Genome wide analyses corroborate cryptic speciation in Anurida maritima (Collembola, Poduromorpha)

Cryptic diversity is ubiquitous within Collembola (springtails). Numerous studies have reported substantial genetic divergence within morphological species. One potentially involved morphospecies is Anurida maritima (Guérin-Méneville, 1836). A. maritima is confined to the intertidal zone, where it often occurs in high densities. A recent study reported two distinct mitochondrial lineages from North-western Europe. One of the two mitochondrial lineages was found to be associated with Anurida bisetosa (Bagnall, 1949), a species that was synonymised with A. maritima in 1953. Here, genome-wide analyses are used to show that the observed mitochondrial divergence extends to the nuclear genome. Phylogenetic analysis of four natural populations using data on ~1500 single copy orthologous genes supported a separation of A. bisetosa sp. dub. and A. maritima. Genetic analyses using a Pool-seq approach corroborated the genome-wide differentiation. The four populations under investigation came from a relatively narrow geographical range (United Kingdom, The Netherlands). A. maritima has a Holarctic distribution and, hence, it is quite possible that the group includes further highly diverged genetic lineages or cryptic species. This study offers another compelling example of genetic divergence not necessarily leading to noticeable morphological change.

© 2025 The Author(s). Zoologica Scripta published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

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