Integrative taxonomy and species delimitation in the Eois pallidicosta complex (Warren, 1907) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae: Larentiinae)

• Grant number: 19/02727-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2019
• End date: December 31, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Taxonomy of Recent Groups
• Agreement: NSF - Dimensions of Biodiversity and BIOTA
• Principal Investigator: André Victor Lucci Freitas
• Grantee: Ygor Zanelato Montebello
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 14/50316-7 - Dimensions US-Biota São Paulo: Chemically mediated multi-trophic interaction diversity across tropical gradients, AP.BTA.TEM

Abstract

The Eois pallidicosta complex stands out because it contains few species, making sampling easier, and because it contains sequences available in Genbank. According to the phylogenetic hypothesis of Strutzenberger et al. (2017), the complex comprises E. pallidicosta, E. mediostrigata, E. encina, E. jifia and E. planetaria. Although E. diversicosta has not been used in the phylogenetic hypotheses of Strutzenberger (2010, 2017), the similarity with respect to the wing pattern of the two species had already been mentioned in the original description of E. diversicosta. However the original descriptions for the species currently listed in Eois are quite succinct and based only on chromatic characters. This makes it necessary to deepen morphological character studies as well as the use of other tools (ie molecular and ecological) in order to ensure species' taxonomic stability.In this context, an integrative taxonomy study is proposed involving the E. pallidicosta complex and other molecular and morphologically associated species, in order to elucidate the taxonomic identity of some specimens collected in the ongoing thematic project.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

MORAES, SIMEAO S.; MONTEBELLO, YGOR; STANTON, MARIANA A.; YAMAGUCHI, LYDIA FUMIKO; KATO, MASSUO J.; FREITAS, ANDRE V. L.. Description of three new species of Geometridae (Lepidoptera) using species delimitation in an integrative taxonomy approach for a cryptic species complex. PeerJ, v. 9, MAY 18 2021. (11/50225-3, 13/50297-0, 19/02727-1, 15/26823-9, 15/17047-5, 16/20196-5, 12/50260-6)