When morphological identification meets genetic data: the case of Lucanus cervus and L. tetraodon (Coleoptera, Lucanidae)

• Published in: Journal of zoological systematics and evolutionary research Vol. 54; no. 3; pp. 197 - 205
• Main Authors: Solano, Emanuela, Thomaes, Arno, Cox, Karen, Carpaneto, Giuseppe Maria, Cortellessa, Silvia, Baviera, Cosimo, Bartolozzi, Luca, Zilioli, Michele, Casiraghi, Maurizio, Audisio, Paolo, Antonini, Gloria
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.08.2016; Hindawi Limited
• Subjects: Coleoptera; Habitats Directive; hybridization; Lucanidae; Lucanus cervus; mtDNA; stag beetles; Tetraodon; Wingless; MED, Italy
• ISSN: 0947-5745; 1439-0469
• DOI: 10.1111/jzs.12124

The European stag beetle Lucanus cervus, widely distributed across Europe and in some Near East countries, is one of the best known coleopteran species listed in the European Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC and it is considered a flagship species for conservation of saproxylic fauna. Lucanus tetraodon is a closely related species whose geographical distribution is still poorly known and debated. The two species have a sympatric occurrence in central Italy, and in some localities of these areas, many individuals show a mosaic of morphological traits that makes species assignment nearly impossible. We used both mitochondrial and nuclear markers to analyse these specimens. The mitochondrial results evidenced that the two species represent well‐defined genetic entities with mitochondrial DNA introgression. This pattern could be the result of either hybridization or of a convergence of morphological characters under local selective pressures in areas of sympatric occurrence. The nuclear marker was polymorphic across the two species and therefore did not reveal hybridization, even if many are the supports to this phenomenon. The most plausible explanation for this genetic pattern is a very recent divergence of the two species which share a common origin and thus a common wg genotype. The Italian stag beetles, morphologically well distinguishable in allopatry, display a mosaic of characters in areas of sympatric occurrence. The mtDNA evidenced that the two species represent well‐defined genetic entities and the morphological mosaics could be the result of either hybridization or of a convergence under local selective pressures in areas of sympatric occurrence. The nuclear marker was uniformly polymorphic across the two species, probably due to its recent divergence and was not able to reveal hybridization.