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Aim: Discerning the relative role of geographical and ecological factors in promoting diversification is central to our understanding of the origin and maintenance of biodiversity. We explore the roles of geology and ecological tolerance in the diversification of a group of wingless beetles with low dispersal potential. Location: Western Mediterranean (Iberian Peninsula and North Africa). Taxon: Darkling beetles (Tenebrionidae: Misolampus). Methods: We sequenced nine gene fragments from the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes in all extant Misolampus species to reconstruct their phylogeny, evaluate species boundaries and potential contact zones and estimate divergence times. We modelled species distributions for different time periods to infer ecological preferences and assess the effects of climatic changes since the last interglacial. We used a time‐stratified process‐based biogeographical model to estimate ancestral areas of origin and the evolution of geographical ranges. Results: The palaeoclimatic model projections show contractions of favourable areas during the last interglacial period and mid‐Holocene, and wide stretches of suitable areas during the last glacial maximum. Analyses of ancestral bioclimatic preferences reveal ecological adaptations in isolated lineages within three species. The phylogeny of Misolampus is strongly supported and unveils deep divergences within the six species. Two well‐supported clades were recovered, one distributed in North Africa‐Balearic Islands and another in the Iberian Peninsula. The divergence between the North African and Iberian clades occurred during the early Miocene. Biogeographical analyses infer an ancestral range including the Iberian, Betic and Rifean Plates, with subsequent splits followed by dispersal events. Main conclusions Our results favour a dual role of vicariance and dispersal in driving the historical biogeography and diversification of Misolampus since the early Miocene. We also found evidence for incipient speciation events, underscoring the role of tectonic events and adaptation to local climatic conditions in the diversification of the group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tok‐tokkies are one of the most iconic lineages within Tenebrionidae. In addition to containing some of the largest darkling beetles, this tribe is recognized for its remarkable form of sexual communication known as substrate tapping. Nevertheless, the phylogenetic relationships within the group remain poorly understood. This study investigates the usefulness of female terminalia morphology for delimiting Sepidiini and reconstructing relationships among it. Data on the structure of the ovipositors, genital tubes and spicula ventrali have been generated for >200 species representing 28 Pimeliinae tribes. This dataset was used in a comparative analysis at the subfamilial level, which resulted in recognition of several unique features of tok‐tokkie terminalia. Additionally, new features linking phenotypically challenging tribes also were recovered (Cryptochilini + Idisiini + Pimeliini). Secondly, 23 characters linked to the structure of female terminalia were defined for tok‐tok beetles. Cladistic analysis demonstrates the nonmonophyletic nature of most of the recognized subtribes. The morphological dataset was analysed separately and in combination with available molecular data (CAD, Wg, cox1, cox2, 28S). All obtained topologies were largely congruent, supporting the following changes: Palpomodina Kamiński & Gearner subtr.n. is erected to accommodate the genera Namibomodes and Palpomodes; Argenticrinis and Bombocnodulus are transferred from Hypomelina to Molurina; 153 species and subspecies previously classified within Psammodes are distributed over three separate genera (Mariazofia Kamiński nom.n., Piesomerastat.r., Psammodessens.n.). Psammodes sklodowskae Kamiński & Gearner sp.n. is described. Preliminary investigation of the ovipositor of Mariazofiabasuto (Koch) comb.n. was carried out with the application of microcomputed tomography, illuminating the muscular system as a reliable reference point for recognizing homologous elements in highly modified ovipositors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The geographic distribution of a species is shaped by its biology and by environmental and palaeogeographic factors that interact at different spatial-temporal scales, which leads to distributions and diversification patterns observed between and within lineages. The darkling beetle genus Pimelia has been diversifying for more than 31.2 Mya showing different colonization patterns after the opening of the Gibraltar Strait 5 Mya. Three of the 14 subgenera of Pimelia have populations on both sides of the Strait. Through extensive sampling and the analysis of three molecular markers, we determine levels of intra- and interspecific genetic variation, identify evolutionary lineages in subgenera, estimate their temporal origin and distribution ranges and discuss the historical basis for the geographic and diversification patterns of Pimelia around the Strait. This single geographical feature acted both as a barrier and as a dispersal route for different Pimelia