Inconsistency between morphology and phylogeography in Woodchat Shrike Lanius senator subspecies.

Implementing the effort in understanding phylogeographic structures and taxonomic limits within animal groups is crucial in addressing several challenges of modern zoology. Despite avian phylogeography is deeply investigated in Western Palearctic, several families, such as shrikes, still display a complicated biogeographic pattern both between and within the species, requiring further insights. Woodchat Shrike Lanius senator is a long-distance migrant, who exhibits three morphologically well-recognizable subspecies, never investigated through genetic tools. Here, we aimed to define the phylogeographic structure of Lanius senator throughout its breeding range and to assess the genetic coherence of the described subspecies. We assembled a collection of samples representative for the species breeding distribution, analyzed using four mtDNA and two nuDNA markers. We did not find a clear phylogenetic structure with nuclear ODC and Myo, while all four mtDNA loci highlighted two main haplogroups: one including both the L. s. senator and L. s.badius and the second consistent with L. s. niloticus only from the eastern part of the range. Surprisingly, individuals phenotypically assigned to L. s. niloticus from Israel are related to senator/badius haplogroup. Moreover, we have estimated a divergence time among the two haplogroups around Mid-Pleistocene Climate Transition. Our finding showed a mismatch in subspecies assignment between morphology and genetic, and a differentiation dynamic occurring between the eastern L. s. niloticus and all the other populations. Future investigations are needed to disentangle this inconsistency framework, through genome-wide data and filling sampling gaps.