DOI: 10.3897/asp.84.e176700

Authors: Jonas Eberle, Raphael Schallegger, Derek S. Sikes, Michel Lebel, Roland Gerstmeier

Abstract: Abstract The North American checkered beetle (Cleridae) Thanasimus nubilus Klug, 1842 is currently listed as a subspecies of Thanasimus undatulus (Say, 1835). We test the species status of T. nubilus by investigation of DNA barcodes and morphological measurements of multiple specimens of each of the two taxa as well as of multiple specimens of two additional North American species of the genus. We use four species delimitation methods based on gene tree and clustering algorithms (barcode gap threshold clustering, Assemble Species by Automatic Partitioning [ASAP], and single and multi-rate Poisson Tree Processes [mPTP]). Evidence from mtDNA clearly supported treating these two subspecies as distinct species which was also supported by a morphometric analysis. We therefore propose Thanasimus nubilus Klug, 1842 stat. rev. to be reinstated as a valid species.

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