Investigations into the Melitaea ornata species complex in the Levant: M. telona and the newly erected species Melitaea klili Benyamini, 2021 (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)

Melitaea klili Benyamini, 2021 was recently described from Israel as a species closely related to M. telona Fruhstorfer, 1908, but different in phenology, ecological preferences and with an allopatric distribution. Here, based on comparative examinations of mitochondrial DNA-barcodes, male genitalia...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inZootaxa Vol. 5285; no. 1; p. 187
Main Authors Russell, Peter J C, Pateman, James E, Gagarina, Anastasia V, Lukhtanov, Vladimir A
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published New Zealand 15.05.2023
Subjects
Animals
Butterflies - genetics
DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic
DNA, Mitochondrial - genetics
Genes, Mitochondrial
Male
Mitochondria - genetics
Phylogeny
Online AccessGet more information

Cover

More Information
Summary:Melitaea klili Benyamini, 2021 was recently described from Israel as a species closely related to M. telona Fruhstorfer, 1908, but different in phenology, ecological preferences and with an allopatric distribution. Here, based on comparative examinations of mitochondrial DNA-barcodes, male genitalia and larval behaviour under laboratory conditions, we synonymize M. klili with M. telona. The COI barcodes of M. klili were found to be identical to those of M. telona. Analysis of 658 bp fragment of the mitochondrial gene COI demonstrated that the minimum uncorrected p-distance between M. ornata and M. telona was 1.98%. This value is remarkably less than the 3% threshold traditionally accepted as a species boundary in DNA barcoding studies. The morphological differences between these taxa are minimal. In fact, M. ornata and M. telona represent two phylogenetic lineages, the taxonomic status of which (separate species or subspecies of the same species) is intermediate and debatable.
ISSN:1175-5334
DOI:10.11646/zootaxa.5285.1.9