VARIABILITY OF THE BUSH-CRICKET EPHIPPIGER-EPHIPPIGER - RAPDS AND SONG RACES

The tettigoniid bushcricket, Ephippiger, shows extensive variability i n morphology and behaviour in Western Europe. Several species and subs pecies have been described, but many may only represent local forms of uncertain origin. Within Epluppiger ephippiger, patterns of variation differ between morphology (upon which most taxonomic farms are define d) and behaviour. There is sufficient variation in a sexual signal (ca lling song) within the species that 'song races' have been described, which show strong premating isolation from each other. Here RAPD marke rs (138 fragments from 10 primers) have been used to examine the exten t and pattern of genetic differentiation within the species and betwee n two congeneric species. Ephippiger ephippiger is clearly distinguish ed from its relatives. High genetic similarity has been found within E . ephippiger, Nei and Li's S averaging 0.67. Using both distance and p arsimony methods resolves the relationships of the song races and morp hological farms of E. ephippiger with the exception of one population. The song races represent the deepest division within the species, but the lack of concordance in different traits suggests that a complex p attern of subspecific variation is found within this species.