Geometric morphometric analysis of pronotum shape in two isolated populations of Dorcadion anatolicum Pic, 1900 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in Turkey

Abstract

The genus Dorcadion Dalman, 1817 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) comprises species living at ground surface and having lost the ability to fly. Hence the populations of the species are easily isolated from each other. These biological features are considered to be important factors for the acceleration of speciation in this genus. The effects of population isolation can be measured through the morphological characters of samples. The morphological characters that enabled the taxonomists to identify this genus are mainly subjective. This situation causes some systematic problems. Dorcadion anatolicum Pic, 1900 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is an endemic species in Turkey and the subspecies status of some populations is debated. The aim of this study was to determine pronotum shape variation via geometric morphometrics from two isolated localities and to contribute to knowledge of the taxonomic and evolutionary status of D. anatolicum. The samples were collected from two different localities of Turkey (Kahramanmaras and Konya Provinces) in March-April 2018. Results of morphometric analysis revealed that the pronotum shape variations of the samples allowed morphological discriminations of populations.