Pronophilina

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Pronophilina
Montagna Mountain Satyr (Pedaliodes montagna), Arvi Park, Colombia.jpg
Montagna mountain satyr ( Pedaliodes montagna ), Arví Park, Colombia
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Tribe: Satyrini
Subtribe: Pronophilina
Reuter, 1896 [1]

Pronophilina is a Neotropical subtribe of butterflies of the subfamily Satyrinae. They are a species-rich group with highest diversity in the tropical and subtropical mountains, especially the Andes. Before 1970, they were poorly studied, but recent interest has resulted in high rates of species description from previously unexplored mountain ranges. However, there is still a lack of knowledge on their biology and ecology. Their relationship to other groups of Satyrine butterflies and their complex patterns of speciation within and among mountain ranges have led to several biogeographic discussions.

Contents

Systematics and taxonomy

Traditionally the name Pronophilini (or Pronophilidi) was used to describe a tribe of Neotropical satyrines, [1] [2] but modern arrangement place them as a subtribe within the tribe Satyrini of the Satyrinae. [3] The number of genera included in Pronophilina is disputed, since some genera were formally transferred to the subtribes Erebiina and Hypocystinas, [4] [5] but some authors reject this arrangement. [6]

Morphological analysis indicates there is a distinct core group of Pronophilina sensu stricto , and one or two additional groups (Neotropical Erebiina and Hypocystina in their original designation), [4] but molecular analysis suggest they are each other's sister taxa and form a monophyletic group. [7]

Illustrations of New Species of Exotic Butterflies Pronophila VIII Illustrations of new species of exotic butterflies Pronophila VIII.jpg
Illustrations of New Species of Exotic ButterfliesPronophila VIII

By the time Reuter proposed Pronophilidi as a formal tribe, there were some 230 described species. [4] That number rose to 300 species by 1907, and 370 by 1970, primarily due to the work on museum and collection specimens by (in chronological order) William Chapman Hewitson, Cajetan Freiherr von Felder & Rudolf Felder, Arthur Gardiner Butler, Otto Staudinger, Theodor Otto Thieme and Gustav Weymer. [3] More detailed field studies in the northern Andes by Adams and Bernard during the 1970s and 1980s resulted in many new taxa descriptions and a better understanding of their distribution and ecology and lead to an increased interest in this group after the 1990s. More than 100 species have been described since 1970, mostly due to contribution from A. L. Viloria, T. W. Pyrcz and G. Lamas, [3] and it is estimated that the number of known taxa (including several yet unpublished species and subspecies descriptions) has nearly doubled in that period. [8] [9]

Description

The subtribe Pronophilina can be separated from other American satyrines by the following three external morphological synapomorphies: eyes always densely hairy; hindwing cross vein m1-m2 always curved or angled basally into the discal cell; maximum length of hindwing discal cell equal to or longer than half the total maximum length of the hindwing (excluding tails). [4] These characters separate the Pronophilina sensu stricto from other Neotropical montane satyrids previously included in the group. This arrangement has been adopted by Lamas, [3] but phylogenetic analysis based on molecular data suggests a larger, more inclusive delimitation of Pronophilina is needed.

The background color of most species is dominated by brown, dark gray or black, with few and slight distinctive features in the wings, but some species show colorful variations between white, yellow, orange, red and iridescent blue. [4]

Genera

Pedaliodes hewitsoni Pedaliodes hewitsoni MHNT ventre.jpg
Pedaliodes hewitsoni
Argyrophorus argenteus is distributed in Argentina and Chile Argyrophorus argenteus01.jpg
Argyrophorus argenteus is distributed in Argentina and Chile
Corades enyo CoradesEnyoHewitson.jpg
Corades enyo
Steroma superba Steromasuperba.jpg
Steroma superba

