In this study, we investigated the species boundaries between the sibling species pair A.
ocellaris and A. percula (Subgenus Actinicola) and three closely related species of the subgenus Phalerebus(A. akallopisos, A. perideraion, A. sandaracinos) by phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial cytochrome band control region sequences. These two subgenera show strong differences in their patterns of species boundaries.
Within the A. ocellaris/A. percula complex, five clades were found representing different geographic
regions.
Two major divergences both with genetic distances of 4–7% in cty b and 17–19% in the
d-loop region indicate the presence of three instead of two deep evolutionary lineages.
The species of the subgenus Phalerebus show three monophyletic clades, independent of the geographical location of origin, but concordant to the morphological species classification.
The genetic distances between the Phalerebus species were 2–5% in cty b and 10–12% in the control region.