Whole mitogenomes of Turkish white-toothed shrews, genus Crocidura (Eulipotyphla: Soricidae), with new insights into the phylogenetic positions of Crocidura leucodon and the Crocidura suaveolens group

Crocidura, white-toothed shrews, is the most species rich genus among mammals. Phylogeny at the species-level is still unresolved, especially for Turkey and its adjacent regions. To understand phylogenetic relationships and mitogenomic features of Turkey's Crocidura, we aimed to (i) sequence whole mitogenomes of Turkish shrews, (ii) determine phylogenetic relationships among/within the Crocidura suaveolens group and C. leucodon from Turkey by using mitogenomes minus D-loop; (iii) contribute to resolving the phylogenetic position of populations within the C. suaveolens group in a phylogeographical context by using mitochondrial CYTB gene alone, and (iv) discuss the role of possible glacial refugia that may have driven the diversification of some taxa within Crocidura. Based on two data sets, all analyses revealed that the Turkish shrews were divided into three major lineages: C. mimula, C. gueldenstaedtii, and C. leucodon. This was in agreement with results of previous studies, suggesting (i) that the taxa within the C. suaveolens group such as C. caspica, C. cypria, C. gueldenstaedtii, C. iculisma, C. mimula, and C. shantungensis were separate species. However, the existence of C. sibirica could not be confirmed. We also proposed (i) Carpathian and Caucasian refugia for C. mimula and C. gueldenstaedtii, respectively, and (ii) the existence of a new refugium for C. leucodon that covers Uludag-Bursa and its adjacent surroundings in the southern Marmara region. Moreover, the Turkish samples of C. leucodon were clustered into two sublineages, and mimula shrews from Lesvos-Greece and Western Anatolia-Turkey might represent an undetermined or undescribed taxon