Do molecules bear the key to solving a complex taxonomic problem? The Western Palearctic jewel leaf beetles in the genus Cryptocephalus Müller (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae)

使用分子来解决分类学问题（例如，DNA分类法（DNA taxonomy，DNA barcoding）被认为是当今最有希望回答地球上有多少物种的方法。该策略是作为替代传统的形态学为基础的分类驱动的专家，并打算克服后者的方法的一些局限性。然而，这种基于DNA的还原论方法提出了其他同样令人担忧的问题，这些问题在处理最近形成的和/或没有发展出强大的隔离机制的生物体群体时变得更加明显，如物种复合体。遗传变异或基因流介导的基因渗入的不完整谱系分类可能导致错误的生物多样性评估。欧洲Cryptocephalus sericeus（鞘翅目，科）是一个物种复杂的适合研究的一致性答案的物种多样性，使用这些替代方法。有一个坚实的框架，种假说的基础上分析成年形态和男性生殖器，提出了20个分类群。然而，也有证据表明，在两个或多个分类群重叠的地理区域中，具有中间形式的谱系不完全隔离（例如，阿尔卑斯山）。在这个建议中，我们计划研究C。sericeus复合体和一个次级复合体C. hypochaerobic复杂，分别使用系统发育和地理学方法（后者作为试点研究）。在这两种情况下，将使用两个独立的遗传标记（mtDNA细胞色素氧化酶1和核rRNA内转录间隔区2），并根据以前的研究类似的生物体，我们预计它们之间的不一致性和形态，每个分类标记显示不同的地理模式。这些结果将被用来提供信息的多样化模式，在这些物种复合体和潜在的过程，导致目前的物种多样性的组。它们还将用于警告使用单一标记方法进行分类推断（DNA条形码）。

The use of molecules to address taxonomic questions (e.g., DNA taxonomy, DNA barcoding) is perceived nowadays as the most promising approach to answer the question of how many species there are on the planet. The strategy is presented as alternative to traditional morphology-based taxonomy driven by specialists and intends to overcome some of the limitations of the latter approach. However, such a reductionist DNA-based methodology poses other equally worrying problems which become more apparent when dealing with groups of organisms which have speciated recently and/or have not developed strong isolation mechanisms, as species complexes. Incomplete lineage sorting of genetic variants or gene-flow mediated introgression can lead to erroneous biodiversity assessment. The European Cryptocephalus sericeus (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) is a species complex amenable to study the congruence of answers about species diversity using these alternative approaches. There is a solid framework for species hypotheses based on the analysis of adult morphology and male genitalia, proposing 20 taxa. However, there is also evidence pointing towards incomplete isolation of lineages with intermediate forms in geographical areas of overlap of two or more taxa (e.g., the Alps). In this proposal we plan to study the C. sericeus complex and a subordinated complex, the C. hypochaeridis complex, using phylogenetic and phylogeographic methods, respectively (the latter as a pilot study). In both cases, two independent genetic markers (mtDNA cytochrome oxidase 1 and nuclear rRNA internal transcribed spacer 2) will be used and, based on previous studies on similar organisms, we expect incongruence among them and with morphology, each taxonomic marker showing different geographical patterns. These results will be used to provide information about both the patterns of diversification in these species complexes and the underlying processes leading to the current species diversity in the group. They will also be used to caution about the use of single marker approaches for taxonomic inference (DNA barcoding).