Latest Articles from Nota Lepidopterologica Latest 24 Articles from Nota Lepidopterologica https://nl.pensoft.net/ Thu, 28 Mar 2024 23:35:34 +0200 Pensoft FeedCreator https://nl.pensoft.net/i/logo.jpg Latest Articles from Nota Lepidopterologica https://nl.pensoft.net/ History of colonisation and updated distribution of the Monarch butterfly Danaus plexippus (Linnaeus, 1758) and its hostplants in mainland Portugal, Azores and Madeira https://nl.pensoft.net/article/89665/ Nota Lepidopterologica 46: 83-101

DOI: 10.3897/nl.46.89665

Authors: Luís Palma, Sasha Vasconcelos, Ana Filipa Palmeirim, Juan Pablo Cancela

Abstract: The first observations of the Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) in Iberia date from 1886, although breeding records emerged almost a century later: 1960 in Spain, 1980s–1990s in Madeira and Azores, and 2003 in mainland Portugal. We reviewed the history of the colonisation of mainland and insular Portugal by the Monarch butterfly and its hostplants (Gomphocarpus fruticosus, G. physocarpus and Asclepias curassavica). We also compiled available historical and recent occurrence records as a basis for countrywide surveys of the butterfly and hostplants, to update their current distributions in Portugal. Locations for only a few of the older records represented newly rediscovered populations in the field, although recent occurrences were often confirmed. Hostplants were scarce and monarchs absent in northern and central mainland Portugal, but both were quite common in the southwest. In Madeira, hostplants were found in two locations, while monarchs were common and widespread. In the Azores, small hostplant patches were observed on four of seven surveyed islands, whereas monarchs were rare and restricted to two islands. Abandoned/semi-abandoned orange orchards represent the butterfly’s stronghold in Portugal, with the species being increasingly scarce along rivers and road verges where hostplants are declining. Hostplant persistence is unstable, with many patches removed, while others have expanded or colonised new areas. Overall, hostplants appear to be declining, with implications for the persistence of monarch butterflies in the country.

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Research Article Thu, 9 Mar 2023 21:37:11 +0200
Detection of the Large White butterfly Pieris brassicae (Linnaeus, 1758) (Lepidoptera, Pieridae) in Rapa Nui (Easter Island) https://nl.pensoft.net/article/98421/ Nota Lepidopterologica 46: 31-35

DOI: 10.3897/nl.46.98421

Authors: Darko D. Cotoras, Sebastián Yancovic Pakarati

Abstract: The Large White butterfly (Pieris brassicae (Linnaeus, 1758)) originally from the Palaearctic and previously introduced to South Africa and Chile is detected on Rapa Nui (Easter Island). The records correspond to all stages of the life cycle: eggs, caterpillars, pupa and adults. Caterpillars were found feeding on Tropaeolum majus. The introduction is likely to have occurred from mainland Chile, as the species has not been reported in French Polynesia. A dark green coloration present on the underside of the wings is congruent with the one reported from the Chilean population. The origin of colonisation still remains to be tested using molecular tools.

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Short Communication Thu, 23 Feb 2023 18:08:42 +0200
Papilio hermione Linnaeus, type species of Hipparchia Fabricius (Lepidoptera, Satyrinae): restoring stability to the application of these names https://nl.pensoft.net/article/85341/ Nota Lepidopterologica 45: 279-294

DOI: 10.3897/nl.45.85341

Authors: Peter J. C. Russell, Richard I. Vane-Wright

Abstract: This paper discusses three problems concerning the Woodland Grayling, Hipparchia fagi Scopoli, 1763, with respect to the identity and application of the junior name Papilio hermione Linnaeus, 1764. In 1977, the late Otakar Kudrna designated a specimen of the Rock Grayling, Hipparchia alcyone [Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775, to become the lectotype of Papilio hermione – as a result of which hermione supplanted alcyone as the senior epithet for this species. Because P. hermione is the nominal type species of Hipparchia Fabricius, 1807, Kudrna’s action rendered this a genus based on a misidentified species. Third, while a majority of lepidopterists have ignored Kudrna’s action and continue to apply the name H. alcyone to the Rock Grayling, and still regard P. hermione as a junior subjective synonym of H. fagi, the formal nomenclature for the Rock Grayling has become unstable because a large minority have nonetheless accepted Kudrna’s lectotype designation and all that follows from it. It is demonstrated here that no syntypes of Papilio hermione (or Papilio fagi) have survived; consequently, Kudrna’s lectotype designation for P. hermione is invalid. By designation of a single specimen of the Woodland Grayling as neotype for both P. fagi and P. hermione, the two names are rendered objectively synonymous, thereby restoring stability to the species name for the Rock Grayling (as Hipparchia alcyone), and to the application of Papilio hermione (= Hipparchia fagi) as nominal type species of the generic name Hipparchia.

