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About 50 species of cave-obligate Leptodirini (Leiodidae) beetles have been described so far in Romania, most of them populating caves in the Apuseni Mountains (north-western Romania) and the Southern Carpathians. In this contribution, we present the first molecular phylogeographic study of the two troglobiotic Pholeuon species from the Apuseni Mountains. The two species are Pholeuon (s.str.) leptodirum and Pholeuon (Parapholeuon) gracile, endemic to Bihorului Mountains and Pădurea Craiului Mountains, respectively. To examine the genetic divergence within and between the two species we sequenced 571 bp of the mitochondrial COI gene in a total of 145 specimens, 56 specimens of the first species (collected in five caves) and 89 of the second species (collected in eight caves) across their geographic ranges. We found very low genetic variation, four haplotypes in P. leptodirum and seven haplotypes in P. gracile, and a maximum of 0.7% and 0.9% intraspecific divergence, respectively. However, a significant genetic divergence of 6.55% was found between species. The results are consistent with previous definitions of the two species based on morphological characters, while caution should be taken in considering attributions to different subspecies. Our research contributes to the phylogeographic information of troglobitic beetles, providing a solid basis for future comparison with other terrestrial or aquatic cave adapted species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we investigated the molecular phylogenetic divergence and historical biogeography of cave crickets belonging to the genus Troglophilus (Orthoptera, Rhaphidophoridae) from caves in eastern Mediterranean and Anatolia regions. Three mitochondrial DNA genes ( COI, 12S rDNA, and 16S rDNA) and two nuclear ones ( 18S rDNA and 28S rDNA) were amplified and partially sequenced to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships among most of the known Troglophilus species. Results showed a well-resolved phylogeny with three main clades representing the Balkan, the Anatolian, and the Cycladian-Cretan lineages. Based on Bayesian analyses, we applied a relaxed molecular clock model to estimate the divergence times between these three lineages. Dating estimates indicate that radiation of the ingroup might have been triggered by the opening of the Mid-Aegean trench, while the uplift of the Anatolian Plateau in Turkey and the changes of relief, emergence, and disappearance of orographic and hydrographical barriers in the Balkan Peninsula are potential paleogeographic events responsible for the initial diversification of the genus Troglophilus. A possible biogeographic scenario, reconstructed using S- DIVA with RASP software, suggested that the current distribution of Troglophilus species can be explained by a combination of both dispersal and vicariance events that occurred in particular in the ancestral populations. The radiation of Troglophilus species likely started from the Aegean and proceeded eastward to Anatolia and westward to the Balkan region. Results are additionally compared to those available for Dolichopoda, the only other representative genus of Rhaphidophoridae present in the Mediterranean area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genus Eupholidoptera includes 46 Mediterranean species distributed from Turkey to Greece, Italy and southern France. In the eastern part of its range, Eupholidoptera has been considered to consist of several distinct species, while in the Balkans and Italian peninsula only E. chabrieri has been recognized. However, the status of some Italian populations, confined to particular geographic areas, remains uncertain. To investigate the delimitation of the Italian taxa of Eupholidoptera, we performed both morphological and molecular analyses. Morphological analysis was carried out by considering diagnostic characters usually used to distinguish different taxa, such as the shape of titillators in males and the subgenital plate in females. Molecular analysis was performed by sequencing three mitochondrial genes: 12S r RNA, 16S r RNA, partially sequenced and the entire gene of cox1. Molecular markers were used to infer phylogenetic relationships among the Italian Eupholidoptera species and to reconstruct the historical processes that shaped their current geographic distribution. Results from both morphological and molecular analyses were used to revise the taxonomic arrangement of species. On the whole we were able to distinguish nine lineages of Italian Eupholidoptera, of which E. tyrrhenica sp.n. from Corsica is described as a new species. This published work has been registered in ZooBank, http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:EBD181A0-5263-4880-AC80-66F624506E3A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence of hybridization between 2 pairs of allopatric Dolichopoda species is provided by electrophoretic analysis. Occurrence of hybrids was revealed by laboratory crosses and in nature both by occasional co-existence due to passive dispersal and by transplantation experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]