The Mediterranean as a melting pot: Phylogeography of Loxosceles rufescens (Sicariidae) in the Mediterranean Basin.

ABSTRACT: The species Loxosceles rufescens is native to the Mediterranean but considered cosmopolitan because it has been dispersed worldwide. A previous study revealed 11 evolutionary lineages across the Mediterranean, grouped into two main clades, without any clear phylogeographic pattern. The high genetic diversity within this species (p-distances of up to 7.8% in some Mediterranean lineages), together with the results obtained with different species delimitation methods (GMYC, TCS) could indicate the existence of cryptic species. Here we compare the mitochondrial and microsatellite diversity to elucidate if the lineages of L. rufescens in the Mediterranean should be considered different species (cryptic species) or populations of the same species. To do so, we analyzed the cox1 diversity of 196

SUBMITTER: Massa M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6312272 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature