Abstract

The Aegean archipelago, as an ‘evolutionary laboratory of nature’, is an ideal model for research in phylogeography. In this area, the darkling beetles of the genus Dendarus (distributed from Morocco to the Caucasus) exhibit a high level of diversity with 36 species, 27 of which are island endemics. However, their taxonomy is complex and unstable, having undergone continuous revision to address extensive morphological and ecological plasticity. Here, we examine the phylogenetic relationships of 23 species from Greece and Turkey, using mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences and 61 morphological characters, to unveil their phylogeny in the Aegean. This helps to clarify phylogeographic scenarios and historical processes that shaped the observed patterns. The analyses reveal 13 distinct lineages with several para- and polyphyletic cases that correspond to three major phylogroups [south/south-east Aegean (D. foraminosus complex, D. rhodius, D. sporadicus, D. wettsteini); central to north Aegean, Turkey and mainland Greece (D. crenulatus, D. moesiacus group, D. sinuatus complex, D. stygius) and mainland Greece (D. messenius, D. paganettii)], indicating the need for further taxonomic re-evaluation. Lineage topology and phylogeography suggest a spatial and temporal sequence of geographic isolation, following either a vicariant or a dispersal model coincident with major palaeogeographic separations in the Aegean.

中文翻译：

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爱琴海的分散与变化：结合地中海东部Dendarus（鞘翅目：Tenebrionidae）的分子和形态系统，为爱琴海的系统志提供了新的思路

摘要

作为“自然进化实验室”的爱琴海群岛，是植物学研究的理想模型。在这个区域，Dendarus属的黑甲虫（从摩洛哥分布到高加索地区）表现出高度的多样性，共有36种，其中27种是岛屿特有种。然而，它们的分类法是复杂且不稳定的，为了应对广泛的形态学和生态可塑性，已经对其进行了不断的修订。在这里，我们使用线粒体和核DNA序列以及61种形态特征，检查了希腊和土耳其23种物种的系统发育关系，揭示了它们在爱琴海的系统发育。这有助于弄清构成观测模式的植物地理学情景和历史过程。该分析表明13个几个对位和多系个案不同的谱系对应于三个主要的遗传谱系[南/东南方爱琴海（D. foraminosus复杂，D. RHODIUS，D. sporadicus，D. wettsteini）; 中央到北爱琴海，土耳其和希腊大陆（D. crenulatus，D. moesiacus组，D. sinuatus复杂，D. stygius）和希腊大陆（D. messenius，D. paganettii）]，这表明进一步的分类学再需要评价。沿袭的拓扑结构和系统地理学表明，与爱琴海的主要古地理分离相吻合的是维多利亚时代的模型或弥散模型之后，地理隔离的时空序列。