species. The Strait has represented a strong barrier for the subgenus Magrebmelia since the Middle Miocene. However, the subgenera Amblyptera and Amblypteraca share repetitive signatures of post-Messinian colonization across the Strait, possibly driven by stochastic or 'catastrophic' events such as tsunamis. Our demographic analyses support Wallace's hypothesis on insect dispersal stochasticity. Some taxonomic changes, including the designation of a lectotype for Pimelia maura , are also proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hunchback darkling beetles of the Ibero-Maghrebian genus Misolampus Latreille, 1807 (Tenebrionidae, Stenochiinae) encompass six species: M. gibbulus (Herbst 1799), M. goudotii Guérin-Méneville, 1834, M. lusitanicus Brême, 1842, M. ramburii Brême, 1842, M. scabricollis Graells, 1849, and M. subglaber Rosenhauer, 1856. Previously known distribution ranges of the species were delineated using many old records, the persistence of such populations being questionable under the current situation of global biodiversity loss. Additionally, the status of geographically isolated populations of the genus have been the subject of taxonomic controversy. An exhaustive bibliographical revision and field search was undertaken, and the Misolampus collection of the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC) was revised. The aims are to (i) provide an updated geographic distribution range for the species of Misolampus; (ii) to determine the taxonomic status of controversial populations; (iii) to provide a catalogue for Misolampus; and (iv) to discuss the conservation status of these saproxylic beetles. As a result, a catalogue including synonymies and type localities, geographical records, diagnoses, and information on natural history for all species of Misolampus is presented. The results reveal that the distribution ranges of the species of Misolampus have not undergone a reduction in the last century, and indicate the presence of the genus in areas where it had never been recorded before. The morphological variability of M. goudotii drove the proposal of different taxa that are here formally synonymised as follows: M. goudotii Guérin-Méneville, 1834 = M. erichsoni Vauloger de Beaupré, 1900, syn. nov. = M. peyerimhoffi Antoine, 1926, syn. nov. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The darkling beetle Adesmia cancellata Solier, 1835 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) with a wide distribution throughout the Arabian Desert, is considered a dominant arthropod in the Qatari desert. To gain insight into the processes that have favored the success of the species in such an extreme environment, we have reconstructed its demographic and evolutionary history through phylogenetic and phylogeographic approaches. We performed a preliminary phylogenetic analysis including samples from the four subgenera within Adesmia . The analysis recovered two main clades that included species inhabiting the Arabian Desert and the Maghreb/North Africa region, reflecting a parallel evolutionary history of the two clades along a West–East axis. In one of these clades, Adesmia cancellata from Qatar and Adesmia maroccana from Morocco clustered together with the Onymacris samples from Namib, rendering Adesmia paraphyletic. Phylogeographic patterns were inferred through the analysis of mitochondrial genetic diversity in 33 populations distributed across Qatar. We framed the evolutionary history of the species during the Quaternary glaciations. Our results revealed strong mitochondrial homogeneity and an absence of geographical structure in the studied area. Habitat fragmentation and microhabitat preferences do not seem to be relevant factors in patterning the population genetic structure or in disrupting the cohesiveness of the species throughout the peninsula. A well-differentiated haplotype, however, was found in three individuals from Al Otouriyah. This rare haplotype could correspond to a retained ancestral polymorphism, suggesting that a large population of A. cancellata persisted in the area during the Plesitocene with recurrently expansions and colonizations following the marine transgression/regression cycles. Alternatively, the polymorphism could be representing remnants of past introductions. The lack of geographic structure of mtDNA across Qatar, the relatively low diversity and a recent temporal estimate of haplotype MRCAs, could be indicating then that the species colonized the Qatar peninsula recently, probably during the late Pleistocene. The successive erosion of the genetic diversity by cyclical population bottlenecks caused by the marine transgression/regressions cycles related to glacial/interglacial periods could account for the low levels of differentiation observed. In any case, the species has experienced a demographic growth since 30,000–25,000 yrs ago, probably coupled to the increase of aridity conditions in the area. A. cancellata can be considered a good example of the importance of past aridity episodes for population growth and diversification within the group, which has led darkling beetles to become one of the most impressive evolutionary radiations in desert biotas worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]