Euscorpius balearicus Caporiacco, 1950, stat. nov. (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae): molecular (allozymes and mtDNA) and morphological evidence for an endemic Balearic Islands species

The geographic variation of the circum-Mediterranean scorpion species Euscorpius carpathicus (L.) was traditionally analysed using morphological characters such as trichobothrial patterns, which resulted in the recognition of 23 subspecies; however, the biological reality of these subspecies remains...

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Published inOrganisms diversity & evolution Vol. 1; no. 4; pp. 301 - 320
Main Authors Gantenbein, Benjamin, Soleglad, Michael E., Fet, Victor
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Elsevier GmbH 2001
Subjects
16S mtDNA sequences
allozymes
endemic species
Euscorpiidae
Euscorpius balearicus
island populations
phylogeny
Scorpiones
scorpions
trichobothria
Italy
Spain, Balearic Is
Spain, Balearic Is., Mallorca
France
Mediterranean Basin
scorpions
trichobothria
island populations
16S mtDNA sequences
allozymes
phylogeny
endemic species
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Summary:The geographic variation of the circum-Mediterranean scorpion species Euscorpius carpathicus (L.) was traditionally analysed using morphological characters such as trichobothrial patterns, which resulted in the recognition of 23 subspecies; however, the biological reality of these subspecies remains unclear. Here, we focus on populations from the western Mediterranean and provide new molecular evidence that those from the island of Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Spain) represent a highly divergent lineage separate from E. carpathicusfrom the mainland of France (Vaucluse) and Italy (Liguria and Piemonte). This divergence is evidenced by morphological analysis. Moreover, allozyme and mtDNA divergences (about 10%) agree with our hypothesis that the Balearic island populations became isolated from the mainland about 5 Ma BP since the refilling of the Mediterranean Basin and have to be considered autochthonous. This hypothesis is additionally supported by the comparison of the genetic differentiation between artificially transplanted island populations and mainland populations in the congeneric species E. flavicaudis(de Geer). The phylogenetic species concept (PSC) is applied to elevate the subspecies E. carpathicus balearicus Caporiacco, 1950 to species rank. A lectotype is designated for this species.
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content type line 23
ISSN:1439-6092
1618-1077
DOI:10.1078/1439-6092-00027