Morphological and Molecular Analysis of Australian Earwigs (Dermaptera) Points to Unique Species and Regional Endemism in the Anisolabididae Family
Oliver P. Stuart,
Matthew Binns,
Paul A. Umina,
Joanne Holloway,
Dustin Severtson,
Michael Nash,
Thomas Heddle,
Maarten van Helden,
Ary A. Hoffmann
Affiliations
Oliver P. Stuart
School of BioSciences, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
Matthew Binns
School of BioSciences, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
Paul A. Umina
School of BioSciences, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
Joanne Holloway
New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Wagga Wagga Agricultural Institute, Pine Gully Road, Charles Sturt University, New South Wales 2795, Australia
Dustin Severtson
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, South Perth, Western Australia 6151, Australia
Michael Nash
School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, the University of Adelaide, Urrbrae, South Australia 5064, Australia
Thomas Heddle
South Australian Research and Development Institute, Entomology, Waite Road, Waite, Urrbrae, South Australia 5064, Australia
Maarten van Helden
School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, the University of Adelaide, Urrbrae, South Australia 5064, Australia
Ary A. Hoffmann
School of BioSciences, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
Dermaptera (earwigs) from the Anisolabididae family may be important for pest control but their taxonomy and status in Australia is poorly studied. Here we used taxonomic information to assess the diversity of southern Australian Anisolabididae and then applied cox1 barcodes as well as additional gene fragments (mitochondrial and nuclear) to corroborate classification and assess the monophyly of the putative genera. Anisolabididae morphospecies fell into two genera, Anisolabis Fieber and Gonolabis Burr, based on paramere morphology. Combinations of paramere and forceps morphology distinguished seven morphospecies, which were further supported by morphometric analyses. The morphospecies were corroborated by barcode data; all showed within-species genetic distance < 4% and between-species genetic distance > 10%. Molecular phylogenies did not support monophyly of putative genera nor clades based on paramere shape, instead pointing to regional clades distinguishable by forceps morphology. This apparent endemism needs to be further tested by sampling of earwig diversity outside of agricultural production regions but points to a unique regional insect fauna potentially important in pest control.
