Additional Taxonomic Refinements Suggested by Genomic Analysis of Butterflies

Authors

Jing Zhang, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Qian Cong, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Jinhui Shen, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Leina Song, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Paul A. Opler, Colorado State University - Fort Collins
Nick V. Grishin, University of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterFollow

Date of this Version

2-3-2023

Document Type

Article

Citation

The Taxonomic Report (2023) 11(1)

Comments

Copyright 2023, the International Lepidoptera Survey. Open access material

License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-SA-NC 4.0 International)

Abstract

Comparative analyses of genomic data reveal further insights into the phylogeny and taxonomic classification of butterflies presented here. As a result, 2 new subgenera and 2 new species of Hesperiidae are described: Borna Grishin, subgen. n. (type species Godmania borincona Watson, 1937) and Lilla Grishin, subgen. n. (type species Choranthus lilliae Bell, 1931) of Choranthus Scudder, 1872, Cecropterus (Murgaria) markwalkeri Grishin, sp. n. (type locality in Mexico: Sonora), and Hedone yunga Grishin, sp. n. (type locality in Bolivia: Yungas, La Paz). The lectotype is designated for Aethilla toxeus Plötz, 1882. The type locality of Dion uza (Hewitson, 1877) is likely in southern Brazil. A number of taxonomic changes are proposed. The following taxa are subgenera, not genera: Plebulina Nabokov, 1945 of Icaricia Nabokov, 1945; Sinia Forster, 1940 of Glaucopsyche Scudder, 1872; Pseudophilotes Beuret, 1958 of Palaeophilotes Forster, 1938; and Agraulis Boisduval & Le Conte, [1835] of Dione Hübner, [1819]. Asbolis Mabille, 1904 is a subgenus of Choranthus Scudder, 1872 rather than its synonym. The following are species, not subspecies or synonyms: Glaucopsyche algirica (Heyne, 1895) (not Glaucopsyche melanops (Boisduval, 1829)), Chlosyne flavula (W. Barnes & McDunnough, 1918) (not Chlosyne palla (Boisduval, 1852)), Cercyonis hypoleuca Hawks & J. Emmel, 1998 (not Cercyonis sthenele (Boisduval, 1852)), Cecropterus coyote (Skinner, 1892) and Cecropterus nigrociliata (Mabille & Boullet, 1912) (not Aethilla toxeus Plötz, 1882), Aguna malia Evans, 1952 (not Aguna megaeles (Mabille, 1888)), Polygonus arizonensis (Skinner, 1911), Polygonus histrio Röber, 1925, Polygonus pallida Röber, 1925, and Polygonus hagar Evans, 1952 (not Polygonus leo (Gmelin, [1790])), Viola kuma (Bell, 1942), comb. nov. (not Pachyneuria helena (Hayward, 1939)), Tamela maura (Snellen, 1886) (not Tamela othonias (Hewitson, 1878)), Tamela diocles (Moore, [1866]) (not Tamela nigrita (Latreille, [1824])), Vinius phellus (Mabille, 1883) (not Vinius exilis (Plötz, 1883)), Vinius sophistes (Dyar, 1918) (not Vinius tryhana (Kaye, 1914)), and Rhinthon andricus (Mabille, 1895) and Rhinthon aqua (Evans, 1955) (not Rhinthon braesia (Hewitson, 1867)). The following are new and revised species-subspecies combinations: Cercyonis sthenele damei W. Barnes & Benjamin, 1926 (not Cercyonis meadii (W. H. Edwards, 1872)) and Chlosyne flavula blackmorei Pelham, 2008 and Chlosyne flavula calydon (W. Holland, 1931) (not Chlosyne palla). The following are valid subspecies resurrected from synonymy in new and reinstated species-subspecies combinations: Chlosyne palla pola (Boisduval, 1869) (not Chlosyne gabbii gabbii (Behr, 1863)) and Cercyonis meadii mexicana R. Chermock, 1949 (not Cercyonis sthenele damei W. Barnes & Benjamin, 1926, comb. rev.). The following are new junior subjective synonyms: Aethilla toxeus Plötz, 1882 of Cecropterus albociliatus (Mabille, 1877) and Viola dagamba Steinhauser, 1989 of Viola kuma (Bell, 1942), comb. nov., stat. rest. Leucochitonea janice Ehrmann, 1907 is a junior subjective synonym of Heliopetes alana (Reakirt, 1868) and not of Heliopetes petrus (Hübner, [1819]). The holotype of Hermeuptychia sinuosa Grishin, 2021 is illustrated after being spread.