The foundness of colours and complex species taxonomy- a DNA based approach for revealing the genealogical structure in the European rose chafer (Cetonia aurata L.)

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Using molecules to address questions of taxonomy and population structure is perceived as the most promising approach to investigate how biological systems are organized and to infer about their history. Alternativly to traditional morphology-based taxonomy and typological classification, we intend to overcome some limitations of this approach using mitochiondrial and nuclear sequences to reconstruct the phylogeography of the European rose chafer Cetonia aurata, a flaship-species for issues of natural conservation and one of the most attractive scarab beetles in central Europe. Previous prelimiary sequence analyses have revealed some distinct genetic structure in mitochondrial DNA which is neither consistent with subspecies so far defined nor with different geographical occurrences. With a comprehensive sampling of the different populations of the entire distribution range of the species with respect to the numerous existing colour forms, and closely related species and we will uncover not only the historical biogeography of the species including their refugial areas during glaciation periods but also try to explore whether the present colour polymorphism is coupled in some exctend to the genetic structure in the species. In addition, we will explore how so far used morphological charaters correlate with the tree patterns obtained. Based on calibration of the tree from a wider phylogenetic analaysis we plan to introduce a time scale to our reconstructions. The results will provide us hopefully useful information about patterns of diversification in this species complex and the underlying processes leading to the genetic structure of the species. Furthermore, we hope to experience methodologies of DNA taxonomy more in detail in a context of critical and extreme cases of species taxonomy (species delimitation) such as in closely related taxa, alloand parapatric populations and subspecies.