Molecular phylogeny of Eois (Lepidoptera, Geometridae): evolution of wing patterns and host plant use in a species-rich group of Neotropical moths

Abstract

Strutzenberger, P., Brehm, G., Bodner, F. & Fiedler K. (2010). Molecular phylogeny of Eois (Lepidoptera, Geometridae): evolution of wing patterns and host plant use in a species‐rich group of Neotropical moths. —Zoologica Scripta, 39, 603–620. Eois is a pantropical genus of Geometridae moths with currently 250 valid described species, the majority of which occur in the Neotropics. Eois is a prominent component of Andean moth communities locally accounting for up to ∼10% of geometrid individuals. We address the evolution of wing patterns and host plant use in Neotropical Eois and provide a preliminary assessment on the monophyly and biogeographic history of the entire genus as well as affinities within the subfamily Larentiinae. We applied Bayesian, maximum likelihood and maximum parsimony methods of phylogenetic reconstruction to a 142 taxon dataset of partial COI (1220 bp) and Ef1α (1066 bp) sequences resulting in the largest taxon set of geometrid moths analyzed in a molecular phylogenetic study so far. Monophyly of Eois was always strongly supported. Ten monophyletic clades were found with good support, seven of which have characteristic wing pattern phenotypes. Only one wing pattern type occurs in two clades. Trophic associations with representatives of the family Piperaceae occur in all 8 (of 9) Neotropical clades for which host information is available. Apart from feeding on Piper, at least two Eois species in Ecuador feed on Peperomia, and one on Manekia (all Piperaceae); two further species live on Hedyosmum (Chloranthaceae). Species feeding on Peperomia, Manekia and Hedyosmum are usually nested in Piper‐associated clades. Single records of associations with Gesneriaceae and Monimiaceae are scattered in otherwise Piperaceae‐associated clades. These patterns suggest multiple parallel host shifts away from Piper as ancestral food plant. Old World Eois were recovered as monophylum and sister to Neotropical Eois. Within the subfamily Larentiinae the genus Eois has previously been placed close to the tribe Eupitheciini, but this was not supported in our phylogenetic analyses.

Neotropical Eois (Lepidoptera: Geometridae): Checklist, Biogeography, Diversity, and Description Patterns

“…2k, described with a male holotype from Colombia). Both species are closely related and belong to the adimaria clade sensu Strutzenberger et al (2010). Although the coloration and pattern of the lines on fore-and hindwings are similar (but not the same), the lines are much broadened in E. ambarilla, which leads to an almost inverse proportion between lines and the pale yellow ground color in the two species.…”

“…We regard E. telegraphica and E. lilacea as related, but not conspeciÞc. Both probably belong to the same clade (chasca clade sensu Strutzenberger et al 2010). However, E. telegraphica more closely resembles Eois antiopata (Warren) (not shown), especially with regard to the shape of the yellow margin on the forewing.…”

Rhodometra sacraria (Linnaeus), a cosmopolitan sterrhine confirmed from Chile (Lepidoptera, Geometridae)

“…The Central American geometrid fauna is poorly known with recent data from Costa Rica (Pitkin et al 1996;Brehm & Axmacher 2006, amongst others) and Nicaragua (Viidalepp, et al 2010). As there is a gap of 37 years between the El Salvadorean and Chilean findings it would suggest that they are unrelated in origin, especially if one considers that an 'intermediate' country such as Ecuador is well studied in terms of its geometrid fauna Bodner et al 2009;Strutzenberger et al 2010, amongst others) (the observation that the subfamily Sterrhinae is not well-represented at high altitudes, in fact, used data from an Ecuadorian study ). It needs to be considered if the 1998 specimen from Valparaíso (see above) was of Chinese ori- With the finding of four specimens of Rhodometra sacraria from Chile the genus Rhodometra Meyrick, 1892 now has three species in the Neotropical Region, in addition, to being the f irst taxon documented for Chile in the Rhodometrini.…”

Phylogenetic study of the genera of Trichopterygini from Austral South American (Lepidoptera: Geometridae): a new classification

“…Several studies have incorporated the tribe into the phylogenetic analyzes of Larentiinae. In all, Trichopterygini appears as a monophyletic group but with discrepancies regarding their phylogenetic position (Viidalepp 2006, Yamamoto & Sota 2007, Õunap et al 2008, Strutzenberger et al 2010, Sihvonen et al 2011, and Õunap et al 2016. Parra (1991), Parra and Santos-Salas (1992a-b), and Parra (1996) made a revision of the few genera mentioned for Chile, which were broken up into various taxa, constituting a group of 12 genera and 26 species.…”