Preliminary molecular variability among haplotypes of Saudi Arabian house sparrow Passer domesticus

Abstract

Genetic variability of Passer domesticus from different localities of Saudi Arabia was investi- gated. Six hundred and fifty nine nucleotides were sequenced from the mitochondrial cyto- chrome b gene. There was a slight difference among the studied haplotypes and most substi- tutions were synonymous. In some haplotypes at the west of Arabian Peninsula (mountainous habitat), two transitions only were non-synony- mous. The data were used to construct the rela- tionship of the Arabian house sparrow to its con specific taxa from Europe and America. Neigh- bor-joining (NJ), maximum-parsimony (MP) and maximum-likelihood (ML) analytical methods were used. The three methods showed cluster- ing of the Arabian haplotypes in one group and their sister relationship with the haplotypes fr- om Netherlands and America. A spanish haplo- type came basal to both groups. Collecting more samples and more DNA data could be of necessary to clearly address the genetic vari- ability of this rapidly propagated species in Arabia.