Nebria Species (Subfamily Nebriinae, Family: Carabidae) from the Romanian Carpathians. Morphological and Molecular Data

Abstract

Among the ten species of the Nebria genus, present in the Romanian Carpathians, seven are the object of morphological, geographical distribution and molecular biological studies: Nebria (Eunebria) jockischi hoepfneri Dejean, 1826, Nebria (Boreonebria) heegeri Dejean, 1826, Nebria (Boreonebria) gyllenhali Schönherr, 1806, Nebria (Alpaeonebria) reichei Dejean, 1826, Nebria (Alpaeonebria) reitteri Rybinsky, 1902, Nebria (Alpaeonebria) bissenica Bielz, 1887, Nebria (Nebria) transsylvanica Germar, 1824, Nebria (Nebria) femoralis alpigrada Csiki 1905), collected from the Maramureș Mt., Rodnei Mt., Parâng Mt., Rarău Mt., Făgăraș Mt., Cozia Mt., Bucegi Mt., Retezat Mt., Muntele Mic and Semenic Mt. The morphological description exploits the body size, the elytral reflection, the colour of the appendages and the legs, the shape of the first antennary segment, its chaetotaxy and that of the submentum, the shape and size of the elytra and alae, the position of the bristles on the ventrites 4-5-6. The shape of the first antennary segment and its chaetotaxy appear as more discriminating criteria, but supposes the integrity of the bristles. The identification is sometimes malaise due to the fragility of the bristles (first antennomere, submentum). Nebria (Alpaeonebria) reichei Dejean, 1826 has a variable chaetotaxy of antenna, 1 to 3 bristles on the first antennomere. The individuals with yellow appendages and legs provided with 2 unequal length can be confused with transsylvanica. They are distinguished by the triangular shape of the aileron (S-shaped in transsylvanica). Molecular data are given for the first time on Carpathian Nebria. The mitochondrial markers (COI I, cyt b) clearly identify the species studied and confirm that alpigrada does not belong to transsylvanica. The results show an infraspecific variability of geographic and altitudinal origin in jockischi one of the most widespread species (gyllenhali, jockischi, reichei).