Northward geographic diversification of a kleptoparasitic spider Argyrodes lanyuensis (Araneae, Theridiidae) from the Philippine Archipelago to Orchid Island.

ABSTRACT: Oceanic islands are unique geographic systems that promote local adaptations and allopatric speciation in many of their highly endemic taxa. This is a common case in the Philippine Archipelago, where numerous unrelated taxa on islands have been inferred to have diversified in isolation. However, few cases have been reported in invertebrates especially among parasitic organisms. Here, we tested for biogeographical structure in novel populations of the "generalist" kleptoparasitic spider, Argyrodes lanyuensis Yoshida, Tso & Severinghaus, 1998 in the Philippines. Results showed that, in addition to Orchid/Lanyu Island, this species has a wide geographic distribution in the Philippine Archipelago. The estimated divergence time of this lineage using the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase 1

SUBMITTER: Responte M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8366866 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature