Mitochondrial phylogeography of grassland caterpillars (Lepidoptera: Lymantriinae: Gynaephora) endemic to the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau.

ABSTRACT: Grassland caterpillars (Lepidoptera: Lymantriinae: Gynaephora) are the most damaging pests to alpine meadows in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP). Here, we conducted extensive sampling from 39 geographic populations covering almost the entire distribution of the eight QTP Gynaephora (Hübner) species to investigate phylogeographic patterns and speciation based on two mitochondrial genes (COI and ND5). A total of 40 haplotypes were detected in the 39 populations, with >70% of all haplotypes not shared between populations. The monophyletic QTP Gynaephora migrated from non-QTP regions during the Pliocene, corresponding to the uplift of the QTP, suggesting a mode of transport into the QTP. Among the eight QTP Gynaephora species described by morphologica

SUBMITTER: Yuan ML 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11402507 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature