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"Lepidoptera Europe Classification."
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Tineidae I
This first volume of Tineid Moths from Europe presents information for the identification of 180 species. For each species, a diagnosis, illustrations of moths, male and female genitalia as well as information on life history and distribution are given.
eBook
DNA metabarcoding and spatial modelling link diet diversification with distribution homogeneity in European bats
Inferences of the interactions between species’ ecological niches and spatial distribution have been historically based on simple metrics such as low-resolution dietary breadth and range size, which might have impeded the identification of meaningful links between niche features and spatial patterns. We analysed the relationship between dietary niche breadth and spatial distribution features of European bats, by combining continent-wide DNA metabarcoding of faecal samples with species distribution modelling. Our results show that while range size is not correlated with dietary features of bats, the homogeneity of the spatial distribution of species exhibits a strong correlation with dietary breadth. We also found that dietary breadth is correlated with bats’ hunting flexibility. However, these two patterns only stand when the phylogenetic relations between prey are accounted for when measuring dietary breadth. Our results suggest that the capacity to exploit different prey types enables species to thrive in more distinct environments and therefore exhibit more homogeneous distributions within their ranges.
Ecological niche breadth may help explain spatial distribution patterns in animals. In this study on European bats, Alberdi et al. combine DNA metabarcoding and species distribution modelling to show that dietary niche breadth is related to hunting flexibility and broad-scale spatial patterns in species distribution.
Journal Article
Genetic patterns in European geometrid moths revealed by the Barcode Index Number (BIN) system
Background: The geometrid moths of Europe are one of the best investigated insect groups in traditional taxonomy making them an ideal model group to test the accuracy of the Barcode Index Number (BIN) system of BOLD (Barcode of Life Datasystems), a method that supports automated, rapid species delineation and identification. Methodology/Principal Findings: This study provides a DNA barcode library for 219 of the 249 European geometrid moth species (88%) in five selected subfamilies. The data set includes COI sequences for 2130 specimens. Most species (93%) were found to possess diagnostic barcode sequences at the European level while only three species pairs (3%) were genetically indistinguishable in areas of sympatry. As a consequence, 97% of the European species we examined were unequivocally discriminated by barcodes within their natural areas of distribution. We found a 1:1 correspondence between BINs and traditionally recognized species for 67% of these species. Another 17% of the species (15 pairs, three triads) shared BINs, while specimens from the remaining species (18%) were divided among two or more BINs. Five of these species are mixtures, both sharing and splitting BINs. For 82% of the species with two or more BINs, the genetic splits involved allopatric populations, many of which have previously been hypothesized to represent distinct species or subspecies. Conclusions/Significance: This study confirms the effectiveness of DNA barcoding as a tool for species identification and illustrates the potential of the BIN system to characterize formal genetic units independently of an existing classification. This suggests the system can be used to efficiently assess the biodiversity of large, poorly known assemblages of organisms. For the moths examined in this study, cases of discordance between traditionally recognized species and BINs arose from several causes including overlooked species, synonymy, and cases where DNA barcodes revealed regional variation of uncertain taxonomic significance.
Journal Article
Wolbachia Infections Mimic Cryptic Speciation in Two Parasitic Butterfly Species, Phengaris teleius and P. nausithous (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)
Deep mitochondrial divergence within species may result from cryptic speciation, from phylogeographic isolation or from endosymbiotic bacteria like Wolbachia that manipulate host reproduction. Phengaris butterflies are social parasites that spend most of their life in close relationship with ants. Previously, cryptic speciation has been hypothesised for two Phengaris species based on divergent mtDNA sequences. Since Phengaris species are highly endangered, the existence of cryptic species would have drastic consequences for conservation and management. We tested for cryptic speciation and alternative scenarios in P. teleius and P. nausithous based on a comprehensive sample across their Palaearctic ranges using COI gene sequences, nuclear microsatellites and tests for Wolbachia. In both species a deep mitochondrial split occurring 0.65-1.97 myrs ago was observed that did not correspond with microsatellite data but was concordant with Wolbachia infection. Haplotypes previously attributed to cryptic species were part of the Wolbachia-infected clades. In both species remaining phylogeographic structure was largely consistent between mitochondrial and nuclear genomes. In P. teleius several mitochondrial and nuclear groups were observed in East Asia while a single haplogroup and nuclear cluster prevailed across continental Eurasia. Neutrality tests suggested rapid demographic expansion into that area. In contrast, P. nausithous had several mitochondrial and nuclear groups in Europe, suggesting a complex phylogeographic history in the western part of the species range. We conclude that deep intraspecific divergences found in DNA barcode studies do not necessarily need to represent cryptic speciation but instead can be due to both infection by Wolbachia and phylogeographic structure.
Journal Article
Assessing European Egg Parasitoids as a Mean of Controlling the Invasive South American Tomato Pinworm Tuta absoluta
The South American tomato pinworm (Tuta absoluta) has recently invaded Europe and is rapidly spreading in the Afro-Eurasian continent where it is becoming a major pest on tomato crops. Laboratory tests were undertaken to evaluate the potential of 29 European strains of Trichogramma parasitoids to control T. absoluta. In addition to the host itself, the host plant (tomato) was used during the laboratory tests in order to increase the chance of selecting the best parasitoid strains. Trichogramma females were placed with T. absoluta eggs on a tomato leaflet in tubes. We compared the parasitism of T. absoluta by the various Trichogramma species tested to the Trichogramma species currently commercially available for the pest control in Europe, i.e. Trichogramma achaeae. Thereafter, the more promising strains were tested on a larger scale, in mesocosm (i.e. cages in greenhouses) and in greenhouse compartments to evaluate efficiency of laboratory selected strains under cropping conditions. The most efficient strain from the laboratory screening trials did not perform as efficiently under the greenhouse conditions. We discuss differences in parasitism levels among species and strains and among the different scales tested in the experiments, as well as implications of these results for further screening for biocontrol agents.
