A temperate group living in the subtropics: evolutionary history and integrative taxonomy of the pseudoscorpion genus Allochthonius Chamberlin, 1929 (Pseudoscorpiones: Pseudotyrannochthoniidae) in Taiwan
Journal
Organisms Diversity and Evolution
ISSN
1439-6092
1618-1077
Date Issued
2025-12-18
Author(s)
Abstract
Integrative taxonomy facilitates determining species boundaries in morphologically conserved taxa with limited dispersal abilities, such as litter-dwelling pseudoscorpions in the genus Allochthonius (family Pseudotyrannochthiniidae). This genus is common in East Asia but taxonomically challenging due to its cryptic morphology and variable diagnostic characters. We present a multi-locus phylogeny of Allochthonius in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, including 55 newly-acquired specimens from 11 locations across Taiwan. We find that Allochthonius in Taiwan is monophyletic and comprises multiple undescribed species. Consolidating morphology with molecular species delimitation based on three tree-based or distance-based methods, we recognize seven new species with replicable morphological and molecular differences: A. agyaqensissp. nov., A. aquaeductensissp. nov., A. brunussp. nov., A. kiunnensissp. nov., A. nebulosussp. nov., A. nubicolussp. nov., and A. tamanensissp. nov. Phylogenetic analyses and divergence time estimations suggest that Taiwanese Allochthonius separated from its Korea-Japan relatives ca. 15 million years ago, and that cooling climates during the Late Miocene and subsequent warming and rapid uplift of the Central Mountain Range during Pliocene likely promoted diversification. Spatial mapping suggests that litter-dwelling Allochthonius species living in tropical and subtropical montane regions may have a sky-island distribution with high endemism and naturally small distribution ranges.
Subjects
False scorpions
Molecular phylogeny
New species
Species delineation
Taxonomy
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Type
journal article