Analysis of the Holarctic <em>Dictyoptera aurora</em> Complex (Coleoptera, Lycidae) Reveals Hidden Diversity and Geographic Structure in Müllerian Mimicry Ring

The elateroid family Lycidae is known for limited dispersal propensity and high species-level endemism. The red net-winged beetle, <i>Dictyoptera aurora</i> (Herbst, 1874), differs from all relatives by the range comprising almost the entire Holarctic region. Based on a five-marker phylo...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Michal Motyka, Dominik Kusy, Renata Bilkova, Ladislav Bocak
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-09-01
Series:Insects
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/13/9/817
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850085491280445440
author Michal Motyka
Dominik Kusy
Renata Bilkova
Ladislav Bocak
author_facet Michal Motyka
Dominik Kusy
Renata Bilkova
Ladislav Bocak
author_sort Michal Motyka
collection DOAJ
description The elateroid family Lycidae is known for limited dispersal propensity and high species-level endemism. The red net-winged beetle, <i>Dictyoptera aurora</i> (Herbst, 1874), differs from all relatives by the range comprising almost the entire Holarctic region. Based on a five-marker phylogeny and 67 barcode entries (<i>cox1-5</i>′ mtDNA) from the whole range, we recovered two genetically distinct species within traditionally defined <i>D. aurora</i> and resurrected the name <i>D. coccinata</i> (Say, 1835) as the oldest available synonym for Nearctic populations. Yet, no reliable morphological trait distinguishes these species except for minute differences in the male genitalia. <i>D. coccinata</i> is a monophylum resulting from a single Miocene dispersal event, ~15.8 million years ago, and genetic divergence implies long-term isolation by the Bering Strait. Far East Asian and west European populations are also genetically distinct, although to a lower extent. Two independent colonization events established the Fennoscandian populations after the last glacial maximum. Besides intrinsic factors, the high morphological similarity might result from stabilizing selection for shared aposematic signals. The rapidly accumulating barcode data provide valuable information on the evolutionary history and the origins of regional faunas.
format Article
id doaj-art-831f244c19e44fac95f8ac6fddeaae39
institution DOAJ
issn 2075-4450
language English
publishDate 2022-09-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Insects
spelling doaj-art-831f244c19e44fac95f8ac6fddeaae392025-08-20T02:43:42ZengMDPI AGInsects2075-44502022-09-0113981710.3390/insects13090817Analysis of the Holarctic <em>Dictyoptera aurora</em> Complex (Coleoptera, Lycidae) Reveals Hidden Diversity and Geographic Structure in Müllerian Mimicry RingMichal Motyka0Dominik Kusy1Renata Bilkova2Ladislav Bocak3Czech Advanced Science and Technology Institute, Palacký University, Slechtitelu 27, 779 00 Olomouc, Czech RepublicCzech Advanced Science and Technology Institute, Palacký University, Slechtitelu 27, 779 00 Olomouc, Czech RepublicCzech Advanced Science and Technology Institute, Palacký University, Slechtitelu 27, 779 00 Olomouc, Czech RepublicCzech Advanced Science and Technology Institute, Palacký University, Slechtitelu 27, 779 00 Olomouc, Czech RepublicThe elateroid family Lycidae is known for limited dispersal propensity and high species-level endemism. The red net-winged beetle, <i>Dictyoptera aurora</i> (Herbst, 1874), differs from all relatives by the range comprising almost the entire Holarctic region. Based on a five-marker phylogeny and 67 barcode entries (<i>cox1-5</i>′ mtDNA) from the whole range, we recovered two genetically distinct species within traditionally defined <i>D. aurora</i> and resurrected the name <i>D. coccinata</i> (Say, 1835) as the oldest available synonym for Nearctic populations. Yet, no reliable morphological trait distinguishes these species except for minute differences in the male genitalia. <i>D. coccinata</i> is a monophylum resulting from a single Miocene dispersal event, ~15.8 million years ago, and genetic divergence implies long-term isolation by the Bering Strait. Far East Asian and west European populations are also genetically distinct, although to a lower extent. Two independent colonization events established the Fennoscandian populations after the last glacial maximum. Besides intrinsic factors, the high morphological similarity might result from stabilizing selection for shared aposematic signals. The rapidly accumulating barcode data provide valuable information on the evolutionary history and the origins of regional faunas.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/13/9/817taxonomycryptic speciesmtDNArRNAbarcodedispersal
spellingShingle Michal Motyka
Dominik Kusy
Renata Bilkova
Ladislav Bocak
Analysis of the Holarctic <em>Dictyoptera aurora</em> Complex (Coleoptera, Lycidae) Reveals Hidden Diversity and Geographic Structure in Müllerian Mimicry Ring
Insects
taxonomy
cryptic species
mtDNA
rRNA
barcode
dispersal
title Analysis of the Holarctic <em>Dictyoptera aurora</em> Complex (Coleoptera, Lycidae) Reveals Hidden Diversity and Geographic Structure in Müllerian Mimicry Ring
title_full Analysis of the Holarctic <em>Dictyoptera aurora</em> Complex (Coleoptera, Lycidae) Reveals Hidden Diversity and Geographic Structure in Müllerian Mimicry Ring
title_fullStr Analysis of the Holarctic <em>Dictyoptera aurora</em> Complex (Coleoptera, Lycidae) Reveals Hidden Diversity and Geographic Structure in Müllerian Mimicry Ring
title_full_unstemmed Analysis of the Holarctic <em>Dictyoptera aurora</em> Complex (Coleoptera, Lycidae) Reveals Hidden Diversity and Geographic Structure in Müllerian Mimicry Ring
title_short Analysis of the Holarctic <em>Dictyoptera aurora</em> Complex (Coleoptera, Lycidae) Reveals Hidden Diversity and Geographic Structure in Müllerian Mimicry Ring
title_sort analysis of the holarctic em dictyoptera aurora em complex coleoptera lycidae reveals hidden diversity and geographic structure in mullerian mimicry ring
topic taxonomy
cryptic species
mtDNA
rRNA
barcode
dispersal
url https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/13/9/817
work_keys_str_mv AT michalmotyka analysisoftheholarcticemdictyopteraauroraemcomplexcoleopteralycidaerevealshiddendiversityandgeographicstructureinmullerianmimicryring
AT dominikkusy analysisoftheholarcticemdictyopteraauroraemcomplexcoleopteralycidaerevealshiddendiversityandgeographicstructureinmullerianmimicryring
AT renatabilkova analysisoftheholarcticemdictyopteraauroraemcomplexcoleopteralycidaerevealshiddendiversityandgeographicstructureinmullerianmimicryring
AT ladislavbocak analysisoftheholarcticemdictyopteraauroraemcomplexcoleopteralycidaerevealshiddendiversityandgeographicstructureinmullerianmimicryring