The Colonization History of Iturup Island by the Red-Backed Vole <i>Craseomys rufocanus</i> according to the Analysis of the Cytochrome <i>b</i> (<i>cytb</i>) Fragment

The hypotheses on colonization history of red-backed vole of Iturup Island comparative analysis of distribution and number of haplotypes of mitochondrial cytochrome b gene (662 bp) in vole sampled at various sites along the Iturup Island perimeter and Hokkaido, Kunashir and Sakhalin Islands and adjacent regions of the mainlandhas been carried out. All studied samples from the Iturup Island (68) belonged to the only one haplotype most close to the haplotypes of voles from the Sakhalin Island. The only sample from the Kunashir Island, nearest to the Iturup Island possessed the same haplotype, three additional samples from this island have haplotypes related to haplotypes of voles from the Sakhalin Island and fall within the so called “Sakhalin” clade, while the majority of haplotypes of voles from the Kunashir Island appeared to be close to haplotypes of voles from the Hokkaido Island and make up with them one independent clade, genetically very different from clade of Sakhalin and Iturup samples. The obtained data on the genetic variability of voles from the Iturup Island provides convincing evidence in favour of the recent introduction of the red-backed vole C. rufocanus to the Iturup Island, most likely with sea transport from Sakhalin.