Genus delimitation, biogeography and diversification ofChoristoneuraLederer (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) based on molecular evidence

Abstract

AbstractWidely known for pest species that include major modulators of temperate forests, the genusChoristoneurais part of the species‐rich tribe Archipini of leafroller moths (Tortricidae). Delimitation of the genus has remained unresolved because no phylogeny has included species endemic to Africa and studies have often omitted the type species of the genus. Further taxonomic confusion has been generated by the transfer ofArchips occidentalis(Walsingham) toChoristoneura, creating a homonym withChoristoneura occidentalisFreeman, an important defoliator of North American forests. To define the limits of the genus, we reconstructed a phylogeny using DNA sequences for mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I and nuclear ribosomal 28S genes. Our ingroup included 23Choristoneuraspecies‐level taxa, complemented by a large sample of outgroups comprising 82 species of Archipini and other Tortricidae. We generated a time‐calibrated tree using fossil and secondary calibrations and we inferred biogeographic and diversification processes inChoristoneura. Our analysis recovered the genus as polyphyletic, withArchips occidentalis,Choristoneura simonyiandChoristoneura evanidanaexcluded from the main clade. Based on the recovered phylogenies and a redefinition, we restrictChoristoneuraprimarily to species with a northern hemisphere distribution. Our analysis supportsA. occidentalisas the sister group ofCacoecimorpha pronubana,C. simonyias the sister of ‘Xenotemna’pallorana, andC. evanidanaas the sister ofArchips purpurana. A new combination is proposed:Archips evanidanacomb.n.; the availability of ‘Xenotemna’ as a valid name is discussed andA. occidentalisis considered as an orphaned name within the Archipini. We found support for a Holarctic origin ofChoristoneuraabout 23 Ma, followed by early divergence in the Palearctic region. The main divergence occurred at 16 Ma, with one clade in the Nearctic and another in the Palearctic. Subsequent cladogenetic events were synchronous and related to herbivorous specialization, with each clade divided into coniferophagous and polyphagous lineages. Their specialization as conifer feeders temporally matched the expansion of boreal forest during the Miocene.