Biology

The life cycle of pronophiline butterflies has been scarcely documented. Schultze [10] described incomplete life histories for Pedaliodes phoenissa (Hewitson), Lymanopoda samius Westwood and Junea doraete (Hewitson). Other authors have observed oviposition on Chusquea (Poaceae) or other woody bamboos, [11] [12] or loosely over grass dominated vegetation. [13] Early stages of several species found in Costa Rica were published by DeVries. [14] Recently, life cycle description have been documented for Parapedaliodes parepa (Hewitson) in Ecuador, [15] Pedaliodes zingara Viloria & Heredia in Colombia, [16] Pedaliodes poesia (Hewitson) and Corades medeba Doubleday in Ecuador, [17] [18] and Daedalma dinias emma Pyrcz & Greeney and Daedalma rubroreducta Pyrcz & Willmott. [8]

Biotic associations

Host plants

Chusquea cumingii Chusquea cumingii Nees by Pato Novoa - 002.jpg
Chusquea cumingii

All reported host plants are in the family Poaceae, with the genus Chusquea featuring prominently, and a few records in Cynodon , Saccharum , Bambusa , Guada , Rhipidocladum , Merostachys and Zea , among others. [4] [19] [20]

Parasitism

Parasitoids in the early stages of pronophiline butterflies have not been properly documented, although they might be locally important. [4] Incidence of ectoparasitic Diptera (probably Ceratopogonidae) have been documented for seven species of the genera Corades, Lasiophila, Lymanopoda, Mygona and Pedaliodes. [21]

Mimicry

There are 18 documented examples of convergent coloration patterns between coexisting pairs of pronophiline species from different genera (three examples), between pronophiline species and other satyrines (eight examples), and between pronophiline species and other butterflies or skippers (seven examples). [4] Most examples involve species of Lymanopoda or Eretris. Some of these observations have been described as mimetic relationships, but the degree of resemblance is not so accurate as in other mimetic butterfly groups, there is no direct evidence of unpalatability of pronophiline butterflies, and no clear understanding of the ecological consequences of such resemblance. [4]

Diversity

Depending on the classification adopted, the pronophilini include between 592 and 711 species. [3] [4] This represents approximately 50–60% of the Neotropical, [3] and 23–27% of the worldwide Satyrinae. [22]

Most species have a geographically and altitudinally restricted distribution in the tropical and subtropical Andes, and other mountain ranges in Brazil, the Guayana Shield, Central America, and Mexico. The genus Calisto has a Caribbean distribution, and some other genera are distributed in Patagonia. [4]

Biogeography

The pronophilines have been involved in diverse biogeographical discussions that aim to explain their current distribution, diversity and endemism. [23] The high diversity within the Pronophilina, and the distinctive speciation patterns in mountain and Caribbean taxa, has also motivated discussion about parapatric and sympatric speciation. [24] [25]

Origins

The affinities of the Pronophilina to other species groups within the specious Satyrinae suggest different interpretations about its origin. Viloria [4] reviewed morphological characters and separated three groups that might have different phylogenetic and biogeographic affinities: a major group of 39 true Neotropical Pronophilina, including the genus Calisto with a Caribbean distribution, eight genera related to the Holarctic Erebiina, and 19 genera which he placed as Neotropical representatives of the otherwise Australasian Hypocystina. This grouping would suggest an amphi-Pacific distribution of the Hypocystina, and imply a Gondwanan origin according to a panbiogegraphic interpretations. [23] This hypothesis was rebutted after a large phylogenetic analysis of the Satyrinae recovered a representative sample of pronophiline genera as a monophyletic group, and suggested a completely Neotropical, or at least, a common origin for the group. [7] However, the relationships of the group remain unresolved, as subsequent work has found that at least two genera – Eretris , and the Caribbean Calisto —might be closer related to Holarctic Satyrines, [26] but larger taxonomic sampling and a better integration of molecular and morphological data is needed to rule out analytical artifacts. [6]

Speciation

It has been observed that most mountain species, especially in the species-rich genera close to Pedaliodes, have very narrow altitudinal ranges, and are restricted to one or few mountain ranges. This leads to high turn-over of species along altitudinal gradients within a mountain range, and high turn-over between ranges. [24] Most species appear to be more closely related to those occupying a similar altitudinal range in neighboring mountains, than to the species below or above. [27] A possible mechanism was proposed by Adams [24] and extensively discussed by Viloria. [27] This involves a series of alternative events of colonization and isolation that would be linked to repeated cycles of cold-wet and warm-dry climate (glaciations and interglaciation periods).

The genus Calisto also shows a distinctive radiation in the Caribbean, where it is the only representative of the Satyrinae. [25] At least 54 named taxa have been recognized, most of them restricted to particular habitats in the island of Hispaniola, with fewer species in Cuba, Jamaica and Puerto Rico. [3] The diversification of Calisto is referred to as an example of adaptive radiation into contrasting habitat types. [25]

Related Research Articles

Nymphalidae Largest butterfly family

The Nymphalidae are the largest family of butterflies, with more than 6,000 species distributed throughout most of the world. Belonging to the superfamily Papilionoidea, they are usually medium-sized to large butterflies. Most species have a reduced pair of forelegs and many hold their colourful wings flat when resting. They are also called brush-footed butterflies or four-footed butterflies, because they are known to stand on only four legs while the other two are curled up; in some species, these forelegs have a brush-like set of hairs, which gives this family its other common name. Many species are brightly coloured and include popular species such as the emperors, monarch butterfly, admirals, tortoiseshells, and fritillaries. However, the under wings are, in contrast, often dull and in some species look remarkably like dead leaves, or are much paler, producing a cryptic effect that helps the butterflies blend into their surroundings.

Papilionoidea Superfamily of butterflies

The superfamily Papilionoidea contains all the butterflies except for the moth-like Hedyloidea.

Satyrinae Subfamily of butterfly family Nymphalidae

The Satyrinae, the satyrines or satyrids, commonly known as the browns, are a subfamily of the Nymphalidae. They were formerly considered a distinct family, Satyridae. This group contains nearly half of the known diversity of brush-footed butterflies. The true number of the Satyrinae species is estimated to exceed 2,400.

Redonda is a butterfly genus from the subfamily Satyrinae in the family Nymphalidae. The genus was erected by Michael Jan Adams and George Igor Bernard in 1981. It is endemic to the Cordillera de Merida páramo in Mérida, Venezuela. There are 10 known species, which are separated in distinct mountain ranges. Most species show some degree of sexual dimorphism in wing size, in the most extreme cases females show some degree of wing deformation which might point to incipient brachyptery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Satyrini</span> Tribe of butterflies

The Satyrini is one of the tribes of the subfamily Satyrinae. It includes about 2200 species and is therefore the largest tribe in the subfamily which comprises 2500 species.

Morphinae Subfamily of butterfly family Nymphalidae

The Morphinae are a subfamily of Nymphalidae butterflies that includes the morphos, the owl butterflies (Caligo), and related lineages. It is either considered a sister group of the Satyrinae, or disassembled and included therein.

<i>Agrias</i> Genus of brush-footed butterflies

Agrias is a genus of Neotropical charaxine nymphalid butterflies found in South and Central America.

<i>Pierella</i>

Pierella is a butterfly genus from the subfamily Satyrinae in the family Nymphalidae found from Mexico through Central America to South America. The species of Pierella have larger hindwings than forewings, unique among butterflies. The oval green flash on the forewing is also unique. It is caused by diffraction, the wing scales forming a diffraction grating.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elymniini</span> Tribe of butterflies

The Elymniini is one of the tribes of the subfamily Satyrinae. If the subfamily Satyrinae elevate to family status, this tribe shall be treated as subfamily Elymniinae. Elymniini was formerly a large group, but recently, it is considered to be include only one genus, Elymnias, according to molecular phylogenetic analyses.

Euptychiina Subtribe of butterflies

The butterfly subtribe Euptychiina is a diverse group within the tribe Satyrini, occurring throughout Central and South America, in addition to a few species known from North America. Euptychiina is a predominantly lowland group, with the exception of one Asian taxon Palaeonympha opalinaButler, 1871 and the Andean genus ForsterinariaGray, 1973. The taxon was erected by Lee Denmar Miller.

Brassolini Butterfly tribe of disputed placement

Brassolini is a tribe usually placed in the brush-footed butterfly subfamily Morphinae, which is often included in the Satyrinae as a tribe Morphini. If this is accepted, the Brassolini become the sister tribe of the Morphini among the Satyrinae. Formerly, they were treated as an independent family Brassolidae or subfamily Brassolinae. Many members of this tribe are called owl butterflies.

<i>Corades enyo</i> Species of butterfly

Corades enyo, the Enyo satyr, is a species of butterfly found in the high elevations of the Andes in Colombia and Peru. It is found in the cloud forests at altitudes of 2,200–3,000 metres (7,200–9,800 ft). They belong to subtribe Pronophilina of the subfamily Satyrinae. The caterpillars grow on Chusquea species of bamboo.

<i>Pedaliodes</i> Genus of insects

Pedaliodes is a genus of butterflies from the subfamily Satyrinae in the family Nymphalidae found from Mexico to South America. The genus was erected by Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1867.

<i>Lymanopoda</i> Genus of insects

Lymanopoda is a butterfly genus from the subfamily Satyrinae in the family Nymphalidae found in north-western South America.

Altopedialiodes is a genus of satyrid butterflies.

<i>Argyrophorus</i> Genus of butterflies

Argyrophorus is a butterfly genus from the subfamily Satyrinae in the family Nymphalidae. It is distributed between Chile, Argentina and Perú. The systematic and circumscription of the genus is disputed.

Diaphanos is a genus of butterflies in the family Nymphalidae. There are three recognised species in the Neotropics, and one undescribed subspecies of D. huberi.

Idioneurula is a genus of butterflies in the family Nymphalidae. The species of this genus are found in the Neotropics.

Pedaliodes cledonia is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Peru and Bolivia. The habitat consists of mid-elevation cloud forests.

Redonda chiquinquirana is a butterfly species from the subfamily Satyrinae in the family Nymphalidae. It is endemic from the Cordillera de Merida páramo in Venezuela, in northern South America. R. chiquinquirana show high degree of sexual dimorphism in wingsize, in which females show some degree of wing deformation which might point to incipient brachyptery.

