Background: Inthis study, the genetic substructure and morphology of the species Neusticomysmonticolus was evaluated. A nuclear marker and mitochondrial maker were used to examine phylogeographic structure and to estimategenetic distances. Two statistical measurement analyses were applied to morphological data.
Results: These data recovered two morphologically distinct phylogeographic groups corresponding to populations on the eastern and western slopes of the Andes. Further, these eastern and western Andean slope populations of N. monticolus are 8.5 % divergent using sequence data from cytochrome-b (0.8 % divergent in the interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein gene).
Conclusions: Populationscurrently assigned to N.monticolus constitutea species complex. The name N.monticolus is here restricted to western Andean slope populations. Populations on the eastern slope of the Andes are assigned to a new species, to which the authors assign the name Neusticomys vossi sp.nov.
Keywords: Andes, Cricetidae; Ecuador; Ichthyomyini; Muroidea; Neusticomys monticolus; Neusticomys vossi sp. nov.