We believe that possibly the ancestral range of M. musculus in the Eastern Caucasus is more ancient and is not associated with human agricultural activities. The results obtained suggest that the history of the appearance of M.
musculus in the east of the Russian Caucasus corresponds to 99-66 thousand years ago (at a mutation rate of 3-10% per million years). The dating of the appearance of the ancestors of M. The species is characterized by low values of genetic diversity and nucleotide variability, which may indicate that the population originated from a small number of founders and may explain its relative isolation from the main range. macedonicus was found in only one locality, the Sarykum barchans, where this species prevails in number and accounts for 70% of the total number mice of the genus Mus. One of these haplotypes accounts for approximately 25% of the total species diversity of haplotypes. musculus haplotypes from the lowlands of Dagestan were recorded for the first time. ResultsĬytochrome b mt-DNA of genus Mus research in this study in the Eastern Caucasus. The most north-astern border of its distribution in the Caucasus, according to the literature, is located in the Derbent region, near the border between Dagestan and Azerbaijan. musculus is widespread in the Caucasus, where the species is found everywhere from the Black to the Caspian Sea. There are two species of Mus in the Caucasus: M.