Asian Mus musculus: subspecies divergence, genetic diversity, and historical biogeography.

This article focuses on the phylogeography, population genetic structure, and evolutionary history of the House Mouse, *Mus musculus*, in Asia. Using mitochondrial DNA markers from 281 samples across 19 countries, the study identifies four main subspecies—*M. m. domesticus*, *M. m. musculus*, *M. m. castaneus*, and *M. m. bactrianus*—and questions the taxonomic validity of *M. m. bactrianus* due to its close genetic relationship with *M. m. castaneus*. The research reveals that these subspecies originated from a common ancestor approximately 0.59 million years ago, with genetic differentiation shaped significantly by geographical distance and historical climatic fluctuations, including habitat shifts during the Last Glacial Maximum. Demographic analyses indicate population expansions in most subspecies except *M. m. bactrianus*, which shows signs of neutral selection and genetic drift, while species distribution modeling and historical biogeography highlight the role of deserts and xeric shrublands as key regions for diversification and speciation within *M. musculus* in Asia.