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Research Article Tue, 13 Sep 2022 10:52:16 +0300
The life history of Itylos titicaca (Weymer 1890) (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae, Polyommatina) at 5200 m in the Chilean altiplano https://nl.pensoft.net/article/86498/ Nota Lepidopterologica 45: 263-268

DOI: 10.3897/nl.45.86498

Authors: Amado Villalobos-Leiva, Rodrigo Ordenes-Clavería, Franco Cruz-Jofré, Scott Escobar-Suárez, Isabel Lobos, Hugo A. Benítez

Abstract: Itylos titicaca (Weyner 1890) has been reported to have a narrow distribution range associated with Andean wetlands called “bofedales” in Peru, Bolivia, northeast Chile and northwest Argentina. In Chile its distribution is between the upper Puna and lower Alpine belts, recorded from 3800 to 4900 m. This study reports a new elevation record of I. titicaca above 5200 m at Sora Pata Lake, northeast of Caquena in the highlands of the Chilean altiplano. Furthermore, this finding establishes the highest report for the genus Itylos, and one of the highest reports for the family Lycaenidae, with several records of individuals breeding in extreme elevations. Further data, principally from Himalayas and other high mountain ranges, is needed to confirm whether this could be the highest record for the family Lycaenidae.

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Research Article Thu, 18 Aug 2022 09:38:37 +0300
Wing morphology and eyespot pattern of Erebia medusa (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae) vary along an elevation gradient in the Carpathian Mountains https://nl.pensoft.net/article/68624/ Nota Lepidopterologica 45: 233-250

DOI: 10.3897/nl.45.68624

Authors: Barbora Mikitová, Martina Šemeláková, Ľubomir Panigaj

Abstract: Butterfly wings play a crucial role during flight, but also in thermoregulation, intraspecific signalling and interaction with predators, all of which vary across different habitat types and may be reflected in wing morphology or colour pattern. We focused on the morphological variability of Erebia medusa in order to examine patterns and variations in the colouration and morphology of wings from areas representing different habitat types with different environmental characteristics. The barrier (larger fragments of forest) between populations of Erebia medusa along the elevation gradient of Kojšovská hoľa might be the aspect that hinders the movement of the population. The wing characteristics (shape, size, spotting) of males representing populations of Carpathian mountain habitats (Volovské vrchy, Ondavská vrchovina) located at different elevations were measured. The forewing shape analysis, using geometric morphometry based on 16 landmarks, showed significant differences between populations from different elevation levels. The pattern of the forewings also varied between populations. Morphological changes among individuals of Erebia medusa populations along the elevation gradient in the Carpathian Mountains showed that in the cold, highland habitats we observed smaller, narrower and elongated forewings with a reduced number of spots, while males from warmer habitats at low elevations had rounder, larger and more spotted forewings. Introduction The ecological role of individual butterfly species is largely reflected in the wings, whose shape, size and colour pattern often have adaptive value and provide information about important differences, even at the population level (Altizer and Davis 2010; Mega 2014). The variability of butterfly wing shape or size, which reflects flight performance (Cespedes et al. 2015; Le Roy et al. 2019a, b), can even provide insight into the suitability of the habitat (Pellegroms et al. 2009; Chazot et al. 2016) and the dispersal rate (Wells et al. 2018; Taylor-Cox et al. 2020). The final wing shape and size of adults depends on conditions of larval development, which can be affected by aggregation behaviour (Allen 2010; Montejo‐Kovacevich et al. 2019; Palmer et al. 2019) but also by environmental conditions (Karl and Fischer 2008; Gibbs et al. 2011; Van Dyck et al. 2016; Palmer et al. 2019). Phenotypic clines along environmental gradients can sometimes be explained by ecological rules, whose use on insects can be debatable (Blanckenhorn and Demont 2004). Bergmann’s rule is the classic ecogeographic principle that relates the body size of endotherms with environmental temperature (or latitude) (Shelomi 2012). The converse of Bergmann’s rule (Park 1949; Mousseau 1997), based on the season length effect, predicts a decrease of body size with elevation. Various clines in body size can also be explained by a combination of several other theories or hypotheses, such as the north-south cline theory (Nylin and Svärd 1991) or the “temperature – size rule” (Angilletta and Dunham 2003). The wing eyespot pattern, which may serve different functions, can also play an irreplaceable role. While the pattern on the dorsal side is usually used for intraspecific communication (Oliver et al. 2009; Westerman et al. 2012; Tokita et al. 2013), the eyespots on the ventral side are rather used to deceive predators by intimidation or deflection by distracting predators from the vital, vulnerable body parts (Lyytinen et al. 2003; Stevens 2005; Stevens et al. 2007; Kodandaramaiah 2011; Prudic et al. 2015; Ho et al. 2016). Moreover, in several butterfly species, wing colour modifications are related to thermoregulation (Dennis and Shreeve 1989; Taylor-Cox et al. 2020). Previous studies (Nice et al. 2005; Jugovic et al. 2018) have demonstrated that populations separated by time, space or geographical barrier may undergo changes in the shape, size and colouration of external traits (Tatarinov and Kulakova 2013). Restrictions of the movement and migration of butterfly species have an impact on the intensity and direction of gene flow between populations (Andrews 2010; Slatkin and Excoffier 2012). Characterisation of the morphological traits of E. medusa, a species inhabiting a wide range of environments, can provide insight into the selection pressures that affect adaptive responses (Cespedes et al. 2015; Taylor-Cox et al. 2020). For the sedentary butterfly Erebia medusa, high intraspecific variability (numerous subspecies) and mosaic distribution throughout most of its Euro-Siberian region is characteristic (Warren 1936; Schmitt et al. 2000; Polic et al. 2014). Our study focused especially on the influence of elevation differences in the Carpathian region on intraspecific variation. For this species, large fragments of forests (Schmitt et al. 2000) may be a serious obstacle for movement. According to the study by Kleckova and Klecka (2016), E. medusa prefers a warm environment, so the adaptations to high elevation habitats needed for the activity of this species can be expected. Lower activity due to low temperature can cause a decrease of chances of escape; therefore, selection will act against some individuals (large sized or with large eyespots) (Dennis et al. 1986). A higher number of eyespots, which are important especially in escape mechanisms, may reflect increased rates of predation with rising temperature (Hillebrand et al. 2009; Vucic-Pestic et al. 2011) but also by sexual selection (Tokita et al. 2013). Based on morphological features (wing size, shape, colour pattern) examined by traditional and geometric morphometry, we focused on the morphological differences between populations from habitats differing in elevation and separated by forest areas. We predicted that the morphological diversity between E. medusa populations would show changes that correlate with the average annual temperature, which varies within the elevation gradient. Our study is based on the hypothesis that i) morphological traits of males (size, shape and pattern of forewings) vary in response to various environmental conditions within an elevation gradient. We also focused on examining whether ii) the forewing size of individuals from higher elevations is smaller than the forewing size of individuals from lower and warmer regions, which induce longer feeding periods during larval development (Juhász et al. 2016). Further, iii) males from higher elevation habitats with lower temperatures were expected to have aerodynamically (narrower, angular) shaped wings that reduce energy costs (Dudley 2002; Lentink et al. 2007; Kovac et al. 2012). Finally, iv) a reduction in the eyespot number with elevation, involving various selection pressures, was expected (Slabý 1950; Tatarinov and Kulakova 2013).

