Strong genetic differentiation among populations of Cheirotonus gestroi (Coleoptera: Euchiridae) in its native area sheds lights on species conservation

Abstract

The long-armed scarab (Cheirotonus gestroi) is an endangered large insect in southwestern China and neighboring countries; however, limited information is available regarding its population genetics, hindering conservation efforts. Therefore, we investigated the population genetic structure and evolutionary history of C. gestroi in southwestern China. Twenty-five haplotypes were obtained from 47 specimens across five populations. The Dawei Mountain (DWS) population differed from other populations by a high genetic distance. Population structure analysis generated three distinct clades, corresponding to Hengduan Mountains (HM), Ailao Mountains (AM), and Dawei Mountains (DM), and high-level genetic diversity was found in two HM populations. Collectively, the strong genetic differentiation among populations might be due to limited gene flow, geographical isolation, and habitat fragmentation. Therefore, while developing a conservation strategy, HM, AM, and DM groups should be defined as separate management units. Additionally, the DWS population should be given priority protection due to its uniqueness and low genetic diversity.

Keywords:

• Conservation biology
• Cheirotonus gestroi
• population genetic structure
• Hengduan Mountains
• demographic history

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Dawei Mountain, Gaoligong Mountain, Huanglian Mountain, Nangun River, and Wenshan National Reserve Administration for their supports in the collection of specimens. The authors also thank Hong-Qiang Yang (Nangun River National Reserve, Lincang, China), Xue-Song Zhou (Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, China), and Fa-Wang Yin (Tongbiguan Provincial Reserve, Dehong, China) for providing precious C. gestroi specimens for this study, as well as Pei-Fu Wu (Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, China) for assistance in data analysis.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [31660631], and the biodiversity investigation, observation and assessment program (2019-2023) of Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China.