Lepidoptera Survey, International
The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey
Date of this Version
3-12-2026
Document Type
Journal Issue
Citation
Cong, Q., J. Zhang, J. Shen, L. Song, & N. V. Grishin. 2026. Three butterfly genera across the Central Texas Suture Zone. The Taxonomic Report 13(5):1-27.
Abstract
Genome-scale analyses of butterfly specimens across the Central Texas Suture Zone revealed that several taxa currently treated as subspecies exhibit genomic differentiation similar to that observed between species. Further investigation and genomic sequencing of additional specimens from across the ranges of these taxa support this conclusion and result in the following changes to nomenclature and taxonomy. Two new subspecies of Nymphalidae Rafinesque, 1815 are described: Asterocampa louisa monterra Grishin, ssp. n. (type locality in Mexico: Nuevo León) and Asterocampa clyton plana Grishin, ssp. n. (type locality in USA: Texas, Denton Co.). The following taxa are recognized as species, not subspecies: Asterocampa louisa D. Stallings & Turner, 1947, stat. nov. (not Asterocampa clyton (Boisduval & Le Conte, [1835])), Libytheana bachmanii (Kirtland, 1851), stat. rest. and Libytheana larvata (Strecker, [1878]), stat. rest. (not Libytheana carinenta (Cramer, 1777)) in Nymphalidae; Polites (Wallengrenia) clavus (Erichson, [1849]), stat. rest. and Polites (Wallengrenia) jobrea (Dyar, 1918), stat. rest. (not Polites (Wallengrenia) otho (J. E. Smith, 1797)) in Hesperiidae Latreille, 1809. The following are valid subspecies, not junior subjective synonyms: Asterocampa clyton subpallida (W. Barnes & McDunnough, 1913), stat. rest. (not Asterocampa clyton texana (Skinner, 1911)), Asterocampa leilia cocles (Lintner, [1885]), stat. rev. (not Asterocampa leilia leilia (W. H. Edwards, 1874)), Asterocampa celtis montis (W. H. Edwards, 1883), stat. rest. and Asterocampa celtis jeffermont J. Scott & M. Fisher, 2008, stat. rest. (not Asterocampa celtis antonia (W. H. Edwards, [1878])), and Asterocampa celtis alicia (W. H. Edwards, 1868), stat. rev. (not Asterocampa celtis celtis (Boisduval & Le Conte, [1835])). Libytheana carinenta fulvescens (Lathy, 1904), stat. nov. is not a species but a subspecies-level taxon. Nomen nudum “Pamphila lacordairii, Boisd.” published by Godman (1900) belongs in synonymy with Polites (Wallengrenia) clavus, stat. rest. and not with P. (W.) otho. A lectotype of Libythea larvata Strecker, [1878] (type locality in USA: Texas, Bexar Co.) is designated. Doxocopa laure laure (Drury, 1773) is recorded for the United States from southeastern Arizona. Taxonomic lists of Asterocampa Röber, 1916 and Libytheana Michener, 1943 are provided.