Despite the abundance of plants that benefit from fire in Mediterranean ecosystems, little is known about the possible presence of fire-favoured insects (other than bark beetles). For two years we ...sampled invertebrates after two large wildfires in eastern Spain and demonstrate that two flower beetle species, Protaetia morio and P. oblonga (Cetoniidae), show a pyrophilous behaviour. These beetles were much more numerous after the fires than in unburnt plots around the fire perimeter; in addition, these species tended to increase in number with the distance from the fire perimeter and with fire recurrence, especially P. morio. These results were maintained for the two postfire years sampled. The results for the beetles do not support the hypothesis of postfire colonization, but that local populations survived the fire as eggs or larvae protected in the soil (endogenous persistence). We propose that the increase in population size (compared with unburnt zones) could be driven by the reduction of their predator populations, as vertebrates that feed on these beetles were disfavoured by fire. That is, the results suggest that these flower beetle species benefit from fire because fire disrupts antagonistic interactions with their predators (predation release hypothesis). Given the omnipresence of small mammals, soil insects, and fires, the processes described here are likely to be general but unexplored.
Swallowtail butterflies (Papilionidae) are among the most spectacular and well‐known Lepidoptera in the European fauna, but their systematics is not fully elucidated. A notable case is that of ...Iphiclides feisthamelii which, after more than 180 years since description, still has a debated status, being often considered as a subspecies of Iphiclides podalirius. To elucidate the relationship between the two taxa and the evolutionary processes that led to their separation, we combine mitochondrial and nuclear DNA (mtDNA and nDNA) data, Wolbachia screening, genitalia morphology and wing UV reflectance. Our results show that the two taxa clearly differ in male and female genital morphology, male wing UV reflectance and nDNA. Two Wolbachia strains were found to widely infect the studied samples, apparently explaining the phylogeographic pattern displayed by mtDNA. The available data point towards a historical Wolbachia infection that spread from I. podalirius to I. feisthamelii and produced a mitochondrial introgression. Currently, a new Wolbachia strain is spreading across mainland populations of I. podalirius, mediating once more a mitochondrial genetic sweep, which has already infected and introgressed I. feisthamelii populations in south‐eastern France. We conclude that, given the marked differences in morphology and nDNA between the two taxa, and the apparent restriction of hybridization to a narrow contact area where non‐hybrid specimens are common, the taxon feisthamelii should be considered as a separate species. Within this species, two well‐differentiated nDNA lineages that represent European and Maghrebian populations are documented, here proposed as subspecies. The case of, presumably, two consecutive Wolbachia‐mediated mitochondrial introgression events, further supports the view that infection by this endosymbiont may be frequently related to mito‐nuclear discordance in insects.
A new obligately cavernicolous species in the planthopper family Kinnaridae is described from Spain. This is the first record of a cavernicolous kinnarid from the Old World, and the first record of a ...troglobitic fulgoromorphan hemipteran from mainland Spain, and also the 7sup.th cavernicolous kinnarid species worldwide. Epigean Kinnaridae are not known from the present-day fauna of the Iberian Peninsula nor from Western Europe at large. The new species is regarded as a relict from an ancient fauna which is now extinct. The new cavernicolous species could not be assigned to any of the existing genera, thus a new genus is established. Molecular data (COI barcode sequence) for the new species are presented. For the first time, a detailed description of the nymphal morphology of a kinnarid is provided. Information on its ecology, behaviour, distribution and conservation status is given, and biogeographic implications are discussed.
We investigated the evolutionary relationships between the taxa in the butterfly genus Iolana Bethune-Baker, 1914 and others in the subtribe Scolitantidina using information from nine DNA markers ...(COI-COII, ND1, ITS2, 28S, CAD, EF-1α, wg, and H3). We show that the genus Iolana originated about 10 mya in Central Asia and gradually expanded to the west to reach Europe about 5 mya. We then compared our inferred phylogeny with that of the Iolana larval host plants in the genus Colutea, reconstructed using three DNA markers (ITS, matK, and rpl32). Although the host plant phylogeny was weakly resolved, the close spatiotemporal correlation between Iolana butterflies and their larval hosts suggests that they may have co-evolved. Based on the molecular results and the morphology of male and female genitalia, we confirm nine species in the genus Iolana, which are distributed in allopatry from Europe and North Africa to Central Asia. We synonymize I. andreasi andreasi Sheljuzhko, 1919 (=I. andreasi khayyami Bernardi, 1964 syn. nov.) and I. iolas wullschlegeli Oberthür, 1914 (=I. iolas protogenes Fruhstorfer, 1917 syn. nov.).
