Meeting Abstract

P2-83   -   Cryptic species within Aoraki denticulata, a widespread mite harvestman (Arachnida, Opiliones, Cyphophthalmi) from the South Island of New Zealand Fu, PA*; Moyes, N; Anderson, SF; Shu, Y; Derkarabetian, S; Boyer, SL; Macalester College; Macalester College; Macalester College; University of California, Los Angeles; Harvard University; Macalester College Pfu@macalester.edu

Aoraki is a genus of mite harvestmen endemic to New Zealand, one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. These animals are exceptionally poor dispersers, with most species known from a handful of localities. Aoraki denticulata is an unusually widespread species, with a range four times larger than the average range of other members of the genus. It includes two described subspecies: A. denticulata denticulata and A. denticulata major, distinguished by size. Phylogeographic studies based on mitochondrial DNA have demonstrated monophyly of A. denticulata major but paraphyly of the more widespread A. denticulata denticulata; however, relationships among major lineages of A. d. denticulata were not resolved with this approach. We conducted genetic species delimitation using a phylogenomic dataset, generated via target-capture of ultraconserved elements (UCEs), confirming monophyly of A. denticulata major and non-monophyly of A. denticulata denticulata, with major lineages occupying largely non-overlapping geographic areas. We also investigated morphological variation within A. denticulata using scanning electron microscopy, focusing on anatomical features that have traditionally demonstrated taxonomic utility within the genus, in order to integrate molecular and morphological approaches to delimiting species within this challenging complex.