Phylogenetic evolution and biogeography of Southeast Asian shrews (genus Crocidura: Soricidae)

Genetic variation of 20 species of shrews from the Malay peninsula, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, the Philippines and Sulawesi was assessed by allozyme electrophoresis at 32 loci. According to Mantel's tests, the genetic differentiation of these species of shrews is not a function of the geographic distance separating them (r = 0.09, NS), but is correlated to the water depth surrounding the islands where they live (r = 0.49, P < 0.01). The results are just the reverse if the correlations are computed for the Sunda Shelf taxa only. In this case, the sampled populations show an isolation-by-distance relationship (r = 0.32; P < 0.01), while no significant correlation with water depth was detected (r = 0.20; P - 0.07). Qualitative predictions based on eustatic sea level variation and water depth were formulated as a model of historic connections between the islands. This palaeogeographic model was tested through Brooks Parsimony Analysis. The assumption of a simple vicariant evolution of the shrews was rejected, but several concordant patterns indicate that the phytogeny of these mammals was indeed shaped by these events. Homoplasies demonstrated that the SE Asian species of Crocidura include composite zoogeographic histories. Sulawesi, for example, supports at least six species, five of which are closely related, while the last one, C. nigripes, is more closely related to a Bornean taxon. This pattern was interpreted as the result of a first wave of colonizers which subsequently radiated, followed by a more recent, second colonization event from Borneo. The overall small genetic distance found within the assemblage of the five old endemics (D_N= 0.151 pL 0.041) suggests that the radiation was not accompanied by extensive differentiation, although from a karyological point of view, they exhibit unusual variations when compared to other Indomalayan Crocidura. By contrast, the four species found on Sumatra are more differentiated (D_N= 0.221 pL 0.063) and never form sister-group relationships in any phylogenetic reconstruction; each one is more closely related to different taxa living outside Sumatra. This suggests that they are probably remnants of an important centre of dispersal for the entire Malay Archipelago. The standard genetic distance averaged among all Southeast Asian species (D_N= 0.235 pL 0.094) is about half that measured within Palearctic or African taxa. Such an overall lower mean level of genetic variability is consistent with the hypothesis of a relatively recent colonization of the Malay Archipelago by shrews of the genus Crocidura.     

A phylogeny for grasshoppers of the genus Chitaura (Orthoptera: Acrididae) from Sulawesi, Indonesia, based on mitochondrial DNA sequence data

The Indonesian island of Sulawesi occupies a central position within the biogeographically complex region known as Wallacea. Its fauna is characterised by a high rate of endemism and a patchwork distribution of taxa within the island. The grasshopper genus Chitaura is a good example having at least ten endemic species with predominantly parapatric distributions. It can be used as a model for determining the origins of Sulawesi taxa and the within-island evolution that has led to the present patterns of distribution. Here we present a phylogenetic hypothesis for 28 individuals within the genus, including individuals of one species from Java and two from the Moluccas, based on DNA sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase 1 gene. Frequent sequence heteroplasmy was observed. The phylogenetic hypothesis is consistent with recent interpretations of the geological history of Sulawesi suggesting separate evolution on the island for 7–14 Myr, possibly since South Sulawesi was connected to Borneo. Within the island, the pattern of genetic divergence is dominated by a strong correlation with geographic distance, with exceptions indicating past or present barriers to dispersal. Colonisation of the Moluccas from North or Central Sulawesi is implied. Levels of genetic divergence are compared with distribution patterns of colour morphs and with possible effects of tectonic movements in the Cenozoic, or Pleistocene climatic, vegetational and sea-level changes.     

Ancient lakes as hotspots of diversity: a morphological review of an endemic species flock of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tylomelania</Emphasis> (Gastropoda: Cerithioidea: Pachychilidae) in the Malili lake system on Sulawesi,Indonesia

The viviparous freshwater gastropod Tylomelania (Caenogastropoda: Cerithioidea: Pachychilidae) endemic to the Indonesian island Sulawesi has radiated extensively in two ancient lake systems. We here present the first systematic species-level review of taxa in the five lakes of the Malili lake system, which contains the most diverse and best studied freshwater fauna on Sulawesi. Our results indicate a significantly higher diversity of Tylomelania in these lakes than previously perceived based on morphological evidence for delimiting the taxa. We describe nine new species, thus increasing the number of taxa known from the Malili lakes to 25. Tylomelania species are inhabiting all available substrates in the lakes, and the diversity of habitats is reflected in an unparalleled range of radula types in this closely related group. Several species show a high intraspecific variability in some characters, and their closer investigation will probably lead to the discovery of more cryptic species. As it is, this species flock on Sulawesi is among the largest freshwater mollusc radiations known. Since the Malili lake system also contains other large endemic species flocks of e.g. crustaceans and fishes, it is a major hotspot of freshwater biodiversity in Asia to become a conservation priority. Handling editor: K. Martens     

