Abstract/Summary

For 160 years, Anthrenus pimpinellae isabellinus Küster, 1848 has been considered a subspecies of A. pimpinellae Fabricius, 1775. However, habitus shape differs between the subspecies with A. p. isabellinus being broader than A. p. pimpinellae and resembling more closely A. dorsatus Mulsant & Rey, 1868. Here A. p. pimpinellae and A. p. isabellinus, are examined to look for evidence that they comprise a single taxonomic unit. Habitus and genital structures are considered, and the universal animal barcode region of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene is sequenced. The results of the morphological, morphometric, and genetic analyses mirror each other perfectly and suggest that A. p. isabellinus is the same species as A. dorsatus rather than being a subspecies of A. pimpinellae. The very small intraspecific DNA sequence variation supports the view that A. dorsatus and A. p. isabellinus belong to a single species that diverges considerably from A. p. pimpinellae. Morphology, including genital structure, is congruent with the genetic data and provides a powerful way of resolving species organisation in these widespread beetles. In view of these findings, Anthrenus isabellinus Küster, 1848 is restored to full species status and Anthrenus dorsatus Mulsant & Rey, 1868 becomes its new junior subjective synonym.