Complex evolutionary history of the American Rubyspot damselfly, Hetaerina americana (Odonata): evidence of cryptic speciation

Publication date: Available online 15 June 2019Source: Molecular Phylogenetics and EvolutionAuthor(s): Yesenia Margarita Vega-Sánchez, Luis Felipe Mendoza-Cuenca, Antonio González-RodríguezAbstractAnalyzing the magnitude and distribution of genetic variation within and among populations allows for hypothesis testing about historical demographic size changes, secondary contacts, refugia, and speciation patterns. Species distribution and genetic structure are greatly influenced by the complex life cycle and behavior of odonates. Hetaerina americana has been widely used as a model system in behavioral studies, but its population genetic structure has not been analyzed, except for a single study that included only three populations but identified the presence of markedly differentiated genetic groups, suggesting the existence of cryptic species. Here, we tested this hypothesis by assessing throughout the distribution range of H. americana the patterns of genetic and morphological variation in the male caudal appendages, due to the great importance of these structures in mate recognition. As molecular markers we used sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene and the nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, as well as six nuclear microsatellites. We found very high population genetic differentiation (ΦST> 0.51) in the three sets of markers but with strong mitonuclear discordance. A neutrality test suggested that the mitochondrial genome might be un...
Source: Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution - Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research