Allopatry as a gordian knot for taxonomists: patterns of DNA barcode divergence in arctic-alpine lepidoptera.

ABSTRACT: Many cold adapted species occur in both montane settings and in the subarctic. Their disjunct distributions create taxonomic complexity because there is no standardized method to establish whether their allopatric populations represent single or different species. This study employs DNA barcoding to gain new perspectives on the levels and patterns of sequence divergence among populations of 122 arctic-alpine species of Lepidoptera from the Alps, Fennoscandia and North America. It reveals intraspecific variability in the barcode region ranging from 0.00-10.08%. Eleven supposedly different species pairs or groups show close genetic similarity, suggesting possible synonymy in many cases. However, a total of 33 species show evidence of cryptic diversity as evidenced by the presence of lineages

SUBMITTER: Mutanen M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3469483 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature