A DNA barcode library of Austrian geometridae (Lepidoptera) reveals high potential for DNA-based species identification

Abstract

Situated in the Eastern section of the European Alps, Austria encompasses a great diversity of different habitat types, ranging from alpine to lowland Pannonian ecosystems, and a correspondingly high level of species diversity, some of which has been addressed in various DNA barcoding projects. Here, we report a DNA barcode library of all the 476 species of Geometridae (Lepidoptera) that have been recorded in Austria. As far as possible, species were sampled from different Austrian regions in order to capture intraspecific genetic variation. In total, 2500 DNA barcode sequences, representing 438 species, were generated in this study. For complete coverage of Austrian geometrid species in the subsequent analyses, the dataset was supplemented with DNA barcodes from specimens of non-Austrian origin. Species delimitations by ASAP, BIN and bPTP methods yielded 465, 510 and 948 molecular operational taxonomic units, respectively. Congruency of BIN and ASAP partitions with morphospecies assignments was reasonably high (85% of morphospecies in unique partitions), whereas bPTP appeared to overestimate the number of taxonomic units. The study furthermore identified taxonomically relevant cases of morphospecies splitting and sharing in the molecular partitions. We conclude that DNA barcoding and sequence analysis revealed a high potential for accurate DNA-based identification of the Austrian Geometridae species. Additionally, the study provides an updated checklist of the geometrid moths of Austria.

Age-dependent variation of aedeagal morphology inAgabus uliginosusand the status ofA. lotti(Coleoptera, Dytiscidae)

“…The conservative approach of the ASAP method seems congruent with our morphological investigation (Copilaş-Ciocianu et al, 2022), and the mPTP approach tended to oversplit (Song et al, 2018, Goulpeau et al, 2022). While the phenomenon of bin-sharing may arise here (e.g., Raupach et al, 2018; Raupach et al, 2020; Schattanek-Wiesmair et al, 2024), we can rule out this possibility since in some cases, the sequences are 100% identical for individuals classified morphologically as different types. This holds even when comparing Hungarian A. lotti individuals with German and Finnish A. uliginosus s.str.…”

Molecular diversity of Diplura in southern High Appalachian leaf litter

“… Hupało et al 2022 , Recuero and Caterino (2024b) ) or underestimating it (e.g. Ranasinghe et al (2023) , Schattanek-Wiesmair et al (2024) ), although studies on a diverse array of organisms has shown ASAP to be one of the most reliable single-locus species delimitation methods (e.g. Muster et al (2021) , Serrano and Ortiz (2023) , Solovyeva et al (2023) , Yin et al (2023) , Schattanek-Wiesmair et al (2024) ).…”

“… Ranasinghe et al (2023) , Schattanek-Wiesmair et al (2024) ), although studies on a diverse array of organisms has shown ASAP to be one of the most reliable single-locus species delimitation methods (e.g. Muster et al (2021) , Serrano and Ortiz (2023) , Solovyeva et al (2023) , Yin et al (2023) , Schattanek-Wiesmair et al (2024) ). With very few molecular studies on Diplura including different populations of the same species, there is little information on the typical intraspecific genetic distances in Diplura .…”