Cryptic species in Lepidocyrtus lanuginosus (Collembola: Entomobryidae) are sorted by habitat type

High intraspecific genetic variance in Collembola indicates that cryptic species are widespread and this challenges the delimitation of morphologically defined species. Lepidocyrtus lanuginosus (Gmelin, 1788) is a widely distributed habitat generalist with high genetic variance between populations from different locations in Europe. In this study we investigated the genetic variance of L. lanuginosus from three dominant habitat types in Central Europe, i.e. forests, grasslands and arable fields, using four molecular markers (ribosomal subunit 28S rDNA D1-2 domain, elongation factor 1-α, cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and subunit II). The results suggest that L. lanuginosus separates into three major genetic lineages with one of these lineages being close to Lepidocyrtus cyaneus Tullberg, 1871. The phylogenetic tree based on the concatenated data set of four genes suggests that all lineages of L. lanuginosus are monophyletic. Selective colonization of the three habitats by these lineages indicates that they are sorted by habitats: one lineage was common and occurred in each of the three habitat types but preferentially in arable land, the second was restricted to forest, and the third, although rare, preferentially occurred in grassland. Our results indicate that genetic markers allow delineating cryptic species in Collembola, which are widespread, morphologically coherent and differ in the habitats they colonize. The existence of cryptic species/lineages in widely distributed Collembola species that sort by habitat type calls for studies integrating genetic structure and ecological traits.