DOI

  • Nazar A. Shapoval
  • Roman V. Yakovlev
  • Galina N. Kuftina
  • Vladimir A. Lukhtanov
  • Svyatoslav A. Knyazev
  • Anna E. Romanovich
  • Anatoly V. Krupitsky

Natural hybridization is rather widespread and common in animals and can have important evolutionary consequences. In terms of taxonomy, exploring hybridization and introgression is crucial in defining species boundaries and testing taxonomic hypotheses. In the present paper, we report on natural hybrid specimens between Ahlbergia frivaldszkyi (Lederer, 1853) and Callophrys rubi (Linnaeus, 1758). To test the hypothesis of their hybrid origin, we employed the molecular mitochondrial (COI gene) and nuclear (wingless, RPS5, and Ca-ATPase genes) markers commonly used in phylogenetic studies and explored the morphology of the specimens. Our analysis revealed that hybrids bear mitochondrial haplotypes of C. rubi, while nuclear fragments are heterozygous, sharing a combination of A. frivaldszkyi and C. rubi lineages. The hybrid specimens combine morphological characters of both genera. Our results for the first time empirically demonstrate the possibility of genetic introgression between these species and between the genera Callophrys and Ahlbergia on the whole.

Язык оригиналаанглийский
Номер статьи1124
ЖурналInsects
Том12
Номер выпуска12
DOI
СостояниеОпубликовано - дек 2021

    Предметные области Scopus

  • Энтомология

ID: 100508243