Molecular phylogeny of the endemic East African flightless grasshoppers Altiusambilla Jago, Usambilla (Sjöstedt) and Rhainopomma Jago (Orthoptera: Acridoidea: Lentulidae)

Abstract

A molecular phylogeny of endemic flightless grasshoppers is presented for the three Lentulidae genera Altiusambilla Jago, 1981, Usambilla Sjöstedt, 1909 and Rhainopomma Jago, 1981 based on DNA sequences (16S rRNA locus). Parsimony, distance and likelihood reconstructions were performed using different assumptions on sequence evolution. The generated phylogenies agree in almost all parts of the calculated trees and support the monophyly of the observed genera. It was shown that Usambilla and Rhainopomma are more closely related to each other, Altiusambilla being a separate clade. However, the investigated East African lentulid genera are clearly separated from South African taxa, underlining the monophyly of East African genera. Usambilla olivacea is re‐established. Populations of Rhainopomma montanum from the Taita Hills of Kenya and from the West Usambara mountains of Tanzania are two separate species not closely related to each other. Rhainopomma samples from the North Pare mountains of Tanzania belong to a hitherto undescribed species.

The Phlesirtes complex (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae, Conocephalinae, Conocephalini) reviewed: integrating morphological, molecular, chromosomal and bioacoustic data

“…13). A similar pattern of allopatric speciation is found within the lentulid genera Usambilla and Rhainopomma , for which species occurring in adjacent areas are also the most closely related (Hemp et al , 2007; Schultz et al , 2007; Hemp & Hemp, 2008). Thus C. puguensis , a coastal species, stands most basally in the phylogram (Fig.…”

A new genus of African Karniellina (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae, Conocephalinae, Conocephalini): integrating morphological, molecular and bioacoustical data

“…Similarly, among Orthoptera: Saltatoria, a high degree of diversity and endemism was found, for example in the lentulid genus Rhainopomma , a taxon restricted to the Eastern Arc mountains. Each mountain range of the Eastern Arc harbours a different species of Rhainopomma , small flightless orthopterans restricted to montane forest (Hemp et al , 2007; Schultz et al , 2007). Molecular analyses and data from the ecology of these lentulids has shown that the biogeographic pattern found is the result of allopatric speciation.…”

Review of the genus Lunidia Hemp (Orthoptera: Phaneropteridae) and the description of a new species from the Uluguru Mountains of Tanzania, East Africa

“…That these processes led to the biogeographical pattern we see today for flightless Orthoptera was shown e.g. for species of the tiny lentulids Rhainopomma and Altiusambilla (Lentulidae; Schultz et al 2007), the coptacridine genus Parepistaurus (Hemp et al 2015) and members of the Karniellina (Conocephalinae) in the genera Fulvoscirtes, Chortoscirtes, and Melanoscirtes (Hemp et al 2010a(Hemp et al , c, 2012. This suggests that climatic fluctuations of the past 1-2 million years were the drivers of the high biodiversity in the area and that most orthopteran species are the product of a young radiation.…”