High resolution DNA barcode library for European butterflies reveals continental patterns of mitochondrial genetic diversity

Abstract

The study of global biodiversity will greatly benefit from access to comprehensive DNA barcode libraries at continental scale, but such datasets are still very rare. Here, we assemble the first high-resolution reference library for European butterflies that provides 97% taxon coverage (459 species) and 22,306 COI sequences. We estimate that we captured 62% of the total haplotype diversity and show that most species possess a few very common haplotypes and many rare ones. Specimens in the dataset have an average 95.3% probability of being correctly identified. Mitochondrial diversity displayed elevated haplotype richness in southern European refugia, establishing the generality of this key biogeographic pattern for an entire taxonomic group. Fifteen percent of the species are involved in barcode sharing, but two thirds of these cases may reflect the need for further taxonomic research. This dataset provides a unique resource for conservation and for studying evolutionary processes, cryptic species, phylogeography, and ecology.

The Pleistocene species pump past its prime: Evidence from European butterfly sister species

“…Samples were hand‐netted in the field, flash‐frozen in a liquid nitrogen dry shipper (Voyageur 12) and stored at −70℃ shortly after capture (wings were retained for identification). Specimen identifications were confirmed for 14 species that are difficult to identify based on morphology (morphological characters are subtle and/or internal) but for which COI barcodes are diagnostic of morphoID using LepF/R primers (Hajibabaei et al, 2006) and existing reference databases (Dincӑ et al, 2021). We were unable to obtain fresh material for Erebia euryale and E .…”

“…Additionally, the taxonomy of all 496 European species is well resolved (Wiemers et al, 2018) and a complete, multilocus phylogeny of all European taxa exists . This, combined with extensive DNA barcode reference libraries Dincӑ et al, 2021), facilitates the identification of species (especially in the case of cryptic taxa) and provides extensive sampling of sister species pairs, many of which abut at narrow contact zones (Dennis et al, 1991;Platania et al, 2020;Vodӑ et al, 2015) (Figure 1). Secondary contact zones have been described in detail for several European taxa, including Spialia orbifer and S. sertorius (Lorkovic, 1973), the Italian Pontia hybrid zone (Porter et al, 1997) and the contacts between Iphiclides podalirus and I. feisthamelii and between Melanargia galathea and M. lachesis along the Pyrenees (Habel et al, 2017;Wohlfahrt, 1996, Gaunet et al, 2019.…”

“…These sequences, together with associated information, are publicly available in the data set DS-EUGENMAP (dx.doi. org/10.5883/DS-EUGENMAP) on BOLD at www.bolds ystems.org and were originally produced by Dincӑ et al (2021). For each species, we included all available sequence records from Europe (ranging from 21 in E. crameri to 429 in L. sinapis (Table S1)).…”

“…Additionally, the taxonomy of all 496 European species is well resolved (Wiemers et al, 2018) and a complete, multilocus phylogeny of all European taxa exists (Dapporto et al, 2019). This, combined with extensive DNA barcode reference libraries (Dapporto et al, 2019; Dincӑ et al, 2021), facilitates the identification of species (especially in the case of cryptic taxa) and provides extensive sampling of sister species pairs, many of which abut at narrow contact zones (Dennis et al, 1991; Platania et al, 2020; Vodӑ et al, 2015) (Figure 1). Secondary contact zones have been described in detail for several European taxa, including Spialia orbifer and S .…”

The dirty north: Evidence for multiple colonisations and Wolbachia infections shaping the genetic structure of the widespread butterflyPolyommatus icarusin the British Isles

“…Most European phylogeography is rooted in events during and following the last glacial period and there are many studies showing how diversification has emerged among the three southern European peninsulas and islands (Petit et al ., 2003; Dapporto et al ., 2019; Schmitt, 2007; Seddon, Santucci, Reeve, & Hewitt, 2001; Michaux, Libois, & Filippucci, 2005; Fiera, Habel, Kunz, & Ulrich, 2016) most likely from restriction and differentiation within southern isolated refugia in long cold periods followed by northward expansion during warm periods, resulting in lower genetic diversity in colonised than refugial areas. In particular many species in northern European areas, such the British Isles, are hypothesized to have been colonized via a single post-glacial colonization event and are expected to exhibit lower genetic diversity and lack of complex genetic structuring other than that resulting from serial founder events (Dincă et al ., 2021; Hewitt, 1999; Mutanen et al ., 2012). However, the increasing availability of DNA sequences, mostly based on mitochondrial markers, has, in some cases, revealed significant genetic structuring in northern European areas.…”