Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 6, 2026

A Concoction Pipeline for Generating Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs) Among Riparian and Aquatic Beetles
Published on: July 11, 2025
Historic DNA for taxonomy and conservation: A case-study of a century-old Hawaiian hawkmoth type (Lepidoptera:
Anna K Hundsdoerfer1, Ian J Kitching2
1Senckenberg Natural History Collections Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
Abstract:
Analysing historic DNA from museum specimens offers the unique opportunity to study the molecular systematics and phylogenetics of rare and possibly extinct taxa. In the Hawaiian fauna, the hawkmoth, Hyles calida calida, occurs on several of the main islands and is quite frequent, whereas Hyles c. hawaiiensis is restricted to the Island of Hawaii where it appears to be very rare. Analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequences shows that Hyles c. hawaiiensis differs from the nominotypical subspecies by an average p-distance of 2.8%, which is of a similar order of magnitude to that found between other species of Hyles, suggesting that Hyles c. hawaiiensis should perhaps be awarded species status, although more data are required for a formal taxonomic revision. Given the rarity of this taxon, these analyses should be undertaken urgently so that conservation measures can be implemented before it becomes extinct.
Related Concept Videos
Speciation Rates
Taxonomy
Hierarchy of Taxonomy
The hierarchy that Carolus Linnaeus first...
Modern Molecular Taxonomy
Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons
Pollination and Flower Structure
Applications of Molecular Taxonomy

