MSc Student
Advisor: Konrad Fiedler
Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research
University of Vienna
Abstract
The Lucanus cervus species group represents a taxonomically complex group of stag beetles distributed across the West Palaearctic region. Despite extensive taxonomic attention, species boundaries and phylogenetic relationships within the group remain incompletely resolved. High morphological variability, particularly among males, has contributed to persistent taxonomic uncertainty, while previous molecular work based mainly on mitochondrial COI data has provided limited phylogenetic resolution due to restricted sampling and single-marker approaches.
Male genital structures, together with the terminal 8th and 9th abdominal segments, are regarded as important sources of taxonomic information in Lucanus and often provide reliable characters for species delimitation. Despite their taxonomic importance, these structures have not yet been comprehensively studied across the Lucanus cervus species group.
This thesis presents an integrative taxonomic revision of the Lucanus cervus species group by combining mitochondrial DNA sequence data (COI and 16S rRNA gene) with detailed morphological analyses of male genital and terminal abdominal structures, which are investigated using comparative and geometric morphometric methods to assess interspecific variation. Phylogenetic relationships and species boundaries will be evaluated based on the mitochondrial sequence data using both tree-based and distance-based approaches.
In addition to phylogenetic and morphological analyses, a comprehensive identification key for the focal taxa as well as updated distribution maps based on verified occurrence data will be provided.
The expected results will contribute to a clearer delimitation of species within the group and may reveal previously unrecognized genetic lineages or non-monophyly of currently recognized taxa. Morphological differentiation of genital structures is expected to correspond with mitochondrial lineages, supporting revised taxonomic interpretations.
