ALLOZYME VARIATION AND DIVERGENCE IN ERINACEIDAE (MAMMALIA, INSECTIVORA)

Data are given on the genetic variation and divergence among 14 hedgeh og populations of the species Erinaceus europaeus, E. concolor, and He miechinus auritus from Spain, Italy, Germany, Croatia, Greece, Turkey, Israel, and Egypt. The electrophoretic analysis was carried out on 30 gene loci. The overall mean heterozygosity for all the populations sa mpled was H = 0.032. The mean value of genetic distance between the tw o genera Hemiechinus and Erinaceus was D = 0.572, ranging from 0.494 t o 0.687. The mean value of genetic distance between E. europaeus and E . concolor was D = 0.201. Populations of E. concolor from Israel and A sia Minor were highly differentiated from those from Europe. The mean genetic distance between these populations and European ones was D = 0 .154, ranging from 0.122 to 0.207. The present results indicate that E uropean E. concolor populations are genetically distinct from the Anat olian and Israeli ones, supporting the validity of the taxon roumanicu s as a separate species. Among populations of Erinaceus europaeus a hi gh differentiation was found between the Iberian sample and the other European populations (D = 0.173, ranging from 0.113 to 0.198). The tax on hispanicus could therefore represent a distinct species, closely re lated to E. europaeus.