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Research Article Tue, 5 Jul 2022 15:56:21 +0300
A provisional checklist of European butterfly larval foodplants https://nl.pensoft.net/article/72017/ Nota Lepidopterologica 45: 139-167

DOI: 10.3897/nl.45.72017

Authors: Harry E. Clarke

Abstract: Successful conservation of butterflies is dependent on knowing which larval foodplants they use. However, many published lists of larval foodplants have been copied from previous lists, which in turn have been copied from previous lists. Consequently, errors have crept in, and many plant names have long been superseded. This can result in duplicates in the list, with the same plant being given two different names. Most plant lists do not include the authority, which can make it difficult or impossible to identify which plant is being referred to. For the first time, a list of the current accepted plant names utilised by 471 European butterfly larvae is presented, with references. Where possible, errors in previous lists have been removed. The list of larval foodplants doubled from previous published lists. This has resulted in a list of 1506 different plant species in 72 different families. 86 plant records are only known at the generic level. Larval foodplants of 25 butterfly species are currently unknown. Whilst most plant families are utilised by less than six butterfly species, a few plant families are particularly favoured, with the Poaceae and Fabaceae being the most popular. Similarly, most plant species are only utilised by a few butterfly species, but Festuca ovina and Festuca rubra are favoured by a large number of butterfly species. 20% of European butterfly larvae are monophagous, 50% are oligophagous, and 30% are polyphagous, with Celastrina argiolus able to use plants in 19 different families.

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Review Article Thu, 14 Apr 2022 18:12:48 +0300
On the wrong continent: The identity of Catochrysops trifracta Butler, 1884 (Polyommatinae, Lycaenidae), currently a synonym of Euchrysops cnejus (Fabricius, 1798) https://nl.pensoft.net/article/81499/ Nota Lepidopterologica 45: 129-132

DOI: 10.3897/nl.45.81499

Authors: Marianne Espeland

Abstract: It is shown that Catochrysops trifracta Butler, 1884, currently a synonym of the widespread old world Euchrysops cnejus (Fabricius, 1798) is a junior subjective synonym of the neotropical species Hemiargus hanno (Stoll [1790]). To fix the taxonomic identity of the name Catochrysops trifracta Butler, 1884, I designate a lectotype.

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Short Communication Mon, 28 Mar 2022 17:10:54 +0300
A review of the distribution and ecology of the elusive Brown Hairstreak butterfly Thecla betulae (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae) in the Iberian Peninsula https://nl.pensoft.net/article/76222/ Nota Lepidopterologica 45: 101-118

DOI: 10.3897/nl.45.76222

Authors: Eduardo Marabuto, Pedro Pires, Fernando Romão, Paulo Lemos, Thomas Merckx

Abstract: The Brown Hairstreak (Thecla betulae L.) is one of the least observed butterflies of the Palaearctic region, even though its distribution spans from Portugal in the west, to Russia and Korea in the far east. Adults are arboreal and seldom descend to ground level. As a result, this species is mostly monitored via the detection of eggs on the food plant during wintertime. In the Iberian Peninsula, this species was largely unknown until very recently, but a recent burst of regional studies in Spain has begun bridging this gap. However, their focused nature and a still incomplete knowledge on T. betulae in Portugal promoted the need for an integrative study at the Iberian scale. Here, we carried out a full literature review on the distribution, ecology and behaviour of T. betulae in Portugal and Spain. Complemented with field work in Portugal, we revealed an almost continuous distribution in the northern third of Iberia, whilst populations further south are mostly mountain-bound. In order to help with future discovery of new populations, we built a species-distribution model relating its occurrence with bioclimatic variables. This model accurately explains the current known occupation of the territory and highlights other areas where the species may potentially be found. Finally, we found evidence of a broadening of the species’ niche through the local use of an hitherto unknown food plant. This study sets a new knowledge baseline for future works and conservation of T. betulae through southern Europe.

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Research Article Thu, 3 Feb 2022 16:00:39 +0200
Mitochondrial DNA-based phylogeography of the large ringlet Erebia euryale (Esper, 1805) suggests recurrent Alpine-Carpathian disjunctions during Pleistocene (Nymphalidae, Satyrinae) https://nl.pensoft.net/article/68138/ Nota Lepidopterologica 45: 65-86

DOI: 10.3897/nl.45.68138

Authors: Frans Cupedo, Camiel Doorenweerd

Abstract: Most species of the butterfly genus Erebia are high altitude specialists, in which territorial fragmentation is associated with distinct genetic patterns. This is also true for the large ringlet, Erebia euryale (Esper, 1805), a species widespread across European mountain systems. Previous molecular studies revealed four lineages: two in the Alps, coinciding with the ssp. adyte and isarica, one in the Pyrenees and Cantabria (ssp. pyraenaeicola), and one in the Carpathians and the Balkans (ssp. syrmia). Two morphological subspecies inhabiting delimited ranges in the southern Alps (ssp. pseudoadyte and kunzi) were not included in these studies. To further our understanding of the relationships between populations, both the Alpine and the extra Alpine ones, we sequenced 1,496 bp of the COI gene in 16 Alpine and Jurassian populations and analysed them in combination with published Pyrenean and Carpathian sequences. The resulting haplotype network shows five lineages, congruent with the morphologic delineation of subspecies. Based on the current distribution ranges and genetic affinities, we reconstructed a pre-Würm phylogeographic scenario. This suggests an initial split resulting in an Alpine and a Carpathian clade, probably of Carpathian origin. Within the Alps, three subspecies subsequently differentiated, probably during several glacial cycles, generating ssp. adyte, pseudoadyte and kunzi. In parallel, the Carpathian clade underwent a second Alpine–Carpathian disjunction and differentiated into ssp. euryale and syrmia in the Carpathians, and ssp. ocellaris and isarica in the eastern Alps, revealing a heterogeneous origin of the E. euryale subspecies across the Alps. The Pyrenean and Jurassian populations are a relatively young divergence in the western part of the species’ range.

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Research Article Wed, 19 Jan 2022 16:54:54 +0200
Cyclic abundance fluctuations in a completely isolated population of Euphydryas maturna https://nl.pensoft.net/article/69153/ Nota Lepidopterologica 44: 213-222

DOI: 10.3897/nl.44.69153

Authors: Václav John, Alois Pavlíčko, Vladimír Vrabec, Veronika Rybová, Miloš Andres, Martin Konvicka

Abstract: A highly isolated and the last autochthonous Czech Republic population of the endangered Euphydryas maturna (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) is monitored since 2001 by larval nests counts. The 20 years` time series displays remarkable abundance fluctuations with peak-to-peak period 11 years, peak numbers >150 and bust numbers <15 larval nests (arithmetic and harmonic means: 92.6 and 36.3). Establishment of more favourable management of the site probably heightened and prolonged the boom phase but did not alter the overall pattern. We attribute the cycling to pressures of natural enemies. Climatically unfavourable years appear deepening the bust phase. Species displaying such fluctuations cannot be conserved within a single site, which is being addressed by ex-situ breeding of the Czech stock and recent reestablishment of two additional populations, with the aim to achieve asynchronous dynamics of the local populations and eventually stabilise the regional metapopulation.

