Species Group - Arthropod Examples

Arthropod Examples

• The fruit fly subgenus Sophophora contains the Drosophila melanogaster species group which itself contains 12 subgroups. The Drosophila obscura species group belongs to the same subgenus and contains 6 subgroups.
• In Vespula, a genus of wasps, only a few species have a scavenging habit (as opposed to a strictly predatory habit) and thus are considered major pests. The most abundant and bothersome of these are the three species belonging to the "Vespula vulgaris species group" which includes the "common wasp" or "yellowjacket" (Vespula vulgaris), the "German wasp" or "European wasp" (Vespula germanica), and the "western wasp" or "western yellowjacket" (Vespula pensylvanica).
• The Central American bark scorpions Centruroides limbatus and Centruroides bicolor belong to the "Gracilis species group". All of the species in this group are characterized by their long, narrow pedipalps and overall relatively large size.
• The arachnids to which the common name "Black widow spider" is given are in a species group that includes the "southern black widow" (Latrodectus mactans), the "northern black widow" (Latrodectus variolus), and the "western black widow" (Latrodectus hesperus').
• The Neotropical butterfly Morpho adonis is in a species group with Morpho eugenia and Morpho uraneis. Morpho marcus is also included in the group but might actually be the same species as Morpho adonis
• Members of the butterfly genus Charaxes are arranged in "species groups" (these are not superspecies, or clades but an informal phenetic arrangement). The groupings of morphologically similar species named as species groups in the literature may or may not be consistent with clades identified by molecular phylogenetic studies.