@article {712, title = {A combined genetic-morphometric analysis unravels the complex biogeographical history of Polyommatus icarus and Polyommatus celina Common Blue butterflies}, journal = {Molecular Ecology}, volume = {20}, year = {2011}, chapter = {3921}, abstract = {

Widespread species have the potential to reveal large-scale biogeographical patterns, as
well as responses to environmental changes possibly unique to habitat generalists. This
study presents a continental-scale phylogeographical analysis of Polyommatus icarus,
one of the most common Palaearctic butterflies, and the morphologically and ecologically
similar Polyommatus celina, a recently discovered cryptic species. By combining data
from mitochondrial [cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI)] and nuclear [internal
transcribed spacer (ITS2)] molecular markers with geometric morphometrics, we
document a complex phylogeographical history for the two species. Despite morphological
similarities, the genetic divergence between these two species is high (more than
5\% at COI) and they are not sister species. For the first time, we show that P. celina
occurs not only in North Africa but also in Europe, where it inhabits several west
Mediterranean islands, as well as large parts of Iberia, where it occurs in parapatry with
P. icarus. The two species appear to completely exclude each other on islands, but we
provide morphological and molecular evidence that introgression occurred in the Iberian
Peninsula. We discovered strongly diverged lineages that seem to represent relict
populations produced by past range expansions and contractions: Crete and Iberian
isolates for P. icarus, Balearics\–Sardinia and Sicily\–Lipari for P. celina. This study
shows that a combined genetic-morphometric approach can shed light on cryptic
diversity while providing the necessary resolution to reconstruct a fine-scale phylogeographical
history of species at both spatial and temporal levels.

}, keywords = {cryptic species, geometric morphometrics, molecular markers, Phylogeography, Polyommatus celina, Polyommatus icarus}, doi = {doi: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2011.05223.x}, author = {Vlad Dinca and Leonardo Dapporto and Roger Vila} } @article {711, title = {Genetic differentiation of the marbled white butterfly, Melanargia galathea , accounts for glacial distribution patterns and postglacial range expansion in southeastern Europe}, journal = {Molecular Ecology}, volume = {15}, year = {2006}, chapter = {1889}, abstract = {

Isolation of Mediterranean species in the southern European peninsulas during the cold
glacial phases often resulted in differentiation of several genetic lineages confined to the
respective peninsulas. However, whilst there is good genetic evidence for multiple refugia
in Iberia, there are only limited data available for the Balkans. Therefore, we wish to examine
the hypothesis of a strong genetic structuring within southeastern Europe for the existence
of multiple Balkan differentiation centres and/or several leading edges. As a model we use
the marbled white butterfly,
Melanargia galathea
. We studied 18 allozyme loci of 564 individuals
from 16 populations distributed over a large part of southeastern Europe. The single
populations showed moderately high genetic diversity and no northward decline of genetic
diversity was detected. The overall genetic differentiation between populations was considerable
(FST 7.0\%). Cluster analysis discriminated three genetic groups: (i) a western flank
in the former Yugoslavia, parts of eastern Austria and Hungary; (ii) an eastern flank with
populations from Bulgaria and Romania (south of the southern Carpathians and eastern
Carpathians); and (iii) the eastern Carpathian Basin. Hierarchical variance analysis distributed
53\% of the variance among populations between these three groups. One sample from the
Greek\–Bulgarian border clustered within the eastern flank, but showed some tendency
towards the eastern Carpathian Basin populations. Two populations from Carinthia clustered
together with the eastern Carpathian Basin ones and a population from Styria showed an
intermediate genetic composition between the three groups. Most probably, the eastern and
the western flank groups are due to postglacial range expansion from the northeastern and
the northwestern edges of the glacial differentiation centre (so-called leading edges). The
eastern Carpathian Basin group may have resulted from postglacial expansion from northern
Greece through valley systems of the central Balkan peninsula, maybe even expanding
westwards north of the Balkan mountains reaching some parts of eastern Austria (e.g. Carinthia).
Therefore, the Balkanic refugium of
M. galathea
may or may not have been continuous
along the coastal areas of the Mediterranean, but must have been strongly genetically structured.

}, keywords = {allozyme electrophoresis, genetic lineages, leading edge, Nymphalidae, Phylogeography, postglacial range expansion, Satyrinae, W{\"u}rm ice age}, doi = {doi: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2006.02900.x}, author = {Thomas Schmitt and Jan Christian Habel and Marco Zimmermann and Paul Muller} }