On the verge of below-ground speciation: a new species complex of microendemic endogean carabid beetles, Typhlocharis Dieck, 1869 (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Anillini), from south-west Iberian Peninsula

Abstract

A new species complex of genus Typhlocharis Dieck, 1869 (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Trechinae: Anillini: Typhlocharina) is described. Six populations from southern Badajoz (Spain), referred as the “coenobita species complex”, are the first documented case of an expected situation within Typhlocharina and potentially other lineages of endogean ground beetles: the presence of closely related allopatric populations within a reduced geographical range that, despite certain genetic isolation, show a gradient of morphological differences that challenge taxonomic assignment. Previous phylogenies of Typhlocharina recovered these populations as a monophyletic lineage, represented by three potential new species in need of further examination to validate their status. Here, we test the congruence of this taxonomic hypothesis through direct observation, statistical analyses applied to morphological characters and analysis of COI sequences. Such integrative approach, revealed as a powerful tool to solve situations where phenotypic differences are very subtle, is used for the first time to discriminate Anillini species. The results are coherent with the three species hypothesis, formally described as T. coenobita sp.n., T. eremita sp.n. and T. anachoreta sp.n. The implications of the internal variability within this species complex to the systematics of Typhlocharina and their affinities to other Typhlocharis species are discussed. The entity of T. eremita sp.n. as new species is well established within the standards of the genus. However, the populations of T. coenobita sp.n. show high variability and their relationship with T. anachoreta sp.n. is in the verge of what can be considered species-level differentiation, suggestive of an incipient speciation process. The proposed species boundaries maximize the consistence among the different sources of evidence. The intraspecific variability within T. coenobita sp.n. is properly described, contributing to elucidate the ongoing differentiation processes within this endogean lineage. Finally, an identification key for the coenobita species complex is provided.