The Aegean archipelago is among the largest on Earth with astonishing biodiversity within Europe. Its territory underwent a massive geotectonic transformation in Neogene that resulted in multitude of changes in land-sea configuration and disintegrated the formerly united Aegean land to a complicated mainland-archipelago system. Therefore, it represents an excellent laboratory for studying evolution of terrestrial fauna. In the present study, we use a model group of flightless bush crickets with annual reproduction cycle—Poecilimon jonicus species group—to trace correlation of lineage diversification with the known paleogeographic events in the Aegean area. The group belongs to the hyperdiverse genus Poecilimon and has a disjunct distribution along the Hellenic arc from southwestern Anatolia through Crete to the western Balkans and the Apennines. To test our hypothesis, we inferred phylogenetic relationships of the P. jonicus group sensu lato using a nuclear fragment covering two spacers of the ribosomal cistron (ITS1 + ITS2). To study intra-group phylogeny, we compared mitochondrial phylogenies based on two matrices—(1) a concatenated ND2 and COI dataset of 1656 bp and (2) a 16S rRNA + 12S rRNA dataset of 1835 bp. As a second step, we estimated divergence times applying Bayesian approach with BEAST and a relative rate framework with RelTime on the mitochondrial matrices. We compare trees calibrated based on evolutionary rates and tectonic events and discuss radiation scenarios in concordance with known paleogeographic events in the Aegean area. Our results revealed robust phylogeny of the Poecilimon jonicus group and confirmed a strong link between its evolution and the Aegean paleogeography. The phylogenetic relationships of the group supported reconsideration of its systematics.

中文翻译：

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Poecilimon jonicus 群（直翅目：Tettigoniidae）的进化：与爱琴海新近纪古地理相关的历史

爱琴海群岛是地球上最大的群岛之一，在欧洲拥有惊人的生物多样性。它的领土在新近纪发生了大规模的大地构造转变，导致海陆格局发生了许多变化，并将以前统一的爱琴海土地分解为复杂的大陆-群岛系统。因此，它是研究陆地动物群进化的绝佳实验室。在本研究中，我们使用具有年度繁殖周期的不会飞的灌木蟋蟀模型组——Poecilimon jonicus 物种组——来追踪谱系多样化与爱琴海地区已知古地理事件的相关性。该组属于高度多样化的 Poecilimon 属，并且沿着希腊弧从安纳托利亚西南部到克里特岛到巴尔干半岛西部和亚平宁山脉有分离分布。为了验证我们的假设，我们使用覆盖核糖体顺反子 (ITS1 + ITS2) 的两个间隔区的核片段推断了 P. jonicus group sensu lato 的系统发育关系。为了研究组内系统发育，我们比较了基于两个矩阵的线粒体系统发育 -（1）1656 bp 的串联 ND2 和 COI 数据集和（2）1835 bp 的 16S rRNA + 12S rRNA 数据集。作为第二步，我们在线粒体矩阵上应用贝叶斯方法和 BEAST 估计发散时间，以及使用 RelTime 的相对速率框架。我们比较了根据进化速率和构造事件校准的树木，并根据爱琴海地区已知的古地理事件讨论了辐射情景。我们的结果揭示了 Poecilimon jonicus 群的强大系统发育，并证实了其进化与爱琴海古地理之间的密切联系。该组的系统发育关系支持对其系统学的重新考虑。