Admixture of evolutionary rates across a butterfly hybrid zone

Hybridization is a major evolutionary force that can erode genetic differentiation between species, whereas reproductive isolation maintains such differentiation. In studying a hybrid zone between the swallowtail butterflies Papilio syfanius and Papilio maackii (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae), we made the unexpected discovery that genomic substitution rates are unequal between the parental species. This phenomenon creates a novel process in hybridization, where genomic regions most affected by gene flow evolve at similar rates between species, while genomic regions with strong reproductive isolation evolve at species-specific rates. Thus, hybridization mixes evolutionary rates in a way similar to its effect on genetic ancestry. Using coalescent theory, we show that the rate-mixing process provides distinct information about levels of gene flow across different parts of genomes, and the degree of rate-mixing can be predicted quantitatively from relative sequence divergence (FST ) between the hybridizing species at equilibrium. Overall, we demonstrate that reproductive isolation maintains not only genomic differentiation, but also the rate at which differentiation accumulates. Thus, asymmetric rates of evolution provide an additional signature of loci involved in reproductive isolation

Timing of butterfly parasitization of a plant-ant-scale symbiosis

In the Southeast Asian tropics, Arhopala lycaenid butterflies feed on Macaranga ant-plants inhabited by Crematogaster (subgenus Decacrema) ants tending Coccus-scale insects. A recent phylogenetic study showed that (1) the plants and ants have been codiversifying for the past 20-16 million years (Myr), and that (2) the tripartite symbiosis was formed 9-7 Myr ago, when the scale insects became involved in the plant-ant mutualism. To determine when the lycaenids first parasitized the Macaranga tripartite symbiosis, we constructed a molecular phylogeny of the lycaenids that feed on Macaranga by using mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequence data and estimated their divergence times based on the cytochrome oxidase I molecular clock. The minimum age of the lycaenids was estimated by the time-calibrated phylogeny to be 2.05 Myr, about one-tenth the age of the plant-ant association, suggesting that the lycaenids are latecomers that associated themselves with the pre-existing symbiosis of plant, ant, and scale insects.ArticleECOLOGICAL RESEARCH. 27(2):437-443 (2012)journal articl

Out of the Orient: Post-Tethyan transoceanic and trans-Arabian routes fostered the spread of Baorini skippers in the Afrotropics

The origin of taxa presenting a disjunct distribution between Africa and Asia has puzzled biogeographers for more than a century. This biogeographic pattern has been hypothesized to be the result of transoceanic long-distance dispersal, Oligocene dispersal through forested corridors, Miocene dispersal through the Arabian Peninsula or passive dispersal on the rifting Indian plate. However, it has often been difficult to pinpoint the mechanisms at play. We investigate biotic exchange between the Afrotropics and the Oriental region during the Cenozoic, a period in which geological changes altered landmass connectivity. We use Baorini skippers (Lepidoptera, Hesperiidae) as a model, a widespread clade of butterflies in the Old World tropics with a disjunct distribution between the Afrotropics and the Oriental region. We use anchored phylogenomics to infer a robust evolutionary tree for Baorini skippers and estimate divergence times and ancestral ranges to test biogeographic hypotheses. Our phylogenomic tree recovers strongly supported relationships for Baorini skippers and clarifies the systematics of the tribe. Dating analyses suggest that these butterflies originated in the Oriental region, Greater Sunda Islands, and the Philippines in the early Miocene c. 23 Ma. Baorini skippers dispersed from the Oriental region towards Africa at least five times in the past 20 Ma. These butterflies colonized the Afrotropics primarily through trans-Arabian geodispersal after the closure of the Tethyan seaway in the mid-Miocene. Range expansion from the Oriental region towards the African continent probably occurred via the Gomphotherium land bridge through the Arabian Peninsula. Alternative scenarios invoking long-distance dispersal and vicariance are not supported. The Miocene climate change and biome shift from forested areas to grasslands possibly facilitated geodispersal in this clade of butterflies.Directorate for Biological Sciences. Grant Numbers: DEB‐1541500, DEB‐1541560.Peer reviewe

A global phylogeny of butterflies reveals their evolutionary history, ancestral hosts and biogeographic origins