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Research Article Tue, 12 Oct 2021 17:52:26 +0300
The ant associates of Lycaenidae butterfly caterpillars – revisited https://nl.pensoft.net/article/68993/ Nota Lepidopterologica 44: 159-174

DOI: 10.3897/nl.44.68993

Authors: Konrad Fiedler

Abstract: Based on a global compilation of data on ant associates of 523 Lycaenidae species, a synthesis is attempted as to which ants participate in these interactions. Ants from 63 genera have thus far been observed as visitors of facultative myrmecophiles or as hosts of obligate myrmecophiles among the Lycaenidae. Over 98% of records come from nectarivorous and trophobiotic ants in just three subfamilies, viz. Formicinae, Myrmicinae and Dolichoderinae, with the genera Crematogaster and Camponotus occupying the top ranks. Accumulation analysis suggests that rather few ant genera remain to be added to the list of associates. The representation of ant genera as attendants of lycaenid immatures is related to their global species richness, but with some notable exceptions. Ants that form ecologically dominant, large, long-lived colonies are over-represented as hosts of obligate myrmecophiles. The taxonomic diversity of lycaenid-ant associations is highest in the Oriental and Australian region, and lowest in the Neotropical and Afrotropical region. Among tropical African lycaenids, this is due to two butterfly lineages (genus Lepidochrysops and subfamily Aphnaeinae) that have massively radiated in the Neogene, but mostly maintaining their general affiliations with either Camponotus or Crematogaster ants, respectively. Many tropical and subtropical lycaenids nowadays form associations also with invasive alien tramp ants, giving rise to novel mutualistic interactions.

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Research Article Wed, 8 Sep 2021 12:11:59 +0300
Long-distance dispersal of migrant butterflies to the Arctic Ocean islands, with a record of Nymphalis xanthomelas at the northern edge of Novaya Zemlya (76.95°N) https://nl.pensoft.net/article/62249/ Nota Lepidopterologica 44: 73-90

DOI: 10.3897/nl.44.62249

Authors: Ivan N. Bolotov, Ivan A. Mizin, Alisa A. Zheludkova, Olga V. Aksenova, Yulia S. Kolosova, Grigory S. Potapov, Vitaly M. Spitsyn, Mikhail Y. Gofarov

Abstract: Although migrant butterflies are rare (or sporadically seen) guests on the Arctic Ocean islands, there is a slowly growing dataset on repeated occurrences of these insects in insular tundra and polar deserts. Altogether six long-distance migrant butterfly species were found to cross wide marine barriers north of the Arctic Circle (66.56°N), i.e. Vanessa atalanta, V. cardui, Nymphalis antiopa, N. xanthomelas, Aporia crataegi, and Pieris napi. Migrant individuals of V. cardui discovered on Svalbard (up to 78.27°N in 1978) reflect the farthest dispersal event of butterflies to the Arctic ever reported. Our record of N. xanthomelas at the northern margin of Novaya Zemlya (76.95°N) represents the northernmost finding of this species globally, reflecting the world’s second farthest record of northern poleward immigration of butterflies. This occurrence coincides with an exceptionally warm summer season, when the third highest July and second highest August air temperature occurred (since global records began in 1880). Furthermore, the immigration into Novaya Zemlya coincides with a population explosion and massive expansion of N. xanthomelas in Siberia in 2019–2020. Our air current reconstructions indicate that this species most likely immigrated into Novaya Zemlya from mainland regions situated south-southeast (Polar Urals, Yugorsky Peninsula, and western Yamal) and east (Taymyr) of the archipelago. Overall, our findings reveal that long-distance dispersal events of butterflies to the Arctic islands are always linked to massive expansions of the corresponding species in mainland areas.

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Research Article Wed, 17 Mar 2021 13:28:16 +0200
The phylogenetic positions of Bhagadatta Moore, 1898, Kumothales Overlaet, 1940 and Harmilla Aurivillius, 1892 (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Limenitidinae) based on molecular data https://nl.pensoft.net/article/50307/ Nota Lepidopterologica 43: 167-171

DOI: 10.3897/nl.43.50307

Authors: Niklas Wahlberg, Jana Maresova, Leidys Murillo-Ramos, Steve Collins, Li-Wei Wu

Abstract: We sequenced multiple genes from the enigmatic genera Bhagadatta Moore, 1898, Kumothales Overlaet, 1940 and Harmilla Aurivillius, 1892 (Nymphalidae, Limenitidinae) and analysed them together with a large published dataset. We find that Bhagadatta is sister to the genera Cymothoe Hübner, 1819+Harma Doubleday, 1848, and that Kumothales is sister to these three. Harmilla is nested within the genus Euriphene Boisduval, 1847. We thus transfer Kumothales and Bhagadatta to the tribe Cymothoini, and we synonymise Harmilla syn. nov. with Euriphene.

