Population Epigenetic Diversity versus Subspecies Detachment of the Forest Dormouse, Dryomys nitedula (Pallas, 1778) (Rodentia: Gliridae), in a Long Distance Transect in Eurasia: Implication for its Conservation

Geographical variation and intraspecific taxonomy of forest dormouse (Dryomys nitedula) has not yet been investigated adequately, and its population epigenetic uniqueness and the status of many subspecies require clarification. To advance knowledge on the interspecies variety of forest dormouse, we studied the epigenetic cranial polymorphism in eight forest dormouse populations located along a transect line from Central Anatolia region to Central Southeast Europe and inhabiting an area of suspected different subspecies taxa. Our results indicate that the mapping of the population epigenetic diversity of forest dormouse within the area of the classically described subspecies manifested some overlaps of their epigenetic distances with the geographic remoteness between them. The revealed pattern of population epigenetic diversity in the investigated territories of the classically described subspecies of the forest dormouse expands the knowledge of the species diversity in its range. These highlights of the intraspecific taxonomy of D. nitedula need to be examined in a future large-scale study of its population differentiation and uniqueness of several subspecies.