Molecular analyses of the Kalotermes dispar-complex (Blattodea: Kalotermitidae) from the Canary Islands reveal cryptic intraspecific divergence and a connection to a lone Nearctic congener

The Canary Islands is a Macaronesian volcanic archipelago with a depauperate community of three species of Kalotermitidae, including Kalotermes dispar. A total of 54 Kalotermes colonies were collected from Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma, and El Hierro islands. Soldiers and imagos were morphologically examined and sequenced for four mitochondrial markers. Although morphological differences could not be detected, phylogenetic analysis of both cox1/tRNA/cox2 and rrnL markers revealed two distinct clades of K. dispar, suggesting cryptic diversity. The diversification within the Canary Kalotermes lineage most likely occurred around 7.5 Mya, while the divergence within the two clades was reconstructed at about 3.6 Mya and 1.9 Mya. Kalotermes approximatus from the southeastern Nearctic constitutes a sister to the Canary Kalotermes, while the Palearctic K. flavicollis, K. italicus, and K. phoenicae form a separate clade. It is hypothesized that a faunal exchange of Kalotermes from the Nearctic to the Canary Islands occurred via transoceanic rafting during the mid-Miocene.

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Hernández-Teixidor, David, Cussigh, Alex, Suárez, Daniel, García, Javier, Scheffrahn, Rudolf H., Luchetti, Andrea
Other Authors: Cabildo de Tenerife
Format: artículo biblioteca
Language:English
Published: Oxford University Press 2024-07-11
Subjects:Cryptic species, diversification, drywood termite, oceanic islands, transoceanic dispersal, Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss, Biological research,
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/370147
http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100011033
http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100004837
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Summary:The Canary Islands is a Macaronesian volcanic archipelago with a depauperate community of three species of Kalotermitidae, including Kalotermes dispar. A total of 54 Kalotermes colonies were collected from Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma, and El Hierro islands. Soldiers and imagos were morphologically examined and sequenced for four mitochondrial markers. Although morphological differences could not be detected, phylogenetic analysis of both cox1/tRNA/cox2 and rrnL markers revealed two distinct clades of K. dispar, suggesting cryptic diversity. The diversification within the Canary Kalotermes lineage most likely occurred around 7.5 Mya, while the divergence within the two clades was reconstructed at about 3.6 Mya and 1.9 Mya. Kalotermes approximatus from the southeastern Nearctic constitutes a sister to the Canary Kalotermes, while the Palearctic K. flavicollis, K. italicus, and K. phoenicae form a separate clade. It is hypothesized that a faunal exchange of Kalotermes from the Nearctic to the Canary Islands occurred via transoceanic rafting during the mid-Miocene.