Kinship Between Carabus (Morphocarabus) rothi Dejean, 1829 and Carabus (Morphocarabus) alutensis Săvulescu, 1972

Abstract

Abstract. Certain criteria such as geographical proximity and a nearby elytra sculpture has suggested a phylogenetic relationship between Carabus rothi Dejean and Carabus alutensis Săvulescu. The use of mitochondrial markers (COI, cyt b) shows: the presence of 3 haplotypes, geographically presents in two regions: southern Transylvania (distributed in North, Centre, South) and Cozia Mountains. The populations from South stations of Transylvania (Bradu, Cisnădioara, Turnu Roșu) and those from Cozia Mountains are identical genetic structure despite the distance, assuming two independent origins with the same maternal phylogeny. On the left bank of the Olt River and Cozia Mountains, rothi and alutensis are identical to the rothi from south stations and result without any doubt from a common ancestor. Therefore, there is a close parental relation between alutensis on the left bank of the Olt River and rothi from the south, the other geographical origins of Carabus (Morphocarabus) rothi rothi being distinct.