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Short Communication Fri, 29 May 2020 09:06:14 +0300
Bionomics of Freyeria trochylus (Freyer, 1844) and Zizeeria karsandra (Moore, 1865) (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae) on Rodos Island, Greece https://nl.pensoft.net/article/48535/ Nota Lepidopterologica 43: 139-150

DOI: 10.3897/nl.43.48535

Authors: Christos J. Galanos

Abstract: This study is focused on the presence of Freyeria trochylus (Freyer, 1844) and Zizeeria karsandra (Moore, 1865) on Rodos Island, Greece. F. trochylus was first found there by Turati and Fiori in 1923 and Z. karsandra by Bender in 1958. The distributional range of both species in Europe including the Mediterranean and their habitat and ecology, including their associations with ants, together with their life history and larval hostplants are examined. The life cycle of Z. karsandra is described and illustrated here for the first time for Europe as a whole.

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Research Article Wed, 15 Apr 2020 21:36:43 +0300
Euploea dorippus Klug, 1845: species, semispecies, subspecies, junior subjective synonym of Danaus chrysippus chrysippus (Linnaeus), and/or form – what does Klug’s dorippus represent? (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae, Danainae) https://nl.pensoft.net/article/47936/ Nota Lepidopterologica 43: 117-138

DOI: 10.3897/nl.43.47936

Authors: Richard I. Vane-Wright

Abstract: The type material of the available name Euploea dorippus Klug, 1845, originated from northern Sudan, an area that lies beyond the core zone of the semispecies or subspecies currently known as Danaus chrysippus dorippus, and the description did not include examples of the phenotype currently referred to as Danaus chrysippus f. ‘dorippus’. Possible consequences for nomenclature of the infraspecific species group taxa and form names of Danaus chrysippus are discussed.

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Research Article Wed, 15 Apr 2020 20:38:47 +0300
The intraspecific structure of the Yellow-spotted ringlet Erebia manto (Denis & Schiffermüller, [1775]), with special reference to the bubastis group: an integration of morphology, allozyme and mtDNA data (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Satyrinae) https://nl.pensoft.net/article/47409/ Nota Lepidopterologica 43: 43-60

DOI: 10.3897/nl.43.47409

Authors: Frans Cupedo, Camiel Doorenweerd

Abstract: Abstract. Present-day intraspecific diversity has largely been shaped by previous climatic events, but the spatial and temporal scales of differentiation processes in most species remain to be clarified. In Europe, the Pleistocene glacial cycles have generated population structures that remain especially evident in montane taxa. The intraspecific variation of the European subalpine Yellow-spotted Ringlet, Erebia manto (Denis & Schiffermüller, [1775]), shows a hierarchical, two-level structure that allows us to study intermediate stages of speciation. Morphologically, three subspecies clusters have been described in this butterfly: the manto, bubastis and vogesiaca type. An allozyme study previously revealed two genetic lineages within the manto type, and two within the vogesiaca type, but lacked bubastis representatives. To further our knowledge of the intraspecific structure of E. manto, we sampled all known and presumed intraspecific groups and sequenced 1,496 base pairs of the mitochondrial gene COI for 152 specimens from 15 localities. A median joining haplotype network, based on 40 parsimony informative sites, confirmed the four allozyme based lineages. The bubastis type was acknowledged as a fifth genetic lineage, replacing the manto type populations in the southern part of the western Alps, and separated from it by a well-known zoogeographic borderline. We discuss how the present-day distributions, genetic relationships and timing of the differentiations align.

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Research Article Tue, 14 Apr 2020 14:05:39 +0300
Systematics and evolution of the African butterfly genus Mylothris (Lepidoptera, Pieridae) https://nl.pensoft.net/article/46354/ Nota Lepidopterologica 43: 1-14

DOI: 10.3897/nl.43.46354

Authors: Haydon Warren-Gash, Kwaku Aduse-Poku, Leidys Murillo-Ramos, Niklas Wahlberg

Abstract: We study the systematics and evolutionary history of the Afrotropical butterfly genus Mylothris (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) based on six gene regions (COI, EF1a, GAPDH, MDH, RpS5 and wingless). We find that the genus can be placed into five species groups, termed the jacksoni, elodina, rhodope, agathina and hilara groups. Within these species groups, we find that many species show very little genetic differentiation based on the markers we sequenced, suggesting they have undergone rapid and recent speciation. Based on secondary calibrations, we estimate the age of the crown group of Mylothris to be about 16 million years old, but that many of the species level divergences have happened in the Pleistocene. We infer that the clade has its origin in the forests of the Eastern part of Central Africa, and has spread out from there to other regions of Africa.