How common are cryptic species--those overlooked because of their morphological similarity? Despite its wide-ranging implications for biology and conservation, the answer remains open to debate. ...Butterflies constitute the best-studied invertebrates, playing a similar role as birds do in providing models for vertebrate biology. An accurate assessment of cryptic diversity in this emblematic group requires meticulous case-by-case assessments, but a preview to highlight cases of particular interest will help to direct future studies. We present a survey of mitochondrial genetic diversity for the butterfly fauna of the Iberian Peninsula with unprecedented resolution (3502 DNA barcodes for all 228 species), creating a reliable system for DNA-based identification and for the detection of overlooked diversity. After compiling available data for European butterflies (5782 sequences, 299 species), we applied the Generalized Mixed Yule-Coalescent model to explore potential cryptic diversity at a continental scale. The results indicate that 27.7% of these species include from two to four evolutionary significant units (ESUs), suggesting that cryptic biodiversity may be higher than expected for one of the best-studied invertebrate groups and regions. The ESUs represent important units for conservation, models for studies of evolutionary and speciation processes, and sentinels for future research to unveil hidden diversity.
We investigated the evolutionary relationships between the taxa in the butterfly genus Iolana Bethune-Baker, 1914 and others in the subtribe Scolitantidina using information from nine DNA markers ...(COI-COII, ND1, ITS2, 28S, CAD, EF-1α, wg, and H3). We show that the genus Iolana originated about 10 mya in Central Asia and gradually expanded to the west to reach Europe about 5 mya. We then compared our inferred phylogeny with that of the Iolana larval host plants in the genus Colutea, reconstructed using three DNA markers (ITS, matK, and rpl32). Although the host plant phylogeny was weakly resolved, the close spatiotemporal correlation between Iolana butterflies and their larval hosts suggests that they may have co-evolved. Based on the molecular results and the morphology of male and female genitalia, we confirm nine species in the genus Iolana, which are distributed in allopatry from Europe and North Africa to Central Asia. We synonymize I. andreasi andreasi Sheljuzhko, 1919 (=I. andreasi khayyami Bernardi, 1964 syn. nov.) and I. iolas wullschlegeli Oberthür, 1914 (=I. iolas protogenes Fruhstorfer, 1917 syn. nov.).
The discovery of several members of the genus Coletinia Wygodzinsky, 1980, from subterranean habitats (endogean and troglobiont), prompted the review of this genus in the Iberian Peninsula. Most of ...the samples came from caves of the Mediterranean basin of Spain, from Cádiz to the Tarragona province. As a result of this revision, nine new species have been established: C. herculea n. sp., an endogean from Cádiz; C. vergitana n. sp. from the Gádor calcareous mountains in Almería; C. calaforrai n. sp. from the gypsum karst in Almería; C. intermedia n. sp. from caves in Murcia and Alicante; C. diania n. sp., found in the north of the province of Alicante; C. longitibia n. sp. and C. tessella n. sp., both troglobites from Valencia; C. redetecta n. sp. from Castellón caves and finally C. hernandoi n. sp., an endogean from Tarragona. Moreover, Coletinia maggii (Grassi, 1887) is reported for the first time in the Iberian Peninsula, and new data are presented regarding C. mendesi, C. tinautiand C. capolongoi that widen their geographic distribution and enhance the information about their anatomic characteristics and biology. These results increase the number of known species of this genus to 14 in the region and to 21 in the world. The new species are described and compared with the most closely related previously known species of the genus. Characters with the most taxonomic relevance are discussed using optical and scanning microscope studies. A key for the identification of the Iberian Coletinia species and a distribution map including all of them are also provided.
PDF
