| Abstrakt: |
AbstractA survey of nine populations of the European earwig, Forficula auriculariaL., species complex from eastern North America revealed the presence of the two sibling species recently identified as species A and B. A mitochondrial analysis, based on restriction polymorphism observed on the 16S rRNA and the cytochrome oxydase regions, proved to be a rapid method to identify and distinguish these two species. Furthermore, consistency between these mitochondrial data and a biological diagnosis, based on the dates and number of oviposition periods in each population, revealed that species A and B occupy different habitats. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis of multiple introductions of the two species on the Atlantic coast of North America, followed by a selection of the most adapted species to each habitat. |
