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Extensive DNA Barcoding of Lepidoptera of Crete (Greece) Reveals Significant Taxonomic and Faunistic Gaps and Supports the First Comprehensive Checklist of the Island’s Fauna
by
, , , and
Peter Huemer
1,*, 
Kai Berggren
2,
Leif Aarvik
3,
Erwin Rennwald
4,
Axel Hausmann
5,
Andreas Segerer
5,
Giorgia Staffoni
6,
Aina Mærk Aspaas
7,
Apostolos Trichas
8 and
Paul D. N. Hebert
9 1
Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen, Sammlungs- und Forschungszentrum, Tiroler Landesmuseen Betriebsges.m.b.H., 6060 Hall in Tirol, Austria
2
Independent Researcher, Bråvann Terrasse 21, 4624 Kristiansand, Norway
3
Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, 0318 Oslo, Norway
4
Independent Researcher, Mozartstr. 8, 76287 Rheinstetten, Germany
5
Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns, Zoologische Staatssammlung München, Münchhausenstr. 21, 81247 München, Germany
6
Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
7
Department of Natural History, NTNU University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, Norway
8
Natural History Museum of Crete, University of Crete, Knossos Av., 71409 Heraklion, Greece
9
Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, University of Guelph, 150 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Insects 2025, 16(5), 438; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16050438
Submission received: 23 March 2025
/
Revised: 19 April 2025
/
Accepted: 20 April 2025
/
Published: 22 April 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Insect Systematics, Phylogeny and Evolution)
Simple Summary
Despite their importance for monitoring and conservation, no recent inventories of butterflies and moths exist for countries in Southeastern Europe. Likewise, the Lepidoptera fauna of Crete have never been comprehensively documented, despite their biogeographical uniqueness and high degree of endemism. We address this gap through a critical analysis of the species inventory, coupled with the DNA barcode analysis of more than half of the recorded species. The checklist includes numerous new faunistic records for Crete and/or Greece, while also necessitating multiple corrections. Notably, nearly 10% of the fauna lacks a clear taxonomic assignment, highlighting an urgent need for integrative taxonomic research.
Abstract
Comprehensive genetic surveys of Lepidoptera are still largely lacking across most of the eastern Mediterranean. Consequently, there is a lack of modern, taxonomically validated checklists that meet current scientific standards. In this study, we analyze the butterfly and moth fauna of Crete (Greece) for the first time, based on 3110 DNA barcode sequences, primarily obtained from specimens based on our own sampling program. Building on these data, and incorporating previously published records from print sources and online forums, we establish the first comprehensive checklist of the island’s fauna. In total, the occurrence of 1230 species from 62 families is confirmed, with 724 of them genetically verified. Among them, 75 species appear to be island endemics. The checklist includes 125 newly recorded species for Crete, validated by DNA barcoding (with 36 also being new for Greece), along with 23 species confirmed solely through morphological study, and another 16 only documented by photographs. Conversely, 212 previously reported species had to be removed as likely invalid. Furthermore, 112 unidentified sequence clusters (BINs—Barcode Index Numbers) were documented, taxonomic uncertainties that will require future integrative resolution.
Keywords:
checklist; Crete; DNA barcode; endemism; faunistics; Lepidoptera; taxonomy
