Aim  The study aimed to establish areas of endemism and distribution patterns for Neotropical species of the genus Piper in the Neotropical and Andean regions by means of parsimony analysis of endemicity (PAE) and track‐compatibility analysis. Location  The study area includes the Neotropical region and the Northern Andean region (Páramo‐Punan subregion). Methods  We used distribution information from herbarium specimens and recent monographic revisions for 1152 species of Piper from the Neotropics. First, a PAE was attempted in order to delimit the areas of endemism. Second, we performed a track‐compatibility analysis to establish distribution patterns for Neotropical species of Piper. Terminology for grouping Piper is based on recent phylogenetic analyses. Results  The PAE yielded 104 small endemic areas for the genus Piper, 80 of which are in the Caribbean, Amazonian and Paranensis subregions of the Neotropical region, and 24 in the Páramo‐Punan subregion of the Andean region. Track‐compatibility analysis revealed 26 generalized tracks, one in the Páramo‐Punan subregion (Andean region), 19 in the Neotropical region, and six connecting the Andean and Neotropical regions. Both the generalized tracks and endemic areas indicate that distribution of Piper species is restricted to forest areas in the Andes, Amazonia, Chocó, Central America, the Guayana Shield and the Brazilian Atlantic coast. Main conclusions  Piper should not be considered an Andean‐centred group as it represents two large species components with distributions centred in the Amazonian and Andean regions. Furthermore, areas of greater species richness and/or endemism are restricted to lowland habitats belonging to the Neotropical region. The distribution patterns of Neotropical species of Piper could be explained by recent events in the Neotropical region, as is the case for the track connecting Chocó and Central America, where most of the species rich groups of the genus are found. Two kinds of event could explain the biogeography of a large part of the Piper taxa with Andean–Amazonian distribution: pre‐Andean and post‐Andean events.

We identified biogeographical districts in the Páramo biogeographic province, in the north-western Andes of Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela, including the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia, above 3000m ASL. We applied a parsimony analysis of endemicity (PAE) to 8418 distributional data of 4644 vertebrate and angiosperm species, distributed in the north-western Andes and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. Areas analysed were selected according to the hypotheses of several authors. We obtained a single most parsimonious cladogram, which shows 10 groups of areas (southern Ecuadorian, central Ecuadorian, northern Ecuadorian, Venezuelan, Los Picachos, Sierra Nevada, Santa Inés-Sonsón, Paramillo del Sinú, Cordillera Oriental and Quindío) and a single isolated area (Farallones de Cali). We propose that these areas conform 11 biogeographical districts. The biogeographical districts obtained adjust to the ‘cordilleran pattern’, where páramos of each cordillera are linked together. This study supports the hypothesis that during different glacial periods, páramos of these cordilleras were connected and, subsequently, separated during interglacial periods.

Aim  A panbiogeographical analysis of the genus Bomarea was undertaken in order to determine generalized tracks and biogeographical nodes, and to evaluate the current distribution of the genus based on the available tectonic information and the biogeographical regionalization of Latin America.Location  The Neotropical region from northern Mexico to northern Argentina, and the Nearctic and Andean regions.Method  A total of 2205 records of 101 species were analysed, representing 95% of the species assigned to Bomarea. Localities were represented on maps and their individual tracks were drawn. Based on their comparison, generalized tracks were detected and mapped. Nodes were identified in the areas where different generalized tracks were superimposed.Results  Five generalized tracks were recovered. One is located in the Eastern Central America and Western Panamanian Isthmus provinces (Caribbean subregion, Neotropical region), which was supported by three species of Central American distribution. The four remaining generalized tracks were located in South America, in the North Andean Paramo, Cauca and Puna biogeographical provinces. These tracks were supported by species of Bomarea with an Andean distribution. Biogeographical nodes were established in the Central Andean region of Colombia, central Ecuador and central Peru.Main conclusions  The nodes obtained for Bomarea support a hybrid origin for the Andean region, which presents diverse components from both northern and southern South America. Likewise, the track recovered between Colombia and Ecuador includes Andean and Neotropical areas, providing further support for this hypothesis. The nodes obtained are coherent with vicariant elements evident for Bomarea. Species of three clades proposed for Bomarea are distributed in specific generalized tracks.

The origins of evolutionary radiations are often traced to the colonization of novel adaptive zones, including unoccupied habitats or unutilized resources. For herbivorous insects, the predominant mechanism of diversification is typically assumed to be a shift onto a novel lineage of host plants. However, other drivers of diversification are important in shaping evolutionary history, especially for groups residing in regions with complex geological histories. We evaluated the contributions of shifts in host plant clade, bioregion, and elevation to diversification in Eois (Lepidoptera: Geometridae), a hyper-diverse genus of moths found throughout the Neotropics. Relationships among 107 taxa were reconstructed using one mitochondrial and two nuclear genes. In addition, we used a genotyping-by-sequencing approach to generate 4641 SNPs for 137 taxa. Both datasets yielded similar phylogenetic histories, with relationships structured by host plant clade, bioregion, and elevation. While diversification of basal lineages often coincided with host clade shifts, more recent speciation events were more typically associated with shifts across bioregions or elevational gradients. Overall, patterns of diversification in Eois are consistent with the perspective that shifts across multiple adaptive zones synergistically drive diversification in hyper-diverse lineages.

Resumen. Se realizó un análisis panbiogeográfico de las especies de Piper pertenecientes al clado Enckea, con el fin de establecer una hipótesis de homología biogeográfica primaria entre áreas de bosque neotropical estacionalmente seco (BNES) de América Central, las Antillas y América del Sur. Con base en 904 registros de distribución pertenecientes a 74 especies del clado, se generaron 50 trazos individuales, 8 trazos generalizados y 4 nodos, ubicados en diferentes formaciones de BNES. Del total de especies analizadas 24 no fueron informativas en el análisis por estar representadas por un solo registro. El análisis de trazos no integró bajo una historia común el BNES. Los resultados son congruentes con distintos eventos tectónicos, los cuales influyeron de manera independiente en la diversificación de grupos de plantas y animales. Los eventos que podrían explicar la actual distribución de las especies de Enckea incluyen los