Selection of plateau zokor (Eospalax baileyi) DNA barcodes

Plateau zokor (Eospalax baileyi) is a unique rodent from the Tibetan Plateau, which has important ecological and economic functions. DNA barcoding is emerging as a useful tool not only for species identification, but also for phylogenetic studies. To screen out DNA barcodes that could be used to identify the plateau zokor, the complete mitochondrial genome sequences of four sibling species of plateau zokor, subfamily Myospalacinae, were determined using PCR direct sequencing. The genetic distance and phylogenetic tree construction were analyzed using bioinformatics software Clustal X 1.83, MEGA 5.0, and Dna SP 5.0. There were 10 gene regions identified as potential DNA barcodes, and the sequence similarity distribution ranged from 30.07% to 98.31%. The results showed that the intraspecific genetic distance of Cyt b, ND4, and COX1 was smaller than the interspecific genetic distance. In addition, the study shows that geographic populations can be determined from Cyt b and ND4 gene sequences, which is consistent with the traditional classification method. Therefore, the comprehensive analysis of Cyt b and ND4 genes is suitable for the DNA barcoding of plateau zokor.