When barcoding fails: development of diagnostic nuclear markers for the sibling caddisfly species Sericostoma personatum (Spence in Kirby & Spence, 1826) and Sericostoma flavicorne Schneider, 1845

By

Darschnik, Sonja
Leese, Florian 1978-
Weiss, Martina
Weigand, Hannah

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2019

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

872

Pages

57-68

Subjects

freshwater biodiversity , molecular species identification , RFLP , Sericostomatidae , Trichoptera

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.872.34278

 

Abstract

The larval stages of the central European sibling caddisfly speciesSericostoma personatum(Spence in Kirby and Spence, 1826) andS. flavicorneSchneider, 1845 are morphologically similar and can only be distinguished by differences in coloration in late larval instars. Identification using the mitochondrial barcoding gene, i.e., the Cytochrome c Oxidase 1, is impossible, as both species share the same highly differentiated haplotypes due to introgression. Nuclear gene markers obtained through double digest restriction site associate sequencing (ddRAD seq), however, can reliably distinguish both species, yet the method is expensive as well as time-consuming and therefore not practicable for species determination. To facilitate accurate species identification without sequencing genome-wide markers, we developed nine diagnostic nuclear RFLP markers based on ddRAD seq data. The markers were successfully tested on geographically distinct populations of the twoSericostomaspecies in western Germany, on known hybrids, and on another sericostomatid caddisfly species,Oecismus monedula(Hagen, 1859) that sometimes shares the habitat and can be morphologically confounded withSericostoma. We describe a simple and fast protocol for reliable species identification ofS. personatumandS. flavicorneindependent of the life cycle stage of the specimens.