Documenting diversity in the Amazonian butterfly genus Bia (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae)

Antonelli

et al. 2019

Systematic Entomology

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Species delimitation is at the core of biological sciences. During the last decade, molecular‐based approaches have advanced the field by providing additional sources of evidence to classical, morphology‐based taxonomy. However, taxonomy has not yet fully embraced molecular species delimitation beyond threshold‐based, single‐gene approaches, and taxonomic knowledge is not commonly integrated into multilocus species delimitation models. Here we aim to bridge empirical data (taxonomic and genetic) with recently developed coalescent‐based species delimitation approaches. We use the multispecies coalescent model as implemented in two Bayesian methods (dissect/stacey and bp&p) to infer species hypotheses. In both cases, we account for phylogenetic uncertainty (by not using any guide tree) and taxonomic uncertainty (by measuring the impact of using a priori taxonomic assignments to specimens). We focus on an entire Neotropical tribe of butterflies, the Haeterini (Nymphalidae: Satyrinae). We contrast divergent taxonomic opinion – splitting, lumping and misclassifying species – in the light of different phenotypic classifications proposed to date. Our results provide a solid background for the recognition of 22 species. The synergistic approach presented here overcomes limitations in both traditional taxonomy (e.g. by recognizing cryptic species) and molecular‐based methods (e.g. by recognizing structured populations, and not raising them to species). Our framework provides a step forward towards standardization and increasing reproducibility of species delimitations.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Species limits in butterflies (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae): reconciling classical taxonomy with the multispecies coalescent

Antonelli

et al. 2019

Systematic Entomology

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“…The increase in diversification of Amazonian lineages in the Pleistocene might be related to younger paleoenvironmental changes, such as fluctuating river dynamics mediated by Quaternary glacial cycles (Ribas et al ., 2012). For example, biogeographical structure in the genus Bia seems to be associated with major Amazon-basin rivers (Penz et al ., 2017), suggesting that riverine barriers might have been involved in allopatric differentiation in this genus. Indeed, in some areas surrounding the Amazon River, the distance between river banks is much larger than the estimated daily dispersal of species such as Bia actorion (Tufto et al ., 2012; Penz et al ., 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To investigate dispersal patterns across the South American dry diagonal, we kept this area separate. We used distributional maps and observations, not always with primary geographic coordinates, from taxonomic revisions (Bristow 1981, 1982, 1991, Casagrande 2002, Furtado and Campos-Neto 2004, Penz 2008, 2009a, b, Garzón-Orduña and Penz 2009, Penz et al 2017), and also published butterfly inventories in Mesoamerica (DeVries 1983, 1994, Janzen and Hallwachs 2009, Basset et al 2015), Amazonia (Pereira Martins et al 2017), Cerrado (Pinheiro and Emery 2006, Emery et al 2006, Silva et al 2012, Pereira Martins et al 2017, Dickens et al 2019), Caatinga (Zacca and Bravo 2012), and the Atlantic Forest (Santos et al 2011, 2018, Pérez et al 2017, Melo et al 2019, Soldati et al 2019). We call this the presence/absence biogeographical dataset.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Adult specimens were collected in Mexico, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil (Supporting Information, Table S1), and identified to species based on various sources (Casagrande, 2002, 2004; Austin et al ., 2007; Penz, 2008, 2009b,a; Garzón-Orduña & Penz, 2009; Penz et al ., 2017, 2011a; Penz, Simonsen, & DeVries, 2011b; Chacón et al ., 2012). Total DNA was obtained from two butterfly legs using QIAGEN’s DNeasy kits.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mesoamerica is a cradle and the Atlantic Forest is a museum of Neotropical butterfly diversity: Insights from the evolution and biogeography of Brassolini (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)

Freitas

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Regional species diversity is ultimately explained by speciation, extinction, and dispersal. Here we estimate dispersal and speciation rates in Neotropical rainforest biomes to propose an explanation for the distribution and diversity of extant butterfly species. We focus on the tribe Brassolini (owl butterflies and allies): a Neotropical group that comprises 17 genera and 108 species, most of them endemic to rainforest biomes. We infer a total-evidence species tree using the multispecies coalescent framework. By applying biogeographical stochastic mapping, we infer ancestral ranges and estimate rates of dispersal and cladogenesis at the scale of millions of years. We suggest that speciation in Mesoamerica and the northwestern flank of the Andes have only increased within the past 2 million years. In contrast, speciation in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest has been constant throughout the past 10 million years. The disparate species diversification dynamics may be partly explained by the geological and environmental history of each bioregion. Importantly, the dispersal rates into the Atlantic Forest and Mesoamerica plus NW Andes increased simultaneously in the middle-Miocene, suggesting that lineages from such regions have had comparable times for speciation despite their decoupled diversification dynamics. Diversification of extant Amazonian lineages, on the other hand, has episodically increased since the late Miocene, including a rise in speciation rate during the Pleistocene. Altogether, our results reveal a mosaic of biome-specific evolutionary histories within the Neotropics, where species have diversified rapidly (cradles: e.g., Mesoamerica), have accumulated gradually (museums: e.g., Atlantic Forest), or have alternately diversified and accumulated (e.g., Amazonia).

“…Note that androconial patch morphology has been widely used to diagnose butterfly species boundaries in other satyrine groups (e.g. Núñez Aguila et al , 2013; Penz et al , 2017). Our results question the reliability of this character system only in Haeterini lineages, thus, further research in other butterfly groups can test the generality of our conclusions that different character systems favor narrower or broader delimitations in butterflies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Species limits in butterflies (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae): Reconciling classical taxonomy with the multispecies coalescent

Antonelli

et al. 2018

Preprint

Self Cite

1 9 3 1 specimens). We focus on an entire Neotropical tribe of butterflies, the Haeterini (Nymphalidae: 3 2 Satyrinae). We contrast divergent taxonomic opinion-splitting, lumping and misclassifying 3 3 species-in the light of different phenotypic classifications proposed to date. Our results provide 3 4 a solid background for the recognition of 22 species. The synergistic approach presented here 3 5 overcomes limitations in both traditional taxonomy (e.g. by recognizing cryptic species) and 3 6 molecular-based methods (e.g. by recognizing structured populations, and not raise them to 3 7 species). Our framework provides a step forward towards standardization and increasing 3 8 reproducibility of species delimitations. 3 9 4 0