se of species delimitation approaches to tackle the cryptic diversity of an assemblage of high Andean butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea

Author(s)

Alejandro Marin, Mario ^{[1, 2]} ; Lopez-Rubio, Andres ^[2] ; Clavijo, Alejandra ^[2] ; Pyrcz, Tomasz Wilhelm ^{[3, 4]} ; Lucci Freitas, Andre Victor ^{[1, 5]} ; Ines Uribe, Sandra ^[2] ; Federico Alvarez, Carlos ^[2]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Estadual Campinas, Inst Biol, Dept Biol Anim, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Nacl Colombia, Grp Invest Sistemat Mol, Medellin, Antioquia - Colombia

^[3] Jagiellonian Univ, Inst Zool & Biomed Res, Dept Invertebrate Evolut, Krakow - Poland

^[4] Jagiellonian Univ, Nat Educ Ctr, Krakow - Poland

^[5] Univ Estadual Campinas, Inst Biol, Museu Diversidade Biol, Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: GENOME; v. 64, n. 10, p. 937-949, OCT 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 1

Abstract

Cryptic biological diversity has generated ambiguity in taxonomic and evolutionary studies. Single-locus methods and other approaches for species delimitation are useful for addressing this challenge, enabling the practical processing of large numbers of samples for identification and inventory purposes. This study analyzed an assemblage of high Andean butterflies using DNA barcoding and compared the identifications based on the current morphological taxonomy with three methods of species delimitation (automatic barcode gap discovery, generalized mixed Yule coalescent model, and Poisson tree processes). Sixteen potential cryptic species were recognized using these three methods, representing a net richness increase of 11.3% in the assemblage. A well-studied taxon of the genus Vanessa, which has a wide geographical distribution, appeared with the potential cryptic species that had a higher genetic differentiation at the local level than at the continental level. The analyses were useful for identifying the potential cryptic species in Pedaliodes and Forsterinaria complexes, which also show differentiation along altitudinal and latitudinal gradients. This genetic assessment of an entire assemblage of high Andean butterflies (Papilionoidea) provides baseline information for future research in a region characterized by high rates of endemism and population isolation. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 18/11910-1 - Elucidating the species boundaries and the evolutionary history of Neotropical butterflies: case studies in the subfamily Satyrinae (Nymphalidae)
• Grantee: Mario Alejandro Marín Uribe
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 11/50225-3 - Natural history, phylogeny and conservation of Neotropical Lepidoptera
• Grantee: André Victor Lucci Freitas
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Regular Research Grants