The identity of Argyria lacteella (Fabricius, 1794) (Lepidoptera, Pyraloidea, Crambinae), synonyms, and related species using morphology and DNA capture in type specimens

Abstract

Recent developments in museomics enable genetic information to be recovered from previously unusable collection specimens and thus to answer complex taxonomic questions. Here we apply museomics to a taxonomic problem involving several species of Argyria Hubner (Pyraloidea, Crambinae), with previously unrecognized morphological variation. By analysing the DNA barcode (COI-5P) in numerous specimens, we aimed to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships between species, to provide better evidence for synonymies, and to circumscribe their geographical distribution. Using an innovative DNA hybridization capture protocol, we partially recovered the DNA barcode of the lectotype of Argyria lacteella (Fabricius, 1794) for comparison with the 229 DNA barcode sequences of Argyria specimens available in the Barcode of Life Datasystems, and this firmly establishes the identity of the species. The same protocol was used for the following type specimens: the Argyria abronalis (Walker, 1859) holotype, thus confirming the synonymy of this name with A. lacteella, the holotype of A. lusella (Zeller, 1863), rev. syn., the holotype of A. multifacta Dyar, 1914, syn. n., newly synonymized with A. lacteella, and a specimen of Argyria diplomochalis Dyar, 1913, collected in 1992. A complementary sampling composed of nine specimens of A. lacteella, A. diplomochalis, A. centrifugens Dyar, 1914 and A. gonogramma Dyar, 1915, from North to South America, were integrated using classical COI amplification and Sanger sequencing. Argyria gonogramma Dyar, described from Bermuda, is the name to be applied to the more widespread North American species formerly identified as A. lacteella. Following morphological study of its holotype, Argyria vestalis Butler, 1878, syn. n. is also synonymized with A. lacteella. The name A. pusillalis Hubner, 1818, is considered a nomen dubium associated with A. gonogramma. The adult morphology is diagnosed and illustrated, and distributions are plotted for A. lacteella, A. diplomochalis, A. centrifugens, and A. gonogramma based on slightly more than 800 specimens. For the first time, DNA barcode sequences are provided for the Antillean A. diplomochalis. Our work highlights the efficiency of the DNA hybrid capture enrichment method to retrieve DNA barcodes from 18th and 19th century type specimens in order to solve taxonomic issues in Lepidoptera.