Introduced in South America at the end of the 19th century, the European hare population has expanded dramatically and now represents a risk to native Brazilian forest rabbits. Monitoring the invasive Lepus europaeus and its coexistence with native Sylvilagus brasiliensis is a challenge that can be efficiently addressed by the use of molecular tools. This work describes a set of primers useful for amplifying three mini-barcodes for the molecular identification of both invasive and native leporid species using degraded fecal DNA. In addition, tests in silico indicate that these mini-barcodes can successfully amplify the DNA sequences of a number of leporids. These mini-barcodes constitute a powerful tool for the monitoring and management of the invasive L. europaeus and the conservation of native rabbits.
Keywords: European hare; conservation; mitochondrial DNA; molecular species identification.
© 2019 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.