Alpha taxonomy of the genus Kessleria Nowicki, 1864, revisited in light of DNA-barcoding (Lepidoptera, Yponomeutidae)

Abstract

The taxonomy of Kessleria, a highly specialized montane genus of Yponomeutidae with larval host restriction to Saxifragaceae and Celastraceae (Saxifraga spp. – subgenus Kessleria; Saxifraga spp. and Parnassia spp. – subgenus Hofmannia), is revised based on external morphology, genitalia and DNA barcodes. An integrative taxonomic approach supports the existence of 29 species in Europe (the two known species from Asia and North America are not treated herein). A full 658 bp fragment of COI was obtained from 135 specimens representing 24 species, a further seven sequences are >560 bp. Five new species are described: Kessleria cottiensis sp. n. (Prov. Torino, Italy; Dep. Hautes Alpes, France), Kessleria dimorpha sp. n. (Dep. Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, France), Kessleria alpmaritimae sp. n. (Dep. Alpes-Maritimes, France), Kessleria apenninica sp. n. (Prov. Rieti, Prov. L´Aquila, Italy), and Kessleria orobiae sp. n. (Prov. Bergamo, Italy).

Agrotis fatidica (Hübner, 1824) species-group revisited, with description of two new species from the Alps and the Pyrenees (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae)

“…Over recent years, several overlooked cryptic species have been detected (e.g. Huemer and Hausmann 2009;Huemer and Hebert 2011;Huemer et al 2013;Huemer et al 2014aHuemer et al , 2014cHuemer and Timossi 2014;Buchner 2015;Huemer and Mutanen 2015;Kirichenko et al 2015;Baldizzone and Landry 2016;Gilligan et al 2016;Kozlov et al 2016). In this paper we reveal a striking cryptic diversity in the taxonomically difficult genus Agrotis Ochsenheimer, 1816.…”

A new genus and species of leaf-mining moth from the French Alps, Mercantouria neli gen. n., sp. n. (Lepidoptera, Gracillariidae)

“…However, despite the relatively good knowledge of the Alpine Lepidoptera fauna, the recent use of DNA barcoding has helped to reveal an increasing number of new species. Many of these newly discovered taxa are cryptic or morphologically difficult to distinguish (Buchner 2015; Huemer 2011; Huemer and Hausmann 2011; Huemer and Hebert 2011; Huemer et al 2013; Huemer and Timossi 2014; Huemer et al 2014a,b; Huemer and Mutanen 2015; Kirichenko et al 2015; Tabell and Baldizzone 2014; Whitebread 2007; Zeller and Huemer 2015). However, here we report the remarkable discovery of a genetically and morphologically highly divergent micro moth species of the family Gracillariidae from the French Alps.…”

Mosquito species (Diptera, Culicidae) in three ecosystems from the Colombian Andes: identification through DNA barcoding and adult morphology

“…Despite the known limitations of the method, DNA barcodes have been used to identify specimens and to flag potential new species (e.g. Scheffer et al 2006, Nagoshi et al 2011, Tavares et al 2011, Baldwin and Weigt 2012, Huemer and Mutaten 2015, among others).…”