Deep intraspecific DNA barcode splits and hybridisation in the Udea alpinalis group (Insecta, Lepidoptera, Crambidae) – an integrative revision

Abstract

The analysis of mitochondrial COI data for the European-Centroasian montane Udea alpinalis species group finds deep intraspecific splits. Specimens of U. austriacalis and U. rhododendronalis separate into several biogeographical groups. These allopatric groups are not recovered in the analyses of the two nuclear markers wingless and Elongation factor 1-alpha, except for U. austriacalis from the Pyrenees and the French Massif Central. The latter populations are also morphologically distinct and conspecific with Scopula donzelalis Guenée, 1854, which is removed from synonymy and reinstated as Udea donzelalis (Guenée, 1854) stat. rev. Furthermore, Udea altaica (Zerny, 1914), stat. n. from the Mongolian central Altai mountains, U. juldusalis (Zerny, 1914), stat. n. from the Tian Shan mountains of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and NW China, and U. plumbalis (Zerny, 1914), stat. n. from the Sayan Mountains of Northern Mongolia are raised to species level, and lectotypes are designated. Evidence of introgression of U. alpinalis into U. uliginosalis at three localities in the Central Alps is presented. A screening for Wolbachia using the markers wsp, gatB and ftsZ was negative for the U. alpinalis species group, but Wolbachia was found in single specimens of U. fulvalis and U. olivalis (both in the U. numeralis species group). We do not find evidence for the conjecture of several authors of additional subspecies in U. rhododendronalis, and synonymise U. rhododendronalis luquetalis Leraut, 1996, syn. n. and U. r. ventosalis Leraut, 1996, syn. n. with the nominal U. rhododendronalis (Duponchel, 1834).

Large geographic distance versus small DNA barcode divergence: Insights from a comparison of European to South Siberian Lepidoptera

“…In fact deep barcode splits may be caused by pseudogenes, Wolbachia infection, hybridization etc. [ 23 ] and these cases need to be analysed using an integrative approach (e.g., [ 24 ]).…”

Congruence between morphology-based species and Barcode Index Numbers (BINs) in Neotropical Eumaeini (Lycaenidae)

“… Puillandre et al, 2011 , 2012 ). However, deep barcode splits can also be the result of the recovery of pseudogenes, as a consequence of hybridization, or Wolbachia infection ( Werren, Baldo & Clark, 2008 ; Huemer et al, 2018 ; Mally, Huemer & Nuss, 2018 ). High percentages of BIN splits were found in some genera with typical mid- and high mountain representatives such as Podanotum , Johnsonita , Thaeides and Rhamma .…”

Twenty-six new species of Hoploscopa (Lepidoptera, Crambidae) from South-East Asia revealed by morphology and DNA barcoding

“…Inclusion of nuclear markers is needed in order to test if these mitochondrial lineages reflect different species or cases of introgression, symbiont infection, or maternal lineage sorting (Funk and Omland 2003, Hurst and Jiggins 2005, Harrison and Larson 2014. Notably, introgression has been reported in Lepidoptera (Zakharov et al 2009;Cong et al 2017), including Crambidae (Mally et al 2018).…”