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Cryptic diversity constrains biogeographical inference in microscopic animals: evidence from bdelloid rotifers in Greenland

Abstract Species are fundamental units of biodiversity, yet their delimitation remains challenging in many organismal groups. The increasing use of DNA data has revealed widespread cryptic diversity, in which genetically distinct lineages are morphologically indistinguishable. Consequently, many morphology-based biogeographical inferences have likely overestimated species ranges, particularly in microscopic animals traditionally considered ubiquitous. We investigated bdelloid rotifer diversity and biogeographical patterns in small aquatic, moss-associated habitats across South-Western Greenland, a poorly explored and geographically isolated region. Using morphological identification combined with mitochondrial COI sequencing and molecular species delimitation, we analysed Greenlandic populations in a global context. Seven morphologically defined species were recorded, all new for Greenland, and each represented a complex of cryptic lineages. Using DNA taxonomy, we identified 24 putative …

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