The effect of the Messinian salinity crisis on the early diversification of the Tettigettalna cicadas

Abstract

The current distribution patterns of many Mediterranean species are often a consequence of large and impactful past geoclimatic events, such as the Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC) and the Quaternary glacial cycles. Cicadas are flying insects with poor dispersal ability, which have experienced intense local differentiation in the Mediterranean, where the genus Tettigettalna has surfaced as a biogeographic model. The genus includes 10 species with species-specific calling songs but identical morphology. All Tettigettalna species are restricted to Southern Iberia, with the exception of T. estrellae (northwest Iberia), the widespread T. argentata (mainly Iberia, France and Italy), and T. afroamissa (Morocco). With an expanded genetic dataset involving nuclear (EF1α) and mitochondrial (5′ and 3′ COI and ATP) loci, we reconstructed the phylogeny of the genus and estimated divergence dates for Tettigettalna species under a Bayesian framework. Phylogeny with the new mitochondrial dataset was in agreement with previous studies, whereas the nuclear EF1α supported T. josei and T. afroamissa as monophyletic clades but lacked resolution to resolve the remaining taxa. Some sister taxa share mitochondrial haplotypes, hinting for incomplete lineage sorting. Estimates of divergence time settled T. josei as the earliest diverging lineage, likely as a pre-or early-MSC event. As for the origin of T. afroamissa in Morocco, though time estimates could not entirely rule out post-MSC dispersal, the most likely scenario points to isolation of African Tettigettalna after the reopening of the strait of Gibraltar. The Pleistocene glaciations that followed likely impacted on the diversification of the remaining species of the genus in southern Iberia refugia.

Phylogenetic Trends in the Dissymmetrisation of Genitalia in Hadenini (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae)

“…Hypothetically, the core area of ancestral diversification of the Hadulina phylogenetic line should have been connected with the ancient Mediterranean area, possibly initiated by the Messinian aridisation crisis, as it was shown in different other groups such as cicadas, sandflies, scorpions, reptiles, etc. [45][46][47][48][49]. Oppositely, the ancient core area of diversification of Poliina was connected with the tectonic events in the Sino-Himalayan ("Ancient Kathaysian") region, which was suggested earlier by Varga [50,51],followed by the expansion in repeated waves into the Holarctic boreo-nemoral zone, (i) first following the "Rhododendron-corridor" and then (ii) crossing an aridity filter into Central and Inner Asia.…”

Glacial Relicts? a New Scorpion from Mount Olympus, Greece (Euscorpiidae: Euscorpius)

“…Altitudinal and latitudinal shifts affected by orogenic processes and climatic oscillations also provided opportunities for adaptation (Hewitt, 2000(Hewitt, , 2004Minachilis et al, 2020). Consequently, much of the biodiversity and endemism around the Mediterranean Basin is attributed to diversification associated with the glacial-interglacial period (Cuttelod et al, 2009;Médail and Diadema, 2009;Blondel et al, 2010;Costa et al, 2023).…”

“…Mediterranean mountains are among the primary hotspots of biodiversity in the Western Palearctic (Hewitt, 1996; Cuttelod et al, 2009; Klesser et al, 2021). These mountain ranges shaped diversity and distributions across the region by serving as refugia during Quaternary glaciations (Coope, 1994; Médail and Diadema, 2009; Platania et al, 2020; Costa et al, 2023), sheltering populations that either recolonized other areas during more favorable interglacial stages or remained isolated throughout the Last Glacial Maximum (Hewitt, 1999, 2004; Ursenbacher et al, 2006; Schmitt, 2007; Drovetski et al, 2018). Altitudinal and latitudinal shifts affected by orogenic processes and climatic oscillations also provided opportunities for adaptation (Hewitt, 2000, 2004; Minachilis et al, 2020).…”

“…The Iberian, Italian and Balkan peninsulas represent some of the most important glacial refugia in the southern part of the Western Palearctic (Hewitt, 1999; Ursenbacher et al, 2006; Schmitt, 2007; Baselga, 2008; Costa et al, 2023). The mountain ranges of these peninsulas often shelter endemic taxa (Baselga, 2008; Blondel et al, 2010).…”