More hidden diversity in a cryptic species complex: a new subspecies of Leptideasinapis (Lepidoptera, Pieridae) from Northern Iran

Vazrick Nazari; Vladimir A Lukhtanov; Alireza Naderi; Zdenek Faltýnek Fric; Vlad Dincă; Roger Vila

doi:10.3897/compcytogen.17.102830

More hidden diversity in a cryptic species complex: a new subspecies of Leptideasinapis (Lepidoptera, Pieridae) from Northern Iran

Comp Cytogenet. 2023 May 4:17:113-128. doi: 10.3897/compcytogen.17.102830. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Vazrick Nazari¹, Vladimir A Lukhtanov², Alireza Naderi³, Zdenek Faltýnek Fric⁴, Vlad Dincă^{5

6}, Roger Vila⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy University of Padova Padova Italy.
² Department of Karyosystematics, Zoological Institute of Russian Academy of Science, Universitetskaya nab. 1, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia Zoological Institute of Russian Academy of Science St. Petersburg Russia.
³ National Natural History Museum & Genetic Resources, Tehran, Iran National Natural History Museum & Genetic Resources Tehran Iran.
⁴ Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences České Budějovice Czech Republic.
⁵ Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland University of Oulu Oulu Finland.
⁶ Research Institute of the University of Bucharest (ICUB), University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania University of Bucharest Bucharest Romania.
⁷ Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC - Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona, Spain Universitat Pompeu Fabra Barcelona Spain.

Abstract

A new subspecies of Leptideasinapis from Northern Iran, discovered by means of DNA barcoding, is described as Leptideasinapistabarestanassp. nov. The new subspecies is allopatric with respect to other populations of L.sinapis and is genetically distinct, appearing as a well-supported sister clade to all other populations in COI-based phylogenetic reconstructions. Details on karyotype, genitalia, ecology and behaviour for the new subspecies are given and a biogeographical speciation scenario is proposed.

Keywords: DNA barcoding; Palearctic; Wood White; allopatry; butterflies; taxonomy.

Vazrick Nazari, Vladimir A. Lukhtanov, Alireza Naderi, Zdenek Faltýnek Fric, Vlad Dincă, Roger Vila.