A genomic perspective on the taxonomy of the subtribe Carcharodina (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae: Carcharodini)
Author
Zhang, Jing
Author
Brockmann, Ernst
Author
Cong, Qian
Author
Shen, Jinhui
Author
Grishin, Nick V.
text
Zootaxa
2020
2020-03-05
4748
1
182
194
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.4748.1.10
d92ae3c0-1a83-4964-9160-e141f9ab5c17
1175-5326
PMC8018707
32230093
3697554
D934167E-7D2E-41E1-8FFD-24B34C55ABB6
Agyllia
Grishin
,
gen. n.
http://zoobank.org/
095B9432-5CCE-4CBF-8EB6-B9711FDABA25
Type
species:
Pyrgus agylla
Trimen, 1889
(
Fig. 2c
).
Diagnosis.
Keys to
2 in
de Jong (1978: 28)
, constituting his
asterodia
species group. Morphologically differs from close relatives by the following characters. Out of three spots in forewing discal cell, rectangular middle spot (the largest) closer to streak-like spot at distal end of cell than to well-developed and rounded basal spot; no dorsal white spots at base of CuA
2
-1A+2A cell (space 1B). Ventral hindwing with a straight median white band, i.e., a white spot in cell Rs-M
1
(space 6) joins the central spot (discal cell) to the outer (and not inner) spot in cell Sc+R
1
-Rs (space 7). In male genitalia, uncus deeply incised; valva with large costal process and harpe (=cucullus) lacks a fold covering the costal process. In DNA COI barcode region, a combination of the following base pairs is diagnostic: A307T, A352T, T364C, C401T, T403A, T500C, and A502T.
Derivation of the name.
The name is a feminine noun in the nominative singular derived from the name of the
type
species.
Species included:
Encompasses
asterodia
species groups as it was defined by
de Jong (1978)
. Full species list is given below.
Second, we observe that
Carcharodus
is not monophyletic. Only one species,
Carcharodus tripolina
(Verity, 1925)
groups with the
type
species of the genus
Carcharodus alceae
(Esper, 1780)
. These results are consistent with the recent treatment by
Coutsis (2016)
, who placed all other
Carcharodus
species in
Reverdinus
Ragusa, 1919
. In our trees,
Reverdinus
is in the same cluster with
Muschampia
Tutt, 1906
and the branch length separating
Reverdinus
from other
Muschampia
is not significantly larger than the branch lengths separating
Muschampia
species from each other. Thus, we consider
Reverdinus
Ragusa, 1919
to be a subgenus of
Muschampia
. Additionally, we see that genus names previously given to various groups currently placed in
Muschampia
indeed denote monophyletic groups within the genus and we suggest to treat these groups as subgenera:
Warrenohesperia
Strand, 1928
,
Sloperia
Tutt, 1906
and
Tuttia
Warren, 1926
(
Fig. 1
).
Third, we find that “
Muschampia
”
cribrellum
(Eversmann, 1841)
, the
type
species of the genus
Favria
Tutt, 1906
is not monophyletic with
Muschampia
. Instead, it is a confident sister of
Gomalia
in nuclear genome trees (
Fig. 1
ab). Its phylogenetic position is not very strongly supported in the mitogenome tree (88% bootstrap,
Fig. 1c
), but it is well-separated from
Muschampia
. This species has been a puzzle and is uniquely characterized by spined mid-tibiae. Therefore we reinstate
Favria
as a valid genus, currently monotypic.
Fourth, we see that the
holotype
of
Tavetana jeanneli
Picard, 1949
(
Fig. 3
) is not a dark form of
Gomalia elma
(Trimen, 1862)
as currently considered, but a
Gomalia
species well removed from it. COI barcodes of the two species differ by nearly 7% (45 base pairs). Moreover, the differences in genitalia of the Indian
Gomalia elma albofasciata
Moore, 1879
(see plate 23, D
2 in
Evans, 1949
) and the African nominal subspecies (plate
13 in
Evans, 1937
) argue for the species status of the Indian taxon. Most notably, ampulla of male genitalic valva is expanded in
C. albofasciata
compared to
C. elma
, in which costa smoothly transitions to a tooth-like ending of harpe.
Furthermore, we elevate to species
Spialia lugens
(Staudinger, 1886)
and
Spialia carnea
(Reverdin, 1927)
formerly considered subspecies of
Spialia orbifer
(Hübner, [1823])
. Sequencing of
S. lugens
and
S. carnea
type
specimens in the
Berlin
Museum für Naturkunde reveals 2.2%-3.2% difference in COI barcode from nominotypical populations of
S. orbifer
. Distinct barcodes combined with the differences in facies suggest species-level status for these taxa.
Spialia lugens
differs from the two other species by the larger size, darker wing above with faint or absent submarginal sports, rarely, and mostly in females, better developed (
de Jong, 1978
).
S. carnea
is characterized by warm reddish to brown-yellow color of hindwing below and reduced submarginal spots on hindwing below in cells M
1
-M
2
and M
2
-M
3
.
Finally, difference in male genitalia, notably the shape of uncus (
de Jong, 1978
;
Evans, 1937
), suggest that
Ernsta bifida
(Higgins, 1924)
, a species distinct from
Ernsta zebra
(Butler, 1888)
and not its subspecies. Taken together, the data we obtained suggest the following taxonomic arrangement of the subtribe Carcharodina.
Taxonomic arrangement of the subtribe Carcharodina.
Based on our analysis, the list of species arranged into genera and subgenera is given below. Synonymic names are included for genera and subgenera. Names treated as synonyms (genera and names of
type
species that are considered to be synonyms) are preceded by “=”: not followed by daggers are subjective junior synonyms; † objective junior synonyms; ‡ unavailable names (such as homonyms and nomina nuda); “preocc.” indicates preoccupied, the taxonomic order (all insects) of the senior name is shown in brackets. Synonyms are attributed to subgenera.
Type
species (TS) for genera and subgenera are listed and underlined. For
type
species that are considered to be synonyms, valid names are shown in parenthesis. For valid genera and subgenera (not their synonyms), names of the
type
species or names which
type
species are considered to be synonyms of, are underlined in the list. Subspecies names are not listed pending further studies.