Genetic and morphological variety in Lepidoptera: Evidence from monomorphic Panolis flammea L. and polymorphic Archips podana Scop.

The variability of the mtDNA locus COI and morphology of male reproductive structures were analyzed in a monomorphic (Panolis flammea) and a polymorphic (Archips podana) moth species. The level of population heterogeneity was related to reproductive behavior and the feeding range. In P. flammea, in contrast to A. podana, copulation does not depend on particular guiding structures. The continuous character of variation in the number and size of prongs on the aedeagus indicates that P. flammea is monomorphic by these traits. The level of nucleotide variation in the COI locus of mtDNA was also higher in the polymorphic A. podana than in the monomorphic P. flammea, possibly correlating with morphological intraspecies variation.