Genetic divergence of a newly documented population of the cecidogenous micromoth Eugnosta azapaensis Vargas & Moreira (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile
“…Despite the absence of obvious morphological differentiation between samples of Angelabella , the deep divergence between haplotypes of different spatial clusters, their reciprocal monophyly indicated by the phylogenetic analysis and the highly consistent results of the four species delimitation analyses suggest heterospecific status for the geographically isolated lineages analyzed. Patterns of allopatric genetic differentiation similar to those found in this study have been recorded for populations of Bucculatricidae [ 19 ] and Tortricidae [ 59 ], and pairs of morphologically cryptic allopatric species are known to occur in Cosmopterigidae [ 60 ] and Tortricidae [ 61 ] near the study area, suggesting the characteristics of these hyperarid landscapes as a causal agent of allopatric diversification processes among populations of micromoths in the Peru-Chile desert.…”
Angelabella (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae: Oecophyllembiinae) is considered a monotypic Neotropical genus of leaf miner micromoths known only from a few valleys of the arid environments of the Peru-Chile desert, particularly the southernmost part of Peru and northernmost part of Chile (type locality), where natural populations of its primary host plant occur. The geographic distribution of potential host plants provides a scenario for a wider range for this micromoth genus. The aims of this study were to explore the geographic range of Angelabella, determine the spatial distribution of mitochondrial lineages, and test lineage conspecificity hypotheses. The spatial distribution of genetic diversity indicated the presence of four spatial clusters, three of which are north of the previously known geographic range. Genetic distances were 0.2–0.8% and 3.6–8.3% (K2P) between haplotypes of the same and different spatial clusters, respectively. Phylogenetic relationships indicated reciprocal monophyly among the four spatial clusters, suggesting that allopatric differentiation processes have governed the recent history of Angelabella in these arid environments. These groups were defined as different species by four species delimitation methods, suggesting that Angelabella is not a monotypic genus, but harbors at least four morphologically cryptic allopatric species with restricted geographic ranges, including the type species and three candidate species.
“…Despite the absence of obvious morphological differentiation between samples of Angelabella , the deep divergence between haplotypes of different spatial clusters, their reciprocal monophyly indicated by the phylogenetic analysis and the highly consistent results of the four species delimitation analyses suggest heterospecific status for the geographically isolated lineages analyzed. Patterns of allopatric genetic differentiation similar to those found in this study have been recorded for populations of Bucculatricidae [ 19 ] and Tortricidae [ 59 ], and pairs of morphologically cryptic allopatric species are known to occur in Cosmopterigidae [ 60 ] and Tortricidae [ 61 ] near the study area, suggesting the characteristics of these hyperarid landscapes as a causal agent of allopatric diversification processes among populations of micromoths in the Peru-Chile desert.…”
Angelabella (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae: Oecophyllembiinae) is considered a monotypic Neotropical genus of leaf miner micromoths known only from a few valleys of the arid environments of the Peru-Chile desert, particularly the southernmost part of Peru and northernmost part of Chile (type locality), where natural populations of its primary host plant occur. The geographic distribution of potential host plants provides a scenario for a wider range for this micromoth genus. The aims of this study were to explore the geographic range of Angelabella, determine the spatial distribution of mitochondrial lineages, and test lineage conspecificity hypotheses. The spatial distribution of genetic diversity indicated the presence of four spatial clusters, three of which are north of the previously known geographic range. Genetic distances were 0.2–0.8% and 3.6–8.3% (K2P) between haplotypes of the same and different spatial clusters, respectively. Phylogenetic relationships indicated reciprocal monophyly among the four spatial clusters, suggesting that allopatric differentiation processes have governed the recent history of Angelabella in these arid environments. These groups were defined as different species by four species delimitation methods, suggesting that Angelabella is not a monotypic genus, but harbors at least four morphologically cryptic allopatric species with restricted geographic ranges, including the type species and three candidate species.
“…Escobar‐Suárez et al . () studied genetic diversity, using COI sequences, in the tortricid leaf miner Eugnosta azapaensis Vargas & Moreira (Tortricidae) in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile and found four haplotypes that were potentially geographically structured in two valleys. Maita‐Maita et al .…”
Although considered the driest desert in the world, the Atacama provides unique habitats and a reservoir of biodiversity for plants and insects. Caloptilia Hübner, 1825 (Gracillariinae), is a highly diverse genus of leaf miner micromoths that has not yet been recorded in Chile. In this study, we describe a new species of Caloptilia from a relict, vulnerable ecotone in the transverse valleys of the Atacama Desert in northern Chile. Adults, immature stages and natural history, including the mine of Caloptilia guacanivora Vargas-Ortiz & Vargas sp. nov., are described and illustrated. The larva is a leaf miner of the vulnerable, native, guacano tree Morella pavonis (Myricaceae). DNA barcode sequences were used to infer the specific status of C. guacanivora sp. nov. Results indicate that the new species is monophyletic with a genetic distance of around 5% to the nearest congener. We also used genetic variation to make preliminary inferences on the population structure and demography of this new taxon. This data revealed the presence of haplotypes shared among distant valleys, suggesting an ancient polymorphism that is widespread throughout populations in the region.
“…Genomic DNA was extracted following the procedures described by Huanca-Mamani et al (2015) from pupae of the Ithome pest of P. tamarugo and I. tiaynai. Genomic DNA was sent to Macrogen Inc., South Korea, for purification, PCR amplification, and sequencing of the DNA barcode fragment with the primers LCO-1490 and HCO-2198 (Folmer et al 1994) using the PCR program described in Escobar-Suárez et al (2017). The software MEGA7 (Kumar et al 2016) was used to perform the sequence alignment by the ClustalW method, to estimate the sequence divergence by the Kimura 2-Parameter (K2P) method, and to calculate the phylogenetic tree using the maximum likelihood (ML) approach with 1000 bootstrap replications.…”
Section: Dna Extraction Sequencing and Analysismentioning
Morphology and DNA barcode sequences were used to assess the taxonomic status of a micro-moth of the genus Ithome Chambers, 1875 (Lepidoptera, Cosmopterigidae, Chrysopeleiinae), whose larvae feed on inflorescences of Prosopis tamarugo Phil. (Fabaceae), a tree native to the Pampa del Tamarugal, Atacama Desert, northern Chile. As a result, Ithome tamarugensis Vargas, sp. nov. is described and illustrated. Its genitalia are remarkably similar to those of Ithome tiaynai Vargas, 2004 from coastal valleys of the Atacama Desert. However, the two species can be recognized by the shape of the phallus in males and the shape of the antrum and ductus bursae in females. The genetic distance between DNA barcodes of I. tamarugensis and I. tiaynai was 3.0–3.3% (K2P), and a maximum likelihood analysis indicated that they are in reciprocally monophyletic clusters, providing additional support for the heterospecific status suggested by morphology.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.