Observations on the biology of Afrotropical Hesperiidae (Lepidoptera) with particular reference to Kenya. Part 10. Pyrginae, Carcharodini
Author
Cock, Matthew J. W.
text
Zootaxa
2016
4173
4
301
350
journal article
38068
10.11646/zootaxa.4173.4.1
235cd1e5-39f4-43b4-a65a-94daa8e45bec
1175-5326
256597
3E955EB2-79DE-462C-B3EE-E4AF334D1F61
Carcharodini Verity, 1940
Evans (1937)
used the term
Gomalia
group for three genera found in Africa:
Spialia
Swinhoe
,
Gomalia
Moore
and
Alenia
Evans. Subsequently
, he used the term
Pyrgus
group in his work on the
Hesperiidae
of Europe, Asia and Australian, which included representatives of the genera
Spialia
and
Gomalia
, as well as
Erynnis
Schrank
,
Carcharodus
Hübner
,
Muschampia
Tutt
and
Pyrgus
Hübner
in Europe and Asia (
Evans 1949
). He retained this term for his work on the American fauna (
Evans 1953
) which included the genera
Pyrgus
,
Heliopetes
Billberg
,
Celotes
Godman & Salvin
and
Pholisora
(to which
Heliopyrgus
Herrera
was since added). In his monograph on
Spialia
,
De Jong (1978)
continued to use the concept of the
Pyrgus
group, although now without
Erynnis
.
The classification developed by
Warren
et al
. (2008
,
2009
) is based on a combined analysis of DNA and morphological characters of adults and their genitalia.
Warren
et al
. (2008)
found the
Pyrgus
group (without
Erynnis
) to be polyphyletic. They concluded that although similar in appearance to the other genera of the
Pyrgus
group,
Alenia
belongs in
Celaenorrhini
, which is supported by their common food plant family:
Acanthaceae (
Cock & Congdon 2011b
)
. Furthermore, they split the remaining genera between two tribes:
Carcharodini
and
Pyrgini
. Thus,
Gomalia
,
Carcharodus
,
Spialia
and
Muschampia
belong in one clade of
Carcharodini
, which includes another 25 Neotropical genera in different clades, while
Pyrgus
,
Celotes
,
Heliopyrgus
and
Heliopetes
form one clade within
Pyrgini
, which contains another 19 Neotropical genera in different clades. This arrangement is considered further in the discussion at the end of this paper.