Journal Article
A checklist of the predators and parasitoids of the fall webworm Hyphantria cunea (Drury) (Lepidoptera, Erebidae) from around the world
A checklist of 488 fall webworm Hyphantria cunea (Drury) natural enemies was compiled based on documentation in previous research across its world distribution, including 289 predators and 199 parasitoids. Predators in the checklist include 67 species from 17 families of Insecta, 1 species of Chilopoda, 183 species from 22 families of Arachnida, 1 species of Reptilia, 4 species from 2 families of Amphibia, 33 species from 18 families of Aves. In addition, the checklist includes fall webworm parasitoids from 18 families of Insecta. Among continents, 128 predators and 76 parasitoids were distributed in North America, 78 predators and 62 parasitoids in Asia, and 88 predators and 68 parasitoids in Europe.
Journal Article
Niche and Range Shifts of the Fall Webworm (Hyphantria cunea Dury) in Europe Imply Its Huge Invasion Potential in the Future
The fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea Dury) has a strong impact on agricultural systems in Europe. However, its invasive potential, which was inherited from its native niche in North America, remains unknown. Here, we investigated the climatic niche and range shifts of the fall webworm in Europe and compared them with those in native North America, then assessed the worms’ invasive potential in Europe. Compared with the fall webworm in Europe, those in North America survived in more diverse climatic conditions, which was closely associated with their broader niche and larger potential ranges in Europe. If the fall webworm in Europe could exploit the native niche inherited from those in North America to adapt to climatic conditions in Europe, their potential ranges in Europe could be 5.5-fold those based on the niche as introduced in Europe. The potentially unfilled ranges of the fall webworm in Europe were mainly detected in vast regions of Europe, excluding Norway, Sweden, Finland, North Russia, Hungary, Croatia, Romania, and Ukraine, suggesting that, without strict control, these vast regions might be preferably invaded by the fall webworm in Europe in the future. Therefore, strict control against its invasion is needed. Given that small niche shifts in this invasive insect could result in large range shifts, the niche shifts represent a more sensitive indicator of invasion risk than range shifts.
Journal Article
Overcoming Biases in Opportunistic Citizen Science for Studying Life History Traits of an Invasive Leaf-Mining Tree Insect Pest
The aim of this study was to determine whether opportunistic citizen science can support the detection of life history traits in invasive insects. Using the invasive leaf-mining micromoth Macrosaccus robiniella (Clemens 1859) (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) as a model species, we analyzed data from iNaturalist submitted by citizen scientists to assess the variability in its leaf mines on its native host, Robinia pseudoacacia L., 1753 (Fabaceae), across both the moth’s invaded (Europe, North America–Eastern United States) and native range (North America–Southern and Western Unites States, Eastern Canada). We examined 86,489 photographs collected over the past 20 years to compare the occurrence and proportions of different M. robiniella leaf mine types between invaded and native ranges using three search variants: (I) M. robiniella, (II) all endophagous invasive insects associated with R. pseudoacacia, and (III) the host plant itself. The first two datasets revealed differences in the ratio of leaf mine types between Europe and North America (when analyzed separately for native and invaded areas), whereas the third dataset showed no significant differences in either the presence or proportion of mine types between invaded and native ranges. Leaf mine types atypical of M. robiniella, which resemble damage caused by other invasive insects such as Parectopa robiniella Clemens, 1863 (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) and Obolodiplosis robiniae (Haldeman, 1847) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae)—also associated with R. pseudoacacia—have been observed in Europe for at least a decade. Our main conclusion is that, when investigating the life history traits of invasive herbivorous insects, focusing data collection on the host plant rather than on the insect species alone can reduce biases associated with opportunistic citizen science and help reveal true ecological patterns.
Journal Article
Three in one-multiple faunal elements within an endangered european butterfly species
Ice ages within Europe forced many species to retreat to refugia, of which three major biogeographic basic types can be distinguished: \"Mediterranean\", \"Continental\" and \"Alpine / Arctic\" species. However, this classification often fails to explain the complex phylogeography of European species with a wide range of latitudinal and altitudinal distribution. Hence, we tested for the possibility that all three mentioned faunal elements are represented within one species. Our data was obtained by scoring 1,307 Euphydryas aurinia individuals (46 European locations) for 17 allozyme loci, and sequencing a subset of 492 individuals (21 sites) for a 626 base pairs COI fragment. Genetic diversity indices, F statistics, hierarchical analyses of molecular variance, individual-based clustering, and networks were used to explore the phylogeographic patterns. The COI fragment represented 18 haplotypes showing a strong geographic structure. All but one allozyme loci analysed were polymorphic with a mean FST of 0.20, supporting a pronounced among population structure. Interpretation of both genetic marker systems, using several analytical tools, calls for the recognition of twelve genetic groups. These analyses consistently distinguished different groups in Iberia (2), Italy, Provence, Alps (3), Slovenia, Carpathian Basin, the lowlands of West and Central Europe as well as Estonia, often with considerable additional substructures. The genetic data strongly support the hypothesis that E. aurinia survived the last glaciation in Mediterranean, extra-Mediterranean and perialpine refugia. It is thus a rare example of a model organism that combines attributes of faunal elements from all three of these sources. The observed differences between allozymes and mtDNA most likely result from recent introgression of mtDNA into nuclear allozyme groups. Our results indicate discrepancies with the morphologically-based subspecies models, underlining the need to revise the current taxonomy.
Journal Article