Abstract
BackgroundThere has been growing interest in integrative taxonomy that uses data from multiple disciplines for species delimitation. Typically, in such studies, monophyly is taken as a proxy for taxonomic distinctiveness and these units are treated as potential species. However, monophyly could arise due to stochastic processes. Thus here, we have employed a recently developed tool based on coalescent approach to ascertain the taxonomic distinctiveness of various monophyletic units. Subsequently, the species status of these taxonomic units was further tested using corroborative evidence from morphology and ecology. This inter-disciplinary approach was implemented on endemic centipedes of the genus Digitipes (Attems 1930) from the Western Ghats (WG) biodiversity hotspot of India. The species of the genus Digitipes are morphologically conserved, despite their ancient late Cretaceous origin.Principal FindingsOur coalescent analysis based on mitochondrial dataset indicated the presence of nine putative species. The integrative approach, which includes nuclear, morphology, and climate datasets supported distinctiveness of eight putative species, of which three represent described species and five were new species. Among the five new species, three were morphologically cryptic species, emphasizing the effectiveness of this approach in discovering cryptic diversity in less explored areas of the tropics like the WG. In addition, species pairs showed variable divergence along the molecular, morphological and climate axes.ConclusionsA multidisciplinary approach illustrated here is successful in discovering cryptic diversity with an indication that the current estimates of invertebrate species richness for the WG might have been underestimated. Additionally, the importance of measuring multiple secondary properties of species while defining species boundaries was highlighted given variable divergence of each species pair across the disciplines.
Highlights
Delimiting species and reconstructing their phylogenetic histories is central to systematic biology [1]
A multidisciplinary approach illustrated here is successful in discovering cryptic diversity with an indication that the current estimates of invertebrate species richness for the Western Ghats (WG) might have been underestimated
The contemporary approach involves integrative taxonomy that uses multiple lines of evidence to delineate species boundaries, in the case of taxonomically problematic groups. This approach provides the operational basis for de Queiroz (2005) lineage species concept which attempts to present a unified synthesis of various species concepts and recommends the use of multiple lines of evidence for species delimitation
Summary
Delimiting species and reconstructing their phylogenetic histories is central to systematic biology [1]. Traditional morphology based taxonomy is very useful and has been widely used, only failing to distinguish species in cases of closely related taxa, very recent radiations, or in taxonomic groups that exhibit morphological stasis [4,5]. The contemporary approach involves integrative taxonomy that uses multiple lines of evidence to delineate species boundaries, in the case of taxonomically problematic groups. There has been growing interest in integrative taxonomy that uses data from multiple disciplines for species delimitation In such studies, monophyly is taken as a proxy for taxonomic distinctiveness and these units are treated as potential species. The species of the genus Digitipes are morphologically conserved, despite their ancient late Cretaceous origin
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