How Tropical Biodiversity Gets Multiplied: Documentation of Entomological Proofs from the Family Nepticulidae, Tiny Lepidopteran Leaf Miners.

Abstract

The factors that generate the extraordinary biodiversity of tropical regions are likely multifaceted. In this study, we tested our working hypothesis that a mosaic of contrasting habitats plays a key role in shaping the diversity of tropical pygmy moths (Lepidoptera: Nepticulidae). To explore this, we selected four ecologically distinct localities in Honduras and investigated whether closely related but distinct Nepticulidae species occur in different habitats. Collected specimens were dissected, and their genital structures photographed and analyzed. Molecular divergence was assessed using DnaSP, with Maximum Likelihood phylogenetic trees constructed in MEGA. Bayesian phylogenetic analyses and mitotype networks construction (TCS algorithm) were also performed. Our findings are presented in two case studies. In Case Study 1, three closely related yet distinct species were discovered in separate localities; in Case Study 2, four other closely related species were found in environmentally different sites. Comparative material from Colombia and Peru was also examined. Based on integrated morphological and molecular analyses, eight new species were identified and formally described. We conclude that contrasting environmental conditions exert selective pressures, and that morphologically and genetically similar species-likely derived from a common ancestor-have diverged, exemplifying the process of adaptive radiation.