Taxonomic revision of shrews of the genus Crociduras from the Sunda Shelf and Sulawesi with description of two new species (Mammalia: Soricidae)

The skulls of 387 shrews of the genus Crocidura sampled in peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo, Java and Sulawesi were submitted to principal component and stepwise discriminant analyses. These analyses helped to delineate morphological taxa in this species-rich genus of mammals. Most morphologic groups could be attributed to described species, except one taxon from Sumatra and one from Sulawesi, which are described and named as new. Most of the 21 species recognized in this paper are endemic to one major island. Although Sulawesi has never been connected to the mainland, it supports at least six species, followed by Sumatra (5–6 species), Java and the Malay Peninsula (4 spp) and Borneo (3 spp). C. monticola is apparently the only widespread species whose distribution range covers the entire Malay Archipelago except the Philippines and Sulawesi. In contrast, the continental C. fuliginosa enters only marginally into the Sunda Shelf: its southernmost record is on the Malay Peninsula. This interpretation is completely different from the classical view that C. fuliginosa is a cosmopolitan species occupying the whole of Southeast Asia. Identification keys, tables of measurements and discriminant functions provided in this work may aid in identification of the various species and subspecies of Crocidura living in the Malaya Archipelago.     

Molecular Phylogenetics and Chronometrics of Tarsiidae Based on 12S mtDNA Haplotypes: Evidence for Miocene Origins of Crown Tarsiers and Numerous Species within the Sulawesian Clade

We report new mitochondrial DNA sequence data from tarsiers sampled from several populations, including the extreme northeast and southwest of the range of the Tarsius tarsier species complex, the most extensive sampling ever reported for this taxon. Our results provide the opportunity to produce the first ever molecular chronometric analysis of Tarsiidae. These results date the age of crown tarsiers, minimally, to the middle Miocene, and each of the 3 tarsier species groups, Tarsius bancanus, T. syrichta, and the T. tarsier complex, to the early or middle Miocene. Thus, each of these 3 species has evolved in isolation for a period of time that is consistent with that which would be expected for multiple speciation events. Our analysis of the Tarsius tarsier complex reveals 5 subclades, each of which is interpreted to represent a haplogroup at, or above, the species level, a result that is consistent with current hypotheses about numerous cryptic species within this species complex. The implications for conservation within the Sulawesi biogeographic region are that Sulawesi is subdivided into numerous subregions of endemism and that, by extrapolating the example of cryptic tarsier species to other taxa, biodiversity may be underestimated by an order of magnitude. The practical realties of conservation in Sulawesi are such that it is most reasonable to assume that anthropogenic extinctions are occurring, and that some species will go extinct before they have even been identified.     

THE BIOGEOGRAPHY OF SULAWESI REVISITED: IS THERE EVIDENCE FOR A VICARIANT ORIGIN OF TAXA ON WALLACE'S “ANOMALOUS ISLAND”?

Sulawesi, the largest island in the Indonesian biodiversity hotspot region Wallacea, hosts a diverse endemic fauna whose origin has been debated for more than 150 years. We use a comparative approach based on dated phylogenies and geological constraints to test the role of vicariance versus dispersal in the origin of Sulawesi taxa. Most divergence time estimates for the split of Sulawesi lineages from their sister groups postdate relevant tectonic vicariant events, suggesting that the island was predominantly colonized by dispersal. Vicariance cannot be refuted for 20% of the analyzed taxa, though. Although vicariance across Wallace's Line was only supported for one arthropod taxon, divergence time estimates were consistent with a "tectonic dispersal" vicariance hypothesis from the East in three (invertebrate and vertebrate) taxa. Speciation on Sulawesi did not occur before the Miocene, which is consistent with geological evidence for more extensive land on the island from that time. The Pliocene onset of periodic sea-level changes may have played a role in increasing the potential for dispersal to Sulawesi. A more extensive taxon sampling in Wallacea will be crucial for refining our understanding of the region's biogeography and for testing hypotheses on the origin of taxa on its most important island.     

