Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) of Mount Kilimanjaro: family Pieridae, subfamily Pierinae

<div><p>This paper, which presents an annotated checklist of the whites (Pieridae: Pierinae), is the third in a series on the butterfly fauna of Mount Kilimanjaro. Four genera (<i>Colotis</i>, <i>Nepheronia</i>, <i>Belenois</i>, <i>Mylothris</i>), with a total of 10 included species, are known to occur within the main forest zone, from c.1800 to c.2800 m. Of the species, only <i>Mylothris sagala</i> appears restricted to the primary forests. The fauna from the lower slopes, below 1800 m, is far richer, with a total of 11 genera and 40 species listed. An identification key to the genera of Pierinae that occur in Tanzania, together with a key to the adults of all pierine butterflies considered to occur or have occurred on Kilimanjaro, with 310 colour images, are included as online Supplementary Information.</p></div

Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) of Mount Kilimanjaro: family Pieridae, subfamily Coliadinae

<div><p>This paper forms part of a series on the butterfly fauna of Mount Kilimanjaro. Three genera (<i>Catopsilia</i>, <i>Colias</i> and <i>Eurema</i>) with eight species of Coliadinae are believed to occur within the main forest zone. However, of these, one or two may prove to be no more than variants of a third species, <i>Eurema desjardinsii</i>. A fourth conventionally recognized member of the complex may occur on the lower slopes below 1800 m. The widespread species <i>Eurema hecabe</i> occurs on the lower slopes, but records are sparse, and no records of its close relative <i>Eurema floricola</i>, with which it has often been confused, have been found. The need for original field and laboratory research on the taxonomy of African <i>Eurema</i> species is stressed. Keys to adult Coliadinae found in Tanzania, with colour illustrations, are included as online supplementary material.</p> </div

Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) of Mount Kilimanjaro: Nymphalidae subfamilies Libytheinae, Danainae, Satyrinae and Charaxinae

<p>This paper, which presents an annotated checklist of the ‘lower Nymphalidae’ (Libytheinae, Danainae, Satyrinae, Charaxinae), is the fourth in a series on the butterfly fauna of Mount Kilimanjaro. Four genera of lower Nymphalidae (<i>Danaus, Amauris, Bicyclus, Charaxes</i>), with a total of 11 included species, are known or believed to occur within the main forest zone, from c. 1800 to 2800 m. Of these, only three species of <i>Charaxes</i> (<i>Charaxes</i> <i>berkeleyi, Charaxes ansorgei, Charaxes xiphares</i>) may be restricted locally to this primary forest. The lower slopes fauna, below 1800 m, is considerably richer, with a total of 11 genera and 41 species listed (8 species of which extend into the forest zone). Possible additional species, dubious earlier records, problems with African subspecies of <i>Danaus chrysippus</i>, a need for more work on certain Satyrinae, and classification of the genus <i>Charaxes</i> are discussed. An identification key to the subfamilies of Nymphalidae, and the 19 genera of Libytheinae, Danainae, Satyrinae, Charaxinae that occur in Tanzania, together with a key to the adults of all the species of these four subfamilies considered to occur or have occurred on Kilimanjaro, with 206 colour images, are included as online Supplementary Information.</p

Morphological and molecular evidence supports recognition of <i>Danaus petilia</i> (Stoll, 1790) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) as a species distinct from <i>D. chrysippus</i> (Linnaeus, 1758)

<div><p>The danaine butterfly <i>Danaus chrysippus</i> (Linnaeus, 1758) occurs widely in the Afrotropical, Oriental and Australian regions and comprises a taxonomic complex, with recent authors recognizing between one and three species. <i>Danaus petilia</i> (Stoll, 1790) has previously been considered to be a subspecies of <i>D. chrysippus</i>, but we present evidence from wing colour pattern, morphological characters and molecular data that support a recent proposal to treat <i>D. petilia</i> as a separate, parapatric species. The subspecies <i>D. chrysippus cratippus</i> (C. Felder 1860) has a limited range in Indonesia, and was until recently known in Australia from only two specimens. However, on Cobourg Peninsula in the Northern Territory of Australia, <i>D. chrysippus cratippus</i> and <i>D. petilia</i> were observed flying together in <i>Melaleuca</i> swampland. Comparative analysis of wing colour pattern and quantitative morphological characters of material of both taxa sampled from this geographical region of sympatry indicates at least six diagnostic features that distinguish <i>D. petilia</i> from <i>D. chrysippus cratippus</i>. Moreover, a well-sampled molecular phylogeny of the <i>D. chrysippus</i> complex based on sequence data from mitochondrial (<i>cytochrome oxidase subunit 1</i>, <i>cytochrome b</i>) and nuclear (<i>wingless</i>, <i>elongation factor 1 alpha</i>) genes, demonstrates that <i>D. petilia</i> and <i>D. chrysippus</i> are reciprocally monophyletic, suggesting that the two species maintain their distinctiveness even when given the spatiotemporal opportunity for interbreeding. Phylogenetic reconstruction based on molecular data and extensive sampling of the <i>D. chrysippus</i> complex confirms that: (1) samples of <i>D. chrysippus cratippus</i> from Indonesia and Australia and <i>D. chrysippus bataviana</i> (Moore, 1883) from Indonesia are indeed <i>D. chrysippus</i>; (2) specimens from India (incorrect type locality of <i>D. petilia</i>) are <i>D. chrysippus</i>; and (3) the taxon <i>D. chrysippus dorippus</i> (Klug, 1845) (type locality Dongala, Sudan) is not a distinct species as has recently been proposed, and is best treated either as a subspecies of <i>D. chrysippus</i> restricted to Africa or a genetic colour morph of <i>D. chrysippus</i> that extends more widely into Asia. A lectotype designation is made for <i>Danais cratippus</i> C. Felder, 1860, and the status of the type material and application of the name <i>Papilio petilia</i> is discussed. Attention is drawn to the likely clinal variation (an east–west morphocline) of the <i>D. chrysippus</i> complex in Southeast Asia and Australia, and the dubious utility of attempting to discriminate subspecies within <i>D. chrysippus</i>.</p></div