A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
The molecular phylogeny of the Miarus campanulae (Coleoptera : Curculionidae) species group inferred from CO1 and ITS2 sequences
Authors: Vahtera V, Muona J
Publisher: BLACKWELL PUBLISHING
Publication year: 2006
Journal:: Cladistics
Journal name in source: CLADISTICS
Journal acronym: CLADISTICS
Volume: 22
Issue: 3
First page : 222
Last page: 229
Number of pages: 8
ISSN: 0748-3007
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1096-0031.2006.00099.x
Abstract
Miarus is a Holarctic weevil genus with morphologically very similar species, all breeding on Campanula plants or their close relatives. Two European members of this genus, Miarus campanulae (L.), the type species, and Miarus graminis (Bohemann) have recently been split into several new species on the basis of slight external variations. The separation of these new forms has proved impossible and new data was needed. Molecular data were gathered from specimens from a number of locations in Finland, Estonia, Denmark and Sweden. The regions sequenced were mitochondrial CO1 and nuclear ITS2. Both combined and separate datasets were analyzed using the optimization alignment program POY, with parsimony as the optimality criterion. The recently separated Miarus species was found to be indistinguishable from the traditionally recognized form on the basis of this sequence data. On the other hand, the traditionally recognized species were characterized by numerous synapomorphies. Our data suggest that recent studies have underestimated the morphological variation in this genus. We propose that this may also be true for many taxonomically problematic beetle complexes in well-studied European regions. The idea that molecular evidence will inevitably reveal unnoticed cryptic variation may only apply to poorly known regions. Miarus fennicus Kangas, 1978 is placed as a junior synonym of Miarus campanulae (Linnaeus, 1767) syn. nov. (c) The Willi Hennig Society 2006.
Miarus is a Holarctic weevil genus with morphologically very similar species, all breeding on Campanula plants or their close relatives. Two European members of this genus, Miarus campanulae (L.), the type species, and Miarus graminis (Bohemann) have recently been split into several new species on the basis of slight external variations. The separation of these new forms has proved impossible and new data was needed. Molecular data were gathered from specimens from a number of locations in Finland, Estonia, Denmark and Sweden. The regions sequenced were mitochondrial CO1 and nuclear ITS2. Both combined and separate datasets were analyzed using the optimization alignment program POY, with parsimony as the optimality criterion. The recently separated Miarus species was found to be indistinguishable from the traditionally recognized form on the basis of this sequence data. On the other hand, the traditionally recognized species were characterized by numerous synapomorphies. Our data suggest that recent studies have underestimated the morphological variation in this genus. We propose that this may also be true for many taxonomically problematic beetle complexes in well-studied European regions. The idea that molecular evidence will inevitably reveal unnoticed cryptic variation may only apply to poorly known regions. Miarus fennicus Kangas, 1978 is placed as a junior synonym of Miarus campanulae (Linnaeus, 1767) syn. nov. (c) The Willi Hennig Society 2006.
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