DNA Barcoding of 15 Species of African Saturniidae (Lepidoptera) across 12 Genera Reveals High Incidence of Non-Monophyly

African Saturniidae (Lepidoptera) been poorly described despite their nutritional and economic significance in Southern Africa. DNA barcodes for 15 species across 12 genera were generated as a starting point to create a reference sequence library for African Saturniidae. Phylogenetic clustering and genetic divergence estimates were used to assess patterns of genetic diversity in each genus, including all sequences available on BOLD Systems. Cases of polyphyletic and paraphyletic species affected 81% of the dataset. Taxonomic misidentifications, clerical and laboratorial errors, introgression, hybridization and incomplete lineage sorting may contribute to explain these results. We propose that the dataset available for African Saturniidae does not correctly represent the genetic diversity of a high proportion of the taxa in the family.