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)

Abstract

Regional species diversity is explained ultimately by speciation, extinction and dispersal. Here, we estimate dispersal and speciation rates of Neotropical butterflies to propose an explanation for the distribution and diversity of extant species. We focused 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 inferred a robust species tree using the multispecies coalescent framework and a dataset including molecular and morphological characters. This formed the basis for three changes in Brassolini classification: (1) Naropina syn. nov. is subsumed within Brassolina; (2) Aponarope syn. nov. is subsumed within Narope; and (3) Selenophanes orgetorix comb. nov. is reassigned from Catoblepia to Selenophanes. By applying biogeographical stochastic mapping, we found contrasting species diversification and dispersal dynamics across rainforest biomes, which might be explained, in part, by the geological and environmental history of each bioregion. Our results revealed a mosaic of biome-specific evolutionary histories within the Neotropics, where butterfly species have diversified rapidly (cradles: Mesoamerica), have accumulated gradually (museums: Atlantic Forest) or have diversified and accumulated alternately (Amazonia). Our study contributes evidence from a major butterfly lineage that the Neotropics are a museum and a cradle of species diversity.

Integrative taxonomy clarifies species limits in the hitherto monotypic passion‐vine butterfly genera Agraulis and Dryas (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Heliconiinae)

“…The continental Agraulis species may have evolved under different environmental conditions across Central America, the Chocó region west of the Andes, the Amazon region and the Guianas and the southeastern Atlantic region. These regions seem to have played an important role in the diversification of many South American groups, including butterflies (Smith et al, 2014;Toussaint et al, 2019;Ortiz-Acevedo et al, 2020;Matos-Maraví et al, 2021). However, Dryas alcionea (as D. iuliaCONT in figure 19), which overlaps its range with most continental Agraulis, apparently has maintained gene flow among its populations.…”

A diversification relay race from Caribbean-Mesoamerica to the Andes: historical biogeography of Xylophanes hawkmoths

“…The Neotropics is one of the most species-rich regions on Earth [ 1 ]. Biodiversity studies in the Neotropics have hypothesized both the Andes and Caribbean-Mesoamerica as cradle(s) for Neotropical lineages, but only a few studies have investigated the dynamics and interactions between bioregions [ 1 , 2 ]. The uplift of the Andes was a major event in the geological history of South America, providing barriers and opportunities for allopatric speciation and new ecological conditions for adaption and ecological speciation of animals (e.g.…”

“…The uplift of the Andes was a major event in the geological history of South America, providing barriers and opportunities for allopatric speciation and new ecological conditions for adaption and ecological speciation of animals (e.g. [ 2 – 4 ]) and flora (e.g. [ 5 , 6 ]).…”

Hide-and-Seek with Tiny Neotenic Beetles in One of the Hottest Biodiversity Hotspots: Towards an Understanding of the Real Diversity of Jurasaidae (Coleoptera: Elateroidea) in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

“…The Atlantic Forest is one of the Earth's most endangered biodiversity hotspots, with less than 20% of its original cover remaining. Despite all of this loss, remaining forest fragments harbor exceptionally diverse fauna and flora with extremely high levels of speciation and endemism on the one hand, and the persistence of old lineages via low species extinction rates on the other hand, which makes this biome both a cradle and a museum of Neotropical diversity [31,33,63]. Many interesting insects were reported from the Atlantic Forest, including the bioluminescent larvae of Keroplatidae fungus gnats (Diptera) [64] and rove beetles (Staphylinidae) [65], the first Neotropical meropeid Mecoptera [66], ant-brood parasitizing scuttle flies (Phoridae) [67], and many others.…”