Combined molecular and morphological analysis of two morphs of Argia apicalis (Odonata: Coenagrionidae) for species delineation

Argia apicalis (Say 1839) has been characterized as an ecologically vagile species inhabiting both pond and stream environments. Variation in color pattern among A. apicalis occurs between a southeastern United States morph and a south Florida (south of the Suwannee River) morph. The southeastern populations often are described as “typical” having a predominantly bright blue thoracic segment with narrow black humeral stripes, whereas the southern Florida distribution are “atypical”, having a bright blue thoracic segment with larger, broader black humeral regions. This variability between the two morphs has made field identifications in southern Florida difficult causing some researchers to question the true identity of the south Florida morph. This study uses both morphological and molecular characters to test the species identity of the two A. apicalis distributions. Specimens of A. apicalis were collected from various regions of the United States, including south of the Suwannee River. DNA was extracted using the right hind leg of each specimen and pcr product was sent for sequencing. Preliminary molecular data suggests that the two distributions are morphologically different distributions of the same species. This study is the first to document the morphological color pattern variation and molecular characters within this species.