Integrative taxonomy reveals a new species of Callisto (Lepidoptera, Gracillariidae) in the Alps

Zookeys. 2015 Jan 20:(473):157-76. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.473.8543. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

Europe has one of the best-known Lepidopteran faunas in the world, yet many species are still being discovered, especially in groups of small moths. Here we describe a new gracillariid species from the south-eastern Alps, Callistobasistrigella Huemer, Deutsch & Triberti, sp. n. It shows differences from its sister species Callistocoffeella in morphology, the barcode region of the cytochrome c oxidase I gene and the nuclear gene histone H3. Both Callistobasistrigella and Callistocoffeella can co-occur in sympatry without evidence of admixture. Two Callistobasistrigella specimens show evidence of introgression. We highlight the importance of an integrative approach to delimit species, combining morphological and ecological data with mitochondrial and nuclear sequence data. Furthermore, in connection with this study, Ornixblandella Müller-Rutz, 1920, syn. n. is synonymized with Callistocoffeella (Zetterstedt, 1839).

Keywords: COI; DNA barcoding; contact zone; histone H3; leaf-mining moths; mitochondrial-nuclear discordance; new species.