Traversing worlds - Dispersal potential and ecological classification of Speolepta leptogaster (Winnertz, 1863) (Diptera, Mycetophilidae)

Speolepta leptogaster (Winnertz, 1863) is frequently occurring in European subterranean environments. As for most cave animals, studies addressing non-anatomical aspects are sparse. Here we present the first molecular study on S. leptogaster. We investigated the demographic structure (i.e. COI locus) of 69 specimens from 36 underground populations in Hesse (Central German Uplands) to get first insights into the species’ dispersal...