Geographical color pattern of Argia apicalis (Odonata: Coenagrionidae) in the absence of molecular variation
Keywords:
damselflies, insect, distribution, cytochrome-bAbstract
The blue-fronted dancer, Argia apicalis Say (Odonata: Coenagrionidae), is an ecologically vagile species inhabiting both pond and stream environments of the eastern United States. Variation in color pattern in A. apicalis occurs between a southeastern United States morph and a south Florida morph. Southeastern populations often are described as “typical” with a predominantly bright blue pterothorax and narrow black humeral stripe, whereas the southern Florida populations are “atypical,” with a bright blue pterothorax and larger, wider black humeral stripes. Variability in color pattern has caused some researchers to question the true identity of the Florida morph. This study used color pattern and mitochondrial cytochromeb sequences to test the species identity of the 2 A. apicalis geographical color morphs. Mitochondrial cytochrome-b gene sequences showed that there is a single haplotype, showing no divergence between individuals, populations, or regions. This study is the first to test if color pattern variation is correlated with molecular characters within this species.
Resumen
El caballito del diablo bailarín de frente azul, Argia apicalis Say (Odonata: Coenagrionidae), es una especie ecológicamente vágil que habita el ambiente de lagunas y de quebradas del este de los Estados Unidos. La variación en el patrón de color en A. apicalis se produce entre un morfo sureste de los Estados Unidos y un morfo del sur de la Florida. Se describen las poblaciones del sudeste a menudo como “típica” con un pterotórax azul predominantemente brillante y con una franja del húmero estrecha del color negro, mientras que las poblaciones del sur de la Florida son “atípicos”, con un pterotórax azul brillante y rayas negras de húmero más grandes y más anchas. La variabilidad en el patrón de color ha hecho que algunos investigadores cuestionen la verdadera identidad del morfo de la Florida. Este estudio utilizó el patrón de color y las secuencias de citocromo-b mitocondrial para probar la identidad de las 2 formas geográficas de morfos de A. apicalis. Las secuencias de genes de citocromo-b mitocondrial mostraron que hay un solo haplotipo, sin mostrar divergencia entre individuos, poblaciones o regiones. Este estudio es el primero en probar si la variación del modelo de color se correlaciona con caracteres moleculares dentro de esta especie.
Downloads
Additional Files
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright for any article published in Florida Entomologist is held by the author(s) of the article. Florida Entomologist is an open access journal. Florida Entomologist follows terms of the Creative Commons, Attribution Non-Commercial License (cc by-nc). By submitting and publishing articles in Florida Entomologist, authors grant the FOJ and Florida Entomologist's host institutions permission to make the article available through Internet posting and electronic dissemination, and to otherwise archive the information contained both electronically and in a hard printed version. When used, information and images obtained from articles must be referenced and cited appropriately. Articles may be reproduced for personal, educational, or archival purposes, or any non-commercial use. Permission should be sought from the author(s) for multiple, non-commercial reproduction. Written permission from the author(s) is required for any commercial reproduction.