DNA barcode and phylogenetic analysis of dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) from the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, India

Abstract

Dung beetles are diverse, cosmopolitan, and endemic to different biogeographic zones. But, their taxonomy and phylogeny is currently not well understood in the old-world tropics. Within the subfamily Scarabaeinae, Onthophagus is the most species rich and complex genus with 2189 species worldwide. India has approximately 400 species of dung beetles belonging to 30 genera. Based on morphology, the dung beetles of certain genera in Oriental and Afrotropical regions have been classified into Species Groups. Presently the genetic information of dung beetles of India is poorly represented in the databases, thus limiting knowledge on the phylogenetic relationships of the Indian fauna. In this study, we aimed to provide barcodes of 27 species belonging to Onthophagus and one species of Onitis and to examine whether the resulting phylogenetic tree complies with the Species Groups. Kimura 2 parameter model was used to measure genetic distance and Neighbour Joining method was used for the tree construction. The tree topology did not fully support the Species Groups of Onthophagus as other studies from the African region have noted. The DNA barcodes generated from this study can serve as a reference for future phylogenetic studies.