Utility of rDNA ITS sequences in the systematics ofTeucrium sectionPolium (Lamiaceae)

A phylogenetic study based on sequence data from the complete internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) of nuclear ribosomal DNA for sect.Polium of the genusTeucrium shows both intersectional congruence and intrasectional incongruence with traditional morphological classifications. We attribute this incongruence largely to problems related to the polyploid complex studied. SectionPolium includes many poorly differentiated taxa of probable recent origin through hybridization followed by polyploidization. Both on the basis of parsimony and distance (Neighbor-Joining method) analyses,T. dunense andT. thymifolium are the species that diverge most from the sampled taxa. However, unlikeT. thymifolium, the morphology ofT. dunense is not much differentiated in relation to the other taxa. Both species are, nonetheless, the only sampled species to occupy isolated, exclusive environments and which may have undergone rapid evolution by a bottleneck effect.Teucrium dunense is found only on dunes along the Spanish and French coasts andT. thymifolium, a chasmophytic species with limited endemism, is found solely on limestone and dolomite cliffs in the low mountains in south-eastern Spain. A hypothesis is presented to explain the discrepancy between the observed comparatively large amount of ITS sequence divergence and the low morphological differentiation inT. dunense.     

Molecular Phylogeny of Nepenthaceae Based on Cladistic Analysis of Plastid trnK Intron Sequence Data

Abstract: Nepenthaceae are an exceptional family with regard to carnivory and the uniformity of characters. This makes it difficult to resolve phylogenetic relationships due to convergent evolution of morphological features. Using comparative sequencing of the chloroplast trnK intron, the monophyly of this complex family and hypotheses of infrageneric relationships were tested. Sequences from 71 Nepenthes taxa, representing all groups and two taxa of the closely related Ancistrocladaceae and Dioncophyllaceae as outgroup, were determined and analysed using maximum parsimony methods. Results of this analysis show that the isolated taxa N. distillatoria (Sri Lanka) and N. pervillei (Seychelles) are the most basal, clearly separated from the Madagascan taxa N. madagascariensis and N. masoalensis which are placed in a distinct subclade. This corresponds with some plesiomorphic characters shared by these taxa. N. khasiana (North India) has an intermediate position between these relic Western species and the remaining taxa. The species of the Malay Archipelago can be referred to three distinct lineages which indicate a correlation to biogeography. Thus the recent disjunct distribution of Nepenthes is interpreted as a result of an incisive extinction of progenitors, a process of migration and a subsequent diversification on the islands of Borneo, Sumatra, Sulawesi and New Guinea. Based on our molecular data, two interpretations concerning the origin of Nepenthes are possible: i) evolution in the Northern Tethys which is supported by fossil pollen records from the European Focene, or, ii) a Gondwanaland origin at a time when the Indian plate was separated from Madagascar. Molecular data indicate that colonization of SE Asia started from an ancient Indian stock. Subsequently, in the Malay Archipelago a new secondary centre of diversity developed. Madagascar, the Seychelles and New Caledonia were probably reached by migration via land bridges, starting from widespead common ancestors with subsequent extinction leaving the current taxa. There is no evidence for long‐distance dispersal. Current infragenic classification of Nepenthes is only partly in accordance with the phylogeny inferred from trnK intron data.     

Characterisation of polymorphic microsatellite markers for skates (Elasmobranchii: Rajidae) from expressed sequence tags

Simple sequence repeat markers (SSRs, microsatellites) were characterised for skates (Elasmobranchii: Rajidae) from published expressed sequence tags (ESTs) of Leucoraja erinacea. These were tested in four European species (Raja clavata, Raja montagui, Dipturus batis, and Leucoraja naevus). Thirteen of the fourteen amplified loci were polymorphic in at least one species. Polymorphic loci possessed on average 4.5–5.9 alleles per species, and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.05 to 0.88. Possible null alleles were detected at three loci, while one locus showed significant deviation from Hardy–Weinberg Equilibrium proportions. Three locus-pairs exhibited significant linkage disequilibrium in one or more species. This marker set will be valuable for population genetic analyses of the focal taxa, and may prove useful for studies of other skate species.     

