About Notiophilus Duméril, 1806 (Coleoptera, Carabidae): Species delineation and phylogeny using DNA barcodes

Abstract

The genus Notiophilus Duméril, 1806 is a distinctive taxon of small, diurnal and morphologically similar beetles exhibiting large eyes and widened second elytral intervals. In this study we analysed the effectiveness of DNA barcodes to discriminate 67 specimens that represent 8 species of Notiophilus from Central Europe. Interspecific K2P distances below 2.2% were found for N. biguttatus (Fabricius, 1779) and N. quadripunctatus Dejean, 1826, whereas intraspecific distances with values > 2.2% were revealed for N. rufipes Curtis, 1829. An additional phylogenetic analysis of all available species revealed a close relationship of N. directus Casey, 1920, N. semistriatus Say, 1823, N. simulator Fall, 1906 and N. sylvaticus Dejean, 1831, possibly indicating a radiation of these species in North America. Low support values of most other nodes, however, do not allow additional phylogenetic conclusions.