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Research Article Tue, 11 Feb 2020 09:58:20 +0200
Genetic confirmation of Aricia artaxerxes (Fabricius, 1793) (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae) in the Czech Republic, its conservation significance and biogeographic context https://nl.pensoft.net/article/38853/ Nota Lepidopterologica 42(2): 163-176

DOI: 10.3897/nl.42.38853

Authors: Alena Sucháčková Bartoňová, Jiří Beneš, Zdeněk Faltýnek Fric, Martin Konvička

Abstract: We report here the first molecular evidence for the occurrence of Aricia artaxerxes (Fabricius, 1793) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) in the Czech Republic. In Central Europe, this species may co-occur with its more common sibling, Aricia agestis (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775). We sequenced the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 of darkly-coloured, putative A. artaxerxes specimens in the Czech Republic. We confirmed A. artaxerxes only from a limestone area in South Bohemia (Vyšenské kopce National Nature Reserve), which is probably the only locality of the species in the Czech Republic. This area is located at ca. 550 m A.S.L., showing that the elevation overlap with A. agestis could be high in Central Europe. Other surveyed individuals were confirmed as A. agestis, with a minimum p-distance of 1.98% between the two species. The South Bohemian area of occurrence is probably highly isolated (approx. 190 km) from localities of the species in neighbouring countries, highlighting the conservation importance of the A. artaxerxes population and of the insular calcareous areas in the Šumava Mountains foothills. We used database sequences of A. artaxerxes to place the Czech population into a wider phylogeographic context. The Czech population is monomorphic, consisting of a single haplotype, which is present from Scandinavia through Germany to Central Asia.

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Research Article Fri, 8 Nov 2019 10:39:20 +0200
Elevational record of Vanessa carye (Hübner 1812) (Lepidoptera Nymphalidae) in the northern Chilean Altiplano Highlands https://nl.pensoft.net/article/38549/ Nota Lepidopterologica 42(2): 157-162

DOI: 10.3897/nl.42.38549

Authors: Hugo A. Benítez, Amado Villalobos-Leiva, Rodrigo Ordenes, Franco Cruz-Jofré

Abstract: Vanessa carye (Hübner, [1812]) has been reported to have a wide latitudinal range from Venezuela to the south of Chile (Patagonia). Populations are established at 3500 m in Putre region of Chile, with occasional observations around 4500 m. This article reports a new elevational record of V. carye above 5200 m located at the Sora Pata Lake, northeast of Caquena, in the highlands of the Chilean altiplano. This finding is the highest population ever reported for this migratory butterfly and one of the highest in the genus Vanessa.

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Short Communication Mon, 21 Oct 2019 00:33:24 +0300
The first record of a homeotic wing pattern aberration in an Australian butterfly from a specimen of Papilio aegeus ormenus Guérin-Méneville, 1830 (Lepidoptera, Papilionidae) https://nl.pensoft.net/article/11140/ Nota Lepidopterologica 41(2): 215-218

DOI: 10.3897/nl.41.11140

Authors: Graham A. Wood, John E. Nielsen

Abstract: A specimen of Papilio aegeus ormenus with a forewing/hindwing pattern homeosis is described from Mer Island, Torres Strait, Queensland, Australia. This represents the first record of a butterfly specimen with wing pattern homeosis from Australia.

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Short Communication Tue, 6 Nov 2018 09:39:21 +0200
Phylogeography of Koramius charltonius (Gray, 1853) (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae): a case of too many poorly circumscribed subspecies https://nl.pensoft.net/article/7682/ Nota Lepidopterologica 39(2): 169-191

DOI: 10.3897/nl.39.7682

Authors: Stanislav K. Korb, Zdenek F. Fric, Alena Bartoňová

Abstract: Koramius charltonius (Gray, 1853) (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) is distributed in the mountains of Central Asia. We analysed genetic and phylogeographic patterns throughout the western part of its range using a mitochondrial marker (COI). We also analysed the wing pattern using multivariate statistics. We found that the species contains several unique haplotypes in the west and shared haplotypes in the east. The haplotype groups do not correspond to the wing pattern and also the described subspecies do not correspond to either the haplotypes or the groups circumscribed by the wing pattern. Currently, there are more than ten subspecies of K. charltonius in Central Asia; based on our analyses we suggest a reduction to only five of them. The following nomenclatural changes are applied: (1) K. charltonius aenigma Dubatolov & Milko, 2003, syn. n., K. charltonius sochivkoi Churkin, 2009, syn.n., and K. charltonius alrashid Churkin & Pletnev, 2012, syn. n. are new synonyms of K. charltonius romanovi (Grum-Grshimailo, 1885); (2) K. charltonius marusya Churkin & Pletnev, 2012, syn. n., K. charltonius eugenia Churkin, 2009, syn. n., K. charltonius anjuta Stshetkin & Kaabak, 1985, syn. n., and K. charltonius mistericus Kaabak, Sotchivko & Titov, 1996, syn. n. are new synonyms of K. charltonius vaporosus (Avinov, 1913); and (3) K. charltonius safronovi Korb, Shaposhnikov, Zatakovoy & Nikolaev, 2013, syn. n. is a new synonym of K. charltonius voigti (Bang-Haas, 1927).

