MORPHOMETRIC AND IMMUNOLOGICAL RELATIONSHIPS AMONG SOME GREEK MUS L POPULATIONS (MAMMALIA, RODENTIA, MURIDAE)

One hundred and ninety nine individuals of the wild house mouse were c ollected from twelve mainland and insular Greek localities and investi gated both morphometrically and immunologically. This study expands in formation on the phylogenetic relationships of the two known Mus taxa occurring in mainland Greece and clarifies the systematic position of some insular populations from the Aegean and Ionian areas The clear mo rphometric distinction of Mus musculus domesticus from Mus macedonicus was confirmed and reevaluated on the basis of the statistical analysi s of sixteen body and cranial characters as well as on the two discrim inant ratios already established (body and zygomatic coefficients, as described in the text). Also, a diagnostic key has been constructed us ing stepwise discriminant analysis which gives mean values of 0.523 fo r M. musculus domesticus and -3.197 for M. macedonicus. The albumin im munological distance between these two taxa was 6 ID units, correspond ing to a time divergence of about 1-1.2 million years between them. Co ntrary to the traditional opinion that Crete and some other Aegean isl ands are inhabited by the distinct taxon M. musculus praetextus, the r esults of our Canonical Analysis and MANOVA tests indicated a consider able morphological overlap of all the insular mice populations studied . Only the single form M. musculus domesticus appears to be present. T his opinion is also corroborated by our immunological data. Paleontolo gical evidence and the probable evolutionary history of Mus in the sou thern Aegean area are also briefly discussed.