, Taiwan and S. m. caerulescens. However, these two populations were genetically distinct from the population in northwestern Peninsular Malaysia. This northwestern population was unique as it formed a single, strongly supported monophyletic clade, with the genetic distances between the northwestern and southwestern Peninsular Malaysia populations being high (K2P > 5%). Aside from that, we also found a major phylogeographic split between the northwestern and southwestern Peninsular Malaysia populations. This biogeographic boundary is located around 4°N the coast of Lumut, Perak. The observed genetic divergence indicates historical isolation and independent evolution among house shrew populations in Peninsular Malaysia, underscoring the need for further research to understand the contributing factors to these findings.

Keywords: Cytochrome b; genetic relationships; Malaysia; Suncus murinus

 

Abstrak

Cencurut rumah (Suncus murinus) mempunyai taburan yang luas merangkumi kawasan pantai timur Afrika sehingga selatan Asia Timur melalui Asia Barat, Asia Selatan dan Asia Tenggara. Di sini, kami menggunakan data jujukan sitokrom b mitokondria untuk mengkaji hubungan filogenetik S. murinus di Semenanjung Malaysia. Hasil penemuan kami menunjukkan bahawa populasi dari selatan barat dan timur Semenanjung Malaysia menunjukkan perbezaan genetik yang minimum, dengan nilai K2P antara populasi dan intra-populasi untuk kedua-dua populasi adalah antara 0.00% hingga 0.03%. Berdasarkan pohon filogenetik, populasi ini dikelompokkan bersama dalam satu klad monofiletik dengan cencurut rumah dari selatan Myanmar, Pulau Jawa, Vietnam, Jepun, Taiwan dan S. m. caerulescens. Bagaimanapun, kedua-dua populasi ini berbeza secara genetik dengan populasi di utara barat Semenanjung Malaysia. Populasi utara barat laut ini unik kerana ia membentuk satu klad monofiletik yang disokong kuat dengan jarak genetik antara populasi utara barat dan selatan barat Semenanjung Malaysia adalah tinggi (K2P > 5%). Selain itu, kami juga menemukan perpecahan filogeografi antara populasi utara barat dan selatan barat Semenanjung Malaysia. Sempadan biogeografi ini terletak di sekitar 4°U pantai Lumut, Perak. Perbezaan genetik yang diperhatikan menunjukkan terdapat pengasingan sejarah dan evolusi bebas dalam kalangan populasi cencurut rumah di Semenanjung Malaysia menekankan keperluan untuk penyelidikan lanjut untuk memahami faktor penyumbang kepada hasil penemuan ini.

Kata kunci: Hubungan genetik; Malaysia; sitokrom b; Suncus murinus

 

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*Pengarang untuk surat-menyurat; email: zaiti_1978@um.edu.my