Biogeographic origin and radiation of the Old World crocidurine shrews (Mammalia: Soricidae) inferred from mitochondrial and nuclear genes

The crocidurine shrews include the most speciose genus of mammals, Crocidura. The origin and evolution of their radiation is, however, poorly understood because of very scant fossil records and a rather conservative external morphology between species. Here, we use an alignment of 3560 base pairs of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA to generate a phylogenetic hypothesis for the evolution of Old World shrews of the subfamily Crocidurinae. These molecular data confirm the monophyly of the speciose African and Eurasian Crocidura, which also includes the fossorial, monotypic genus Diplomesodon. The phylogenetic reconstructions give further credit to a paraphyletic position of Suncus shrews, which are placed into at least two independent clades (one in Africa and sister to Sylvisorex and one in Eurasia), at the base of the Crocidura radiation. Therefore, we recommend restricting the genus Suncus to the Palaearctic and Oriental taxa, and to consider all the African Suncus as Sylvisorex. Using molecular dating and biogeographic reconstruction analyses, we suggest a Palaearctic-Oriental origin for Crocidura dating back to the Upper Miocene (6.8 million years ago) and several subsequent colonisations of the Afrotropical region by independent lineages of Crocidura.     

Brood care among basommatophorans: a unique reproductive strategy in the freshwater limpet snail Protancylus (Heterobranchia: Protancylidae), endemic to ancient lakes on Sulawesi, Indonesia

In molluscan taxa inhabiting marine environments oviparity and reproduction via planktonic larvae is predominant while incubation and viviparity is most frequently found in taxa inhabiting brackish or freshwater aquatic habitats. Brooding has evolved repeatedly and independently in several limnic taxa among Bivalvia and Gastropoda. However, among basommatophoran gastropods no such cases were yet known. We here report on a unique reproductive strategy involving brood care in the lacustrine freshwater limpet genus Protancylus, endemic to the ancient lakes on central Sulawesi (former Celebes), Indonesia, namely the Lake Poso and the Malili lake system, because this constitutes the first known case of this behaviour among the Basommatophora. Protancylus live exclusively as epizoans on those pachychilid gastropods of the viviparous genus Tylomelania, also a Sulawesi endemic species, that inhabit mostly soft substrates. We found that the two known species Protancylus pileolus from Lake Poso and P. adhaerens from the Malili lake system both retain gelatinous egg strings underneath their outer mantle, where up to 15 (mostly eight or nine) shelled juveniles are brooded. Nourishment is provided within the egg capsule only. Thus, brood care in Protancylus resembles the reproductive strategy found recently among pachychilid gastropods Jagora from the Philippines, but differs from euviviparous (i.e. matrotrophic) incubation among thiarid gastropods possessing a brood pouch with juveniles being nourished via a ‘pseudoplacenta’ in several taxa.     

Hemoglobins of Kiefferulus,sister genus of Chironomus (Diptera: Insecta): Evolution of the Hb VIIB cluster

A genomic clone containing hemoglobin genes was isolated from a species of the chironomid genus Kiefferulus. Eight genes, including an apparent pseudogene, were sequenced and the amino acid sequences of the putative proteins were determined. By comparison to the previously described hemoglobins in the sister-genus Chironomus, they were identified as members of the dimeric Hb VIIB group. The results indicate that the existence of clusters of hemoglobin genes may be a common feature in chironomids and not just confined to Chironomus. The Kiefferulus genes show greatest similarity of amino acid sequence to Hb VIIB-7 from the Chironomus cluster. The results suggest that the ancestral cluster contained at least two gene types, one of which gave rise to VIIB-7 and the Kiefferulus genes while the other gave rise to the other Chironomus VIIB genes. Both clusters appear to have increased in size by duplication or unequal crossing over since the separation of the genera. It also appears that an unrelated gene present in the Chironomus cluster, Hb-Y, arose from a completely independent origin with no apparent equivalent gene anywhere in the genome of Kiefferulus or some other Chironomus species. Correspondence to: J. Martin     

