Phylogeography of the Poecilimon luschani species group (Orthoptera,Tettigoniidae): a radiation strictly correlated with climatic transitions in the Pleistocene

The Quaternary biogeography of Anatolia has received considerable interest recently. Here, the genealogical history of the Anatolio?Balkan lineage of the Poecilimon luschani species group was evaluated. Using concatenated data from 16S rDNA and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences, the timings of inter‐ and intraspecies radiations were estimated. The demographic history of the populations was estimated using a data set established from COI sequences. Genetic diversity was very high in almost all of the populations studied. Fixation indices suggested extreme divergence of P. luschani. A molecular chronogram estimated a radiation history for the species/subspecies over a period ranging from 1.323 to 0.440 Myr. Demographic analyses applied to 11 populations suggested departure in population size for most of the local populations. The following conclusions were reached: (1) P. luschani originated from an Anatolio‐Aegean ancestral stock and extended its range to the Balkans through Dardanelles during the Early Pleistocene; (2) the Mid‐Pleistocene Transition, the lengthening of glacial period from 41 to 100 Kyr and the initiation of intense glaciation periods are the three main events corresponding to the main nodes of the chronogram; (3) altitudinal heterogeneity played a buffer role during the glacial cycles, allowing populations to cope with severe environmental changes; (4) the effects of Pleistocene climate cycles on populations differ according to altitudinal and latitudinal location in Anatolia, and (5) habitat preferences, such as altitudinal range, may easily shift because of changes in environmental conditions. © 2014 The Linnean Society of London