Phylogeography of the cicada Platypleura hilpa in subtropical and tropical East Asia based on mitochondrial and nuclear genes and microsatellite markers.

Climate change and geographical events play key roles in driving population genetic structure of organisms, but different scenarios were suggested for species occurring in tropical and subtropical areas. We investigated the population genetic structure, diversity and demographic history of the cicada Platypleura hilpa which occurs in coastal areas of southern China and northeastern Indo-Burma, and analysed the potential impact of climate change and geological events on its evolutionary history. Our data imply that P. hilpa comprises five main lineages with nearly unique sets of haplotypes and distinct geographic distributions. A major split of the lineages occurred in the Pleistocene. Geographic distance and geomorphic barriers serve as the primary factors shaping the genetic population structure, and several climatic factors are associated with the divergence. The potential range during the Last Glacial Maximum has apparently increased in south China and the exposed South China Sea Shelf. The Pleistocene sea-level fluctuations had profound effects on the regional genetic structure. The Beibu Gulf represents a more important geographic barrier than the Qiongzhou Strait in blocking gene flow among populations. These results contribute to a better understanding of the pressure climatic change and geographical events impose on insects in coastal areas of East Asia.