How common are cryptic species - those overlooked because of their morphological similarity? Despite its wide-ranging implications for biology and conservation, the answer remains open to debate. Butterflies constitute the best-studied invertebrates, playing a similar role as birds do in providing models for vertebrate biology. An accurate assessment of cryptic diversity in this emblematic group requires meticulous case-by-case assessments, but a preview to highlight cases of particular interest will help to direct future studies. We present a survey of mitochondrial genetic diversity for the butterfly fauna of the Iberian Peninsula with unprecedented resolution (3502 DNA barcodes for all 228 species), creating a reliable system for DNA-based identification and for the detection of overlooked diversity. After compiling available data for European butterflies (5782 sequences, 299 species), we applied the Generalized Mixed Yule-Coalescent model to explore potential cryptic diversity at a continental scale. The results indicate that 27.7% of these species include from two to four evolutionary significant units (ESUs), suggesting that cryptic biodiversity may be higher than expected for one of the best-studied invertebrate groups and regions. The ESUs represent important units for conservation, models for studies of evolutionary and speciation processes, and sentinels for future research to unveil hidden diversity.
Swallowtail butterflies (Papilionidae) are among the most spectacular and well‐known Lepidoptera in the European fauna, but their systematics is not fully elucidated. A notable case is that of Iphiclides feisthamelii which, after more than 180 years since description, still has a debated status, being often considered as a subspecies of Iphiclides podalirius. To elucidate the relationship between the two taxa and the evolutionary processes that led to their separation, we combine mitochondrial and nuclear DNA (mtDNA and nDNA) data, Wolbachia screening, genitalia morphology and wing UV reflectance. Our results show that the two taxa clearly differ in male and female genital morphology, male wing UV reflectance and nDNA. Two Wolbachia strains were found to widely infect the studied samples, apparently explaining the phylogeographic pattern displayed by mtDNA. The available data point towards a historical Wolbachia infection that spread from I. podalirius to I. feisthamelii and produced a mitochondrial introgression. Currently, a new Wolbachia strain is spreading across mainland populations of I. podalirius, mediating once more a mitochondrial genetic sweep, which has already infected and introgressed I. feisthamelii populations in south‐eastern France. We conclude that, given the marked differences in morphology and nDNA between the two taxa, and the apparent restriction of hybridization to a narrow contact area where non‐hybrid specimens are common, the taxon feisthamelii should be considered as a separate species. Within this species, two well‐differentiated nDNA lineages that represent European and Maghrebian populations are documented, here proposed as subspecies. The case of, presumably, two consecutive Wolbachia‐mediated mitochondrial introgression events, further supports the view that infection by this endosymbiont may be frequently related to mito‐nuclear discordance in insects.
The discovery of several members of the genus Coletinia Wygodzinsky, 1980, from subterranean habitats (endogean and troglobiont), prompted the review of this genus in the Iberian Peninsula. Most of the samples came from caves of the Mediterranean basin of Spain, from Cádiz to the Tarragona province. As a result of this revision, nine new species have been established: C. herculea n. sp., an endogean from Cádiz; C. vergitana n. sp. from the Gádor calcareous mountains in Almería; C. calaforrai n. sp. from the gypsum karst in Almería; C. intermedia n. sp. from caves in Murcia and Alicante; C. diania n. sp., found in the north of the province of Alicante; C. longitibia n. sp. and C. tessella n. sp., both troglobites from Valencia; C. redetecta n. sp. from Castellón caves and finally C. hernandoi n. sp., an endogean from Tarragona. Moreover, Coletinia maggii (Grassi, 1887) is reported for the first time in the Iberian Peninsula, and new data are presented regarding C. mendesi, C. tinautiand C. capolongoi that widen their geographic distribution and enhance the information about their anatomic characteristics and biology. These results increase the number of known species of this genus to 14 in the region and to 21 in the world. The new species are described and compared with the most closely related previously known species of the genus. Characters with the most taxonomic relevance are discussed using optical and scanning microscope studies. A key for the identification of the Iberian Coletinia species and a distribution map including all of them are also provided.
ARTICLE 459Résumé -La position taxonomique d'Ildobates neboti Español, 1966, un paléoendémique hypogé de la Cordillère Ibérique, a été confuse depuis sa découverte. Dans la description originale, il a été assigné, avec certaines réserves, à la sous-famille des Dryptinae. Les auteurs postérieurs sont sceptiques à ce sujet, et la considèrent comme plus proche d'autres catégories supragénériques. Ces divergences sont dues, en partie, à la présence de caractères troglobiomorphes qui peuvent masquer les caractères qui définissent les vrais liens de parenté de l'espèce. La capture des spécimens nouveaux de I. neboti nous a permis de compléter la description originale en apportant, en même temps, des illustrations nombreuses dont des photographies électroniques à balayage. Les genitalia du mâle et particulièrement ceux de la femelle ont été étudiés en détail afin de les comparer aux formes voisines. Cet examen nous a conduit à inclure Ildobates dans la tribu des Zuphiini.La distribution de I. neboti montre un parallélisme intéressant avec celles d'autres arthropodes au mode de vie hypogé, considérés également comme des paléoendémiques. Les lignées anciennes de cet ensemble d'espèces paléoendémiques et relictes auraient pu avoir son origine dans l'ancienne plaque Ibérique du Mésozoïque, d'où elles se sont déplacées vers le bord oriental de la Cordillère Ibérique, où elles sont restées pendant le Tertiaire. À la fin de cette période, elles ont dû atteindre la zone karstique du « Baix Maestrat », de la « Serra d'Oropesa » (Castellón) jusqu'à la « Serra de Montsià » (sud de Tarragona), sans dépasser la vallée de l'Ebre. Des arguments de nature lithologique et géostructurale semblent justifier cet isolement de la zone où habite I. neboti, relativement au reste de la péninsule Ibérique.Abstract -Systematics and biology of a palaeo-endemic and hypogeous species from the Iberian Peninsula : Ildobates neboti Español 1966 (Coleoptera : Carabidae : Dryptinae
Despite the abundance of plants that benefit from fire in Mediterranean ecosystems, little is known about the possible presence of fire-favoured insects (other than bark beetles). For two years we sampled invertebrates after two large wildfires in eastern Spain and demonstrate that two flower beetle species, Protaetia morio and P. oblonga (Cetoniidae), show a pyrophilous behaviour. These beetles were much more numerous after the fires than in unburnt plots around the fire perimeter; in addition, these species tended to increase in number with the distance from the fire perimeter and with fire recurrence, especially P. morio. These results were maintained for the two postfire years sampled. The results for the beetles do not support the hypothesis of postfire colonization, but that local populations survived the fire as eggs or larvae protected in the soil (endogenous persistence). We propose that the increase in population size (compared with unburnt zones) could be driven by the reduction of their predator populations, as vertebrates that feed on these beetles were disfavoured by fire. That is, the results suggest that these flower beetle species benefit from fire because fire disrupts antagonistic interactions with their predators (predation release hypothesis). Given the omnipresence of small mammals, soil insects, and fires, the processes described here are likely to be general but unexplored.
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