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Research Article Thu, 27 Oct 2016 10:19:08 +0300
A synonymic list of names associated with western Palaearctic Melitaea phoebe (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) species group taxa (M. phoebe; M. punica Oberthür, 1876; M. ornata Christoph, 1893) (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae) https://nl.pensoft.net/article/5929/ Nota Lepidopterologica 39(1): 27-56

DOI: 10.3897/nl.39.5929

Authors: Peter Russell, W. John Tennent

Abstract: Following indecision and confusion in the literature regarding nomenclature and distribution of Melitaea phoebe (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) and its closely associated congeners M. punica Oberthür, 1876, and M. ornata Christoph, 1893, a synonymic list of phoebe names, and of names both correctly and mistakenly associated with phoebe species-group taxa, is presented. Explanatory footnotes provide the basis of a stable source for future discussion of M. phoebe species-group populations throughout the species’ ranges.

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Research Article Mon, 18 Apr 2016 17:33:39 +0300
Wing pattern morphology of three closely related Melitaea (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae) species reveals highly inaccurate external morphology-based species identification https://nl.pensoft.net/article/1154/ Nota Lepidopterologica 37(1): 75-90

DOI: 10.3897/nl.37.7966

Authors: Jure Jugovic, Toni Koren

Abstract: Wing morphology of the three closely related species of Melitaea – M. athalia (Rottemburg, 1775), M. aurelia (Nickerl, 1850) and M. britomartis Assmann, 1847 – co-occurring in the Balkans (SE Europe) was investigated in detail through visual inspection, morphometric analysis and multivariate statistical analysis. Results are compared to recent phylogenetic studies, searching for concordant patterns and discrepancies between the two approaches. The morphology of the genitalic structures is also compared with the results of the other two approaches. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) small albeit significant differences in wing morphology exist among the three species and (2) while the structure of male genitalia and phylogenetic position of the three species are concordant, they are (3) in discordance with the wing morphology. The present study represents another example where identification based on external morphology would lead to highly unreliable determinations, hence identification based on phylogenetic studies and/or genitalia is strongly recommended not only for the three studied species but also more broadly within the genus. Furthermore, we show that some of the characters generally used in the identification of these three Melitaea species should be avoided in future.

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Research Article Sun, 15 Jun 2014 10:00:00 +0300
Reproductive isolation and intraspecific structure in Alpine populations of Erebia euryale (Esper, 1805) (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Satyrinae) https://nl.pensoft.net/article/1148/ Nota Lepidopterologica 37(1): 19-36

DOI: 10.3897/nl.37.7960

Authors: Frans Cupedo

Abstract: The subspecies of Erebia euryale (Esper, 1805) have been split into three groups based on morphology, differing in male genital characters. Two of them, the euryale group and the adyte group, are known to be strongly, but not completely, reproductively isolated. There is genetic evidence that their separation preceded the differentiation of subspecies within the euryale group. No such data exist on the third group, the recently recognized kunzi group. In this study, the degree of reproductive isolation between the kunzi group and the other two groups is assessed. In three secondary contact zones, a series of E. euryale populations were sampled in a transect perpendicular to the dividing line. Morphological characteristics showed a clinal gradient along each transect. The steepest gradient was found between the euryale and kunzi groups. Morphologically detectable introgression did not exceed two kilometres. This is comparable to the situation described earlier in contact zones of the euryale and adyte groups. In the contact area of the kunzi and adyte groups, the character gradient slope is more gradual and the morphologically detectable introgression zone is at least five times wider. In contrast to this, contact between subspecies belonging to the same group leads to virtually unrestricted morphological intermingling. It is concluded that the euryale group is reproductively more strongly isolated from the other two groups than the kunzi group is from the adyte group, and that subspecies belonging to the same group are interfertile to a high degree. It is argued that loss of genetic compatibility by long term separation is the main cause of the reproductive isolation between groups, and that, consequently, the actual intraspecific structure of E. euryale results from at least two, probably three, temporally separated differentiation events.

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Research Article Sun, 15 Jun 2014 04:00:00 +0300