| Genus Amblycorypha (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) is comprised of 14 nominal species exhibiting highly similar morphologies. Three major morphologically similar species complexes exist in Amblycorypha---the uhleri, oblongifolia, and rotundifolia complexes. While each species is morphological similar, the songs that males use to attract mates differ drastically among species. Recently collected male and female mating songs suggest multiple undescribed species exist within the rotundifolia complex. Using molecular techniques, I aim to delimit species groups within Amblycorypha and attempt to reconstruct their evolutionary histories. The ITS1 (~461 bp), 5.8S (174 bp), and ITS2 (240 bp) nuDNA regions and a partial CO1 (523 bp) mtDNA gene were sequenced using massively parallel sequencing technologies. The CO1 mtDNA region was the most variable (10.1% overall mean distance), followed by ITS2 (1.1% mean distance), ITS1 (0.9% mean distance), and 5.8S (0.02% mean distance). A single nucleotide polymorphism was present in 5.8S uniting the uhleri complex as a clade. K2P interspecific differences had large overlap in both nominal species groups and unknown species groups. ML and MSC phylogenetic analyses recovered the uhleri complex as monophyletic, while the oblongifolia and rotundifolia complexes were polyphyletic. Additionally, 6 distinct clades of 'unknown specimens' were recovered in ML and MSC analyses using all gene targets. Finally, A. bartrami may represent a species complex based on the molecular evidence presented here. This study represents the first molecular phylogeny for genus Amblycorypha. While incomplete, this study supports additional cryptic species within the rotundifolia complex that were initially detected based on male songs. |
