title: Introgression and Habitat Segregation in a Pair of Ladybird Beetle Species in the Genus Propylea (Coccinellidae, Coccinellinae) in Northern Japan.
abstract: The ladybird beetles Propylea quatuordecimpunctata and P. japonica have largely overlapping distributions in northern Japan, and in the laboratory produce fertile hybrids. In this study, we surveyed the distribution and morphological differentiation of these species and the hybrids in natural populations, with a focus on western Hokkaido, northern Japan. Phenotypic analyses were conducted for 987 individuals collected at 90 localities. In addition, the nuclear internal transcribed spacer-II (ITS2) region (549 bp) and part of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene (700 bp) were sequenced for 620 individuals from 53 localities. Analyses of both phenotypic and genotypic features discriminated two distinct entities assignable to P. quatuordecimpunctata and P. japonica. However, individuals with intermediate phenotypes and/or genotypes also occurred extensively, indicating natural hybridization. Putative P. quatuordecimpunctata individuals were collected across a wide range of altitudes (30-600 m), whereas those of P. japonica were found mostly lower than 300 m alt. In addition, P. quatuordecimpunctata was dominant in semi-open habitats shaded by canopy foliage, whereas P. japonica was frequent in more open habitats. The perceived altitudinal difference in the distributions may thus in part be a consequence of this different habitat preference, as open habitats are more common at lower altitudes in the study area.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiromu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Suga
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan.
authors.forename: Wataru
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hirano
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan.
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Katoh
authors.affiliation: 2 The Faculty of Arts and Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
authors.forename: Kei W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Matsubayashi
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan.|3 The Hokkaido University Museum, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan.
authors.forename: Haruo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Katakura
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001517:Coleoptera / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D017753:Ecosystem; D006239:Haplotypes; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D013045:Species Specificity
keywords: canopy openness; differentiation; distribution; ladybird beetle; natural hybridization; reproductive isolation