Isolated populations of the bush-cricket Pholidoptera frivaldszkyi (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae) in Russia suggest a disjunct area of the species distribution.

Peter Kaňuch,Oleg A Polumordvinov,Benjamín Jarčuška,Martina Dorková,Andrey P Mikhailenko,Anton Krištín

doi:10.3897/zookeys.665.12339

Abstract

Phylogenetic analysis and assessment of the species status of mostly isolated populations of Pholidoptera frivaldszkyi in south-western Russia occurring far beyond the accepted area of the species distribution in the Carpathian-Balkan region were performed. Using the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene fragment, we found a very low level of genetic diversity in these populations. Phylogeographic reconstruction did not support recent introduction events but rather historical range fragmentation. The grouping of the Russian and Romanian haplotypes in a distinct phylogenetic clade suggests that the pre-glacial range of P. frivaldszkyi had extended towards the Ponto-Caspian region, with considerable gene flow between different refugia. However, post-glacial northward expansion of the species from supposed Caucasus refugia contributed most likely to the current disjunct distribution of this relict-like bush-cricket.

Highlights

The Green dark bush-cricket, Pholidoptera frivaldszkyi (Herman, 1871), is a regionally rare and endangered grassland-dwelling Orthoptera (Tettigoniidae) species with a decreasing population trend (Krištín and Iorgu 2014; Hochkirch et al 2016)
Findings further to the north-east, beyond the Carpathian massif, reported from Ukraine and Russia were relatively old, unlocalised or incomplete (e.g. Medvedev 1954; Bey-Bienko 1964, 1970; Yakushenko et al 1984; Heller et al 1998). Such unreliable character of occurrence data together with questioning of the species status due to song differences in Russian populations (Heller 1988) gave rise to doubts and the only distribution area of P. frivaldszkyi was validated for Carpathian-Balkan region in the recent check-list of European Orthoptera fauna
In this article we report the phylogeographic pattern of P. frivaldszkyi populations in Russia at the maternally-inherited mtDNA level and discuss our results with recent species inference from the Carpathian-Balkan region (Kaňuch et al 2014)

Summary

Introduction

The Green dark bush-cricket, Pholidoptera frivaldszkyi (Herman, 1871), is a regionally rare and endangered grassland-dwelling Orthoptera (Tettigoniidae) species with a decreasing population trend (Krištín and Iorgu 2014; Hochkirch et al 2016). Genetic structure (mitochondrial DNA) and variation of morphological traits as individually specific pattern of black spots on the light green shield and head in fragmented and isolated populations of this flightless sedentary insect occurring in central and south-eastern Europe confirm the species’ relict-like character (Fabriciusová et al 2008; Kaňuch et al 2014).

Results

Conclusion