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Data from: Complex population genetic structure of the bark beetle predator Thanasimus formicarius L. (Coleoptera: Cleridae) across its European range

Papek, Eva1; Derlic, Amina1; Melin, Markus2; Roques, Alain3; Cocos, Dragos4; Schroeder, Martin4; Pernek, Milan5; Avtzis, Dimitrios6; Zolubas, Paulius7; Williams, David8; Pajares, Juan Alberto9; Sarikaya, Oğuzhan10; Pavlin, Roman11; Belilov, Sevdalin12; Gossner, Martin M.13; Seehausen, Martin Lukas14; Wierzbicka, Anna15; Kundtner, Lara1; Stauffer, Christian1; Schebeck, Martin1

Research facility: BOKU University
Published Jan 22, 2025 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.hdr7sqvst

Data files

Jan 22, 2025 version files 92 KB

Abstract

Thanasimus formicarius L. (Coleoptera: Cleridae) is an important bark beetle predator and can reduce bark beetle population densities of some of the most severe forest pests in Europe. We analysed the population genetics and phylogeography of the ant beetle T. formicarius across its European range, using mitochondrial COI data from 187 individuals sampled from 23 locations. Our extensive sampling from the Fennoscandian to the Mediterranean region and from Iberia to the Middle East provides insights into the genetic structure of the species. A ~ 650 bp fragment of the mitochondrial COI gene was PCR-amplified and the PCR products with the highest DNA concentrations were Sanger-sequenced. We performed haplotype analysis, calculated haplotype and nucleotide diversities, constructed a minimum spanning network of haplotypes, and performed an AMOVA. Moreover, the relationship among haplotypes was reconstructed using the Neighbour Joining and the Maximum Likelihood method, using a COI sequence of the closely related species Thanasimus femoralis as an outgroup. We found a high genetic diversity, revealing 119 haplotypes across the sampling area. Two major clades, an Atlantic and a Contintental, were identified, suggesting the presence of at least two glacial refugia during the last ice ages. An isolated population was discovered on the island of Corsica, suggesting that a limited number of individuals, probably from mainland France, may have colonised Corsica and a founder effect occurred. These findings improve our understanding of the recent evolutionary history of T. formicarius, which has been shaped by Pleistocene events and certain species-specific life-history traits.