Discovery of novel DNA viruses in small mammals from Kenya

Emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases of wildlife origin have led pre-emptive pathogen surveillances in animals to be a public health priority. Rodents and shrews are among the most numerically abundant vertebrate taxa and are known as natural hosts of important zoonotic viruses. Many surveillance programs focused more on RNA viruses. In comparison, much less is known about DNA viruses harbored by these small mammals. To fill this knowledge gap, tissue specimens of 232 animals including 226 rodents, five shrews and one hedgehog were collected from 5 counties in Kenya and tested for the presence of DNA viruses belonging to 7 viral families by PCR. Diverse DNA sequences of adenoviruses, adeno-associated viruses, herpesviruses and polyomaviruses were detected. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that most of these viruses showed distinction from previously described viruses and formed new clusters. Furthermore, this is the first report of the discovery and full-length genome characterization of a polyomavirus in Lemniscomys species. This novel polyomavirus, named LsPyV KY187, has less than 60% amino acid sequence identity to the most related Glis glis polyomavirus 1 and Sciurus carolinensis polyomavirus 1 in both large and small T-antigen proteins and thus can be putatively allocated to a novel species within Betapolyomavirus. Our findings help us better understand the genetic diversity of DNA viruses in rodent and shrew populations in Kenya and provide new insights into the evolution of those DNA viruses in their small mammal reservoirs. It demonstrates the necessity of ongoing pathogen discovery studies targeting rodent-borne viruses in East Africa.     

The biogeography of Hoffmannseggia (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae, Caesalpinieae): a tale of many travels

Aim The flowering plant genus Hoffmannseggia consists of 21 species distributed amphitropically between the arid regions of the south‐western United States and adjacent Mexico, and west‐central South America. This pattern of geographical disjunction is shared by numerous other angiosperm genera and has been the subject of discussions for more than a century with various authors advocating a northern origin for particular taxa and others advocating a southern origin. This study uses a well‐supported phylogeny of a genus with numerous species in each area to address the issues of a northern or southern origin and the facility with which organisms move between the two continents. Location South‐western United States and northern Mexico, northern Chile and Argentina, southern Bolivia, and western Peru. Methods Using DNA sequence data from the nuclear and chloroplast genomes, we generated a phylogenetic hypothesis for all species of Hoffmannseggia rooted with Zuccagnia and Balsamocarpon. Geographical data were optimized on the resultant tree to assess the probable continent of origin for the genus, the pattern of disjunctions between North and South America, and species radiations within the genus. Main conclusions Hoffmannseggia arose in South America and initially split into a suffrutescent (somewhat woody) and an herbaceous clade. Within each of these major clades, there have been at least two exchanges between North and South America. There are no data to support an ancestral pan‐American range for Hoffmannseggia and we therefore ascribe the amphitropical disjunctions to long‐distance dispersal. The phylogeny clearly shows that all dispersals were from South to North America and they occurred at different times and thus the pattern is not the result of a single simultaneous set of dispersals.     

ELECTROPHORETIC EVIDENCE FOR THE ORIGIN OF FERN SPECIES BY UNREDUCED SPORES

Allopolyploid speciation is well documented in the ferns, but data from enzyme electrophoresis have only recently shown that certain sexual and agamosporous taxa are autopolyploids. Autopolyploidy may arise through fertilization involving gametophytes from unreduced spores, a mechanism previously proposed to account for the origin of allopolyploid Asplenium plenum. This report assesses the ability of unreduced spores to function in the origin of polyploid fern species by using enzyme electrophoresis to test their hypothesized role in the origin of A. plenum. Six isozymes of the enzymes PGI, PGM, TPI, 6PGD, and LAP are species-specific for the taxa proposed as parental under two competing hypotheses for the origin of this species. Electrophoretic data reject the more conventional hypothesis involving simple hybridization and agree perfectly with expectations under the more complex hypothesized origin via unreduced spores. The mechanism whereby unreduced spores have functioned in this case is no different from that by which they would function in the origin of autopolyploid taxa and may be more common in the origin of fern species than previously suspected.     

AN OVERVIEW OF THE GENUS PYRRHOPAPPUS (ASTERACEAE: LACTUCEAE) WITH EMPHASIS ON CHLOROPLAST DNA RESTRICTION SITE DATA

The genus Pyrrhopappus in recent systematic treatments has comprised five taxa (four species, one with two varieties), which have now been studied anew using morphogeographical and chloroplast DNA restriction site data. Eight populations, representing all of the recognized taxa of Pyrrhopappus, were digested with 17 restriction enzymes. Only three restriction site differences were found from among 750 restriction sites and no length variations were observed. This contrasts with similar studies, using these same enzymes, on the closely related genus Krigia in which 173 mutation sites and 20 length variations were found among the seven species concerned. Nucleotide sequence divergence values among the species of Pyrrhopappus were extremely low (0.0012) compared to much higher values found in the closely related genus Krigia (0.1270). Three species of Pyrrhopappus are herein recognized: two diploids with 2n = 12 chromosomes, P. carolinianus and P. pauciflorus (including P. multicaulis, P. geiseri and P. rothrockii), and a tetraploid (2n = 24), P. grandiflorus. The tetraploid is partially sympatric with both diploids but is readily recognized by its perennial roots, which bear tuber-like enlargements. These three species presumably arose relatively recently, and the DNA data suggest that neither P. pauciflorus nor P. carolinianus gave rise to the tetraploid P. grandiflorus.     

