Population genetic structure of the white-lined sphinx moth Hyles lineata in the southwestern United States

Hawkmoths in the genus Hyles (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) are important pollinators of a taxonomically diverse group of night-blooming plants. The White-lined hawkmoth, Hyles lineata, is the most abundant species of Hyles across North America; ranging from South America to Canada. This species thrives in a variety of habitats from river valleys to deserts and is able to fly long distances resulting in pollen transfer between fragmented plant populations. To date, no population genetic study of Hyles lineata has been carried out in North America and very little is known about its dispersal patterns or biogeographic origins. Using standard barcodes of a partial COI sequence we determined patterns of genetic structure within the species across the southwestern United States with a minimum spanning haplotype network. Our preliminary findings suggest a high diversity of haplotypes with low genetic population structure across the southwestern U.S. This pattern is unlike many long distance flying or migratory insects that have exhibited low genetic diversity with a lack of mtDNA genetic structure. Although, in the green darner dragonfly Anax junius high haplotype diversity is maintained across the U.S. despite high levels of gene flow between populations. The mechanisms which preserve this intraspecific genetic diversity in the green darner are unknown, but may be due to evolutionary history and dispersal patterns. In a related species Hyles euphorbiae, studies indicate high diversity coupled with high phylogeographic structure in COI which may be due to fragmented habitats and limited dispersal behavior in females. This study in an important first step towards understanding the unknown population genetic structure of Hyles lineata and help us better understand the life history of these important moth pollinators.