Butterflies are a diverse and charismatic insect group that are thought to have evolved with plants and dispersed throughout the world in response to key geological events. However, these hypotheses have not been extensively tested because a comprehensive phylogenetic framework and datasets for butterfly larval hosts and global distributions are lacking. We sequenced 391 genes from nearly 2,300 butterfly species, sampled from 90 countries and 28 specimen collections, to reconstruct a new phylogenomic tree of butterflies representing 92% of all genera. Our phylogeny has strong support for nearly all nodes and demonstrates that at least 36 butterfly tribes require reclassification. Divergence time analyses imply an origin similar to 100 million years ago for butterflies and indicate that all but one family were present before the K/Pg extinction event. We aggregated larval host datasets and global distribution records and found that butterflies are likely to have first fed on Fabaceae and originated in what is now the Americas. Soon after the Cretaceous Thermal Maximum, butterflies crossed Beringia and diversified in the Palaeotropics. Our results also reveal that most butterfly species are specialists that feed on only one larval host plant family. However, generalist butterflies that consume two or more plant families usually feed on closely related plants

A new species of Heliophorus Geyer from Nepal, with a key to the Nepalese species (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae)

A lycaenid, Heliophorus forficatus n. sp., is described from Nepal and compared with the very similar species, H. oda (Hewitson) and H. bakeri Evans. The male adults of this species are morphologically examined and illustrated, especially the male genitalia. The new species is included in the iamw-group of the subgenus Kulua Zhdanko. A key to males of the genus Heliophorus in Nepal is proposed.Une nouvelle espèce de Lycène, Heliophorus forficatus n. sp., est décrite du Népal. Elle est comparée avec les espèces proches très semblables, H. oda (Hewitson) et H. bakeri Evans, et elle est située dans le sous-genre Kulua Zhdanko, dans le groupe d'H. tamu. Le mâle de la nouvelle espèce est illustré, en particulier ses pièces génitales. Une clé des mâles du genre Heliophorus au Népal est proposée.Yago Masaya, Nakanishi Akinori. A new species of Heliophorus Geyer from Nepal, with a key to the Nepalese species (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae). In: Bulletin de la Société entomologique de France, volume 108 (1), mars 2003. pp. 27-34

A new species of Heliophorus Geyer from Nepal, with a key to the Nepalese species (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae)

A lycaenid, Heliophorus forficatus n. sp., is described from Nepal and compared with the very similar species, H. oda (Hewitson) and H. bakeri Evans. The male adults of this species are morphologically examined and illustrated, especially the male genitalia. The new species is included in the iamw-group of the subgenus Kulua Zhdanko. A key to males of the genus Heliophorus in Nepal is proposed.Une nouvelle espèce de Lycène, Heliophorus forficatus n. sp., est décrite du Népal. Elle est comparée avec les espèces proches très semblables, H. oda (Hewitson) et H. bakeri Evans, et elle est située dans le sous-genre Kulua Zhdanko, dans le groupe d'H. tamu. Le mâle de la nouvelle espèce est illustré, en particulier ses pièces génitales. Une clé des mâles du genre Heliophorus au Népal est proposée.Yago Masaya, Nakanishi Akinori. A new species of Heliophorus Geyer from Nepal, with a key to the Nepalese species (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae). In: Bulletin de la Société entomologique de France, volume 108 (1), mars 2003. pp. 27-34

Theclini butterflies from Weixi, China, with description of two new species (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)

Zhuang, Hailing, Yago, Masaya, Wang, Min (2015): Theclini butterflies from Weixi, China, with description of two new species (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae). Zootaxa 3985 (1): 142-150, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3985.1.

Theclini butterflies from Weixi, China, with description of two new species (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)

Zhuang, Hailing, Yago, Masaya, Wang, Min (2015): Theclini butterflies from Weixi, China, with description of two new species (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae). Zootaxa 3985 (1): 142-150, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3985.1.

FIGURES 43 – 52 in Taxonomic review of the moth family Thyatiridae (Lepidoptera) from Yunnan province, China

FIGURES 43 – 52. Male genitalia of Thyatiridae from Yunnan (left: posterior view; right: phallus, lateral view). 43. Thyatira batis rubrescens Werny, 1966; 44. Horithyatira decorata decorata (Moore, 1881); 45. Gaurena florens Walker, 1865; 46. Gaurena gemella Leech, 1900; 47. Gaurena pretiosa Werny, 1966; 48. Macrothyatira arizana diminuta (Houlbert, 1921); 49. Macrothyatira subaureata (Sick, 1941); 50. Tethea (Saronaga) consimilis aurisigna (Bryk, 1943); 51. Tethea (Tethea) fusca Werny, 1966; 52. Tethea (Saronaga) oberthueri oberthueri (Houlbert, 1921)