Evolutionary divergence of mitochondrial DNA from Paramecium aurelia

Summary Mitochondrial (mt) DNA from four sibling species within the Paramecium aurelia complex, including stocks of different geographic origin and mutants, were analyzed using four 6-bp recognition site and one 4-bp recognition site endonucleases and the sequence divergence was estimated using Upholt's (1977) statistical procedure. All four species were readily distinguishable regardless of the restriction endonuclease employed. With intraspecies comparisons, no differences were observed which could be accounted for on the basis of geographic origin. Except for species 4, each stock (and mutant) gave a species-specific fragment pattern. For species 4, while the patterns were distinct from the other species, two species-specific type of patterns were found, designated A and B. The sequence divergence between these was estimated to be between 1 and 2 percent. With interspecies comparisons, the sequence divergence ranged from 3.9 to 10.3% with the greatest divergence being between species 1 and 4, and the least between species 1 and 5. The similarity between species 1 and 5 is in accord with other criteria for interspecies comparisons. The degree of sequence divergence measured here in Paramecium mt DNA is well within the range reported for rodents and primates. All four species mt DNA were cleaved to many DNA fragments by DPN II, an enzyme which recognizes non-methylated sites, and not by DPNI, the methyl-site specific counterpart of DPN II, suggesting that mt DNA from Paramecium aurelia is not appreciably methylated, if at all.     

Phylogeny of Weigela and Diervilla (Caprifoliaceae) Based on Nuclear rDNA ITS Sequences: Biogeographic and Taxonomic Implications

Weigela and three species of Diervilla were inferred from nucleotide sequence variation in the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of 18-26S nuclear ribosomal DNA. Phylogenetic trees were obtained using parsimony, distance, and maximum likelihood methods. The ITS phylogenies did not support the monophyly of Weigela, which comprises three major clades. The first clade includes a single species, W. middendorffiana, which is more closely related with American genus, Diervilla. The second clade consisted of a single species, W. maximowiczii, but its relationship to other Weigela species is equivocal. The third one is a strongly supported core clade which contains the remaining Weigela species. Within the core group, W. hortensis exhibits the most distinct ITS sequence type. The hybrid origin of the species from the putative parents, W. florida and W. subsessilis, is not supported. The ITS sequence evidence favors the taxonomic hypothesis proposed by Nakai who recognized four distinct evolutionary lines (Diervilla, Macrodiervilla, Weigelastrum and Weigela). However, recognition of the two sections, Calysphyrum and Weigela was not supported in the ITS phylogenies. Substantial morphological differences between Diervilla and Weigela middendorffiana do not support the morphological stasis concept which has been considered as a general evolutionary mode among the Asian and North American disjunct taxa. Received 27 July 1998/ Accepted in revised form 7 July 1999     

Genetic distinctness of parthenogenetic forms of European Polydrusus weevils of the subgenus Scythodrusus

Abstract Among eight species of Polydrusus weevils which belong to subgenus Scythodrusus, at least two possess parthenogenetic forms: P. (S.) inustus and P. (S.) pilifer. Both of these species consist of dioecious populations in the Caspian area and of parthenogenetic populations in Eastern Europe (P. (S.) inustus), the Caucasus region (both species) and Middle Asia (P. (S.) pilifer). The origin of parthenogenesis in this subgenus is unresolved; however some data suggest that the parthenogenetic forms are of hybrid ancestry. The genetic distinctness of parthenogenetic Scythodrusus was assessed on the basis of COII, ITS2, EF1‐α and Wolbachiawsp, 16S ribosomal DNA, ftsZ and hcpA sequence comparisons. Both taxa turned out to be monophyletic for all markers, which is an evidence against hybridization of their dioecious ancestors. On the other hand, a high frequency of heterozygous P. (S.) inustus females suggests an origin resulting from hybridization between genetically distinct dioecious representatives of this species. Very similar strains of Wolbachia supergroup A were found in both species, indicating that they have been either inherited from a common ancestor or were transmitted between parthenogenetic Scythodrusus weevils and probably spread randomly across their ranges.