References

  1. 1 2 Reuter, E. R. (1896). "Über die Palpen der Rhopaloceren: ein Beitrag zur Erkenntnis der verwandtschaftlichen Beziehungen unter den Tagfaltern". Acta Societas Scientiarum Fennica. 22: 1–577.
  2. ↑ Miller, L. D. (1968). "The higher classification, phylogeny, and zoogeography of the Satyridae (Lepidoptera)". Memoirs of the American Entomological Society. 24: 1–174.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Lamas, G. 2004 Atlas of Neotropical Lepidoptera. CheckList: Part 4A Hesperioidea-Papilionoidea Scientific Publishers.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Viloria, A.L (2007). "The Pronophilini: Synopsis of their Biology and Systematics" (PDF). Tropical Lepidoptera. 2004 (15): 1–17.
  5. 1 2 3 Viloria, A. L. (2004). "Some Gondwanan and Laurasian elements in the satyrine fauna of South America (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae)" (PDF). Tropical Lepidoptera. 15: 53–55.
  6. 1 2 Marín, MA; Peña, C.; Freitas, AVL; Wahlberg, N.; Uribe, SI (2011). "From the Phylogeny of the Satyrinae Butterflies to the Systematics of Euptychiina (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae): History, Progress and Prospects". Neotropical Entomology. 40 (1): 1–13. doi: 10.1590/s1519-566x2011000100001 . PMID   21437476.
  7. 1 2 Peña, C.; Wahlberg, N.; Weingartner, E.; Kodandaramaiah, U.; Nylin, S.; Freitas, A. V. L.; Brower, A. V. Z. (2006). "Higher level phylogeny of Satyrinae butterflies (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) based on DNA sequence data". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 40 (1): 29–49. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2006.02.007. PMID   16563805.
  8. 1 2 Pyrcz, T. W.; Greeney, H. F.; Willmott, K. R.; Wojtusiak, J. (2011). "A taxonomic revision of the genus Daedalma Hewitson with the descriptions of twenty new taxa and the immature stages of two species (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae)". Zootaxa. 2898: 1–68. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.2898.1.1.
  9. ↑ Viloria, Ángel L.; Ferrer-Paris, José R.; Camacho, Jesús; Costa, Mauro (2013) [2015]. "New satyrine butterflies from the Venezuelan Andes (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)". Anartia. 25: 95–160. doi:10.5281/zenodo.18332.
  10. ↑ A. Schultze 1929 "Die ersten Stände von drei kolumbianischen hochandinen Satyriden" Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 'Iris' 43: 157–165, 3 plates.
  11. ↑ Adams, M. J. (1986). "Pronophiline butterflies (Satyridae) of the three Andean Cordilleras of Colombia". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 87 (3): 235–320. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.1986.tb01338.x.
  12. ↑ Pyrcz, T. W.; Willmott, K. R.; Hall, J. P. (1999). "Contributions to the knowledge of Ecuadorian Pronophilina, Part 3, Three new species and five new subspecies of Lymanopoda (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae)". Genus. 10: 497–522.
  13. ↑ Viloria, A. L.; Pyrcz, T. W.; Wojtusiak, J.; Ferrer-Paris, J. R.; Beccaloni, G. W.; Sattler, K.; Lees, D. C. (7 August 2003). "A brachypterous butterfly?". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 270 (Suppl_1): S21–S24. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2003.0015. PMC   1698010 . PMID   12952626.
  14. ↑ P. J DeVries 1987 The butterflies of {Costa Rica} and their natural history. Papilionidae, {Pieridae}, Nymphalidae Princeton University PressPrinceton.
  15. ↑ Pelz, V. (1997). "Life history of Pedaliodes parepa from Ecuador (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae)". Tropical Lepidoptera. 8: 41–45.
  16. ↑ Heredia, M. D.; Viloria, A. L. (2004). "Description and life history of Pedaliodes zingara, a new satyrine species from Colombia". Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society. 58: 80–87.
  17. ↑ Greeney, H.; Pyrcz, T. W.; Dyer, L. A.; Sanches, M. Z. (2010). "The early stages and natural history of Corades medeba Hewitson, 1850 in eastern Ecuador (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Satyrinae, Pronophilina)". Tropical Lepidoptera Research. 20: 8–13.
  18. ↑ Greeney, H.; Pyrcz, T. W.; DeVries, P. J.; Dyer, L. A. (2009). "The early stages of Pedaliodes poesia (Hewitson, 1862) in eastern Ecuador (Lepidoptera: Satyrinae: Pronophilina)". Journal of Insect Science. 9 (38): 1–9. doi:10.1673/031.009.3801. PMC   3011831 . PMID   19619029.
  19. ↑ George W. Beccaloni, Angel Luis Viloria, Stephen R. Hall, and Gaden S. Robinson 2008 Catalogue of the hostplants of the Neotropical butterflies. Catálogo de las plantas huésped de las mariposas neotropicales RIBES-CYTED / Sociedad Entomológica AragonesaZaragoza.
  20. ↑ Ferrer-Paris, José R.; Sánchez-Mercado, Ada; Viloria, Ángel L.; Donaldson, John (2013). "Congruence and Diversity of Butterfly–Host Plant Associations at Higher Taxonomic Levels". PLOS ONE. 8 (5): e63570. Bibcode:2013PLoSO...863570F. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0063570 . PMC   3662771 . PMID   23717448.
  21. ↑ Lichy, R. (1946). "Documents pour servir a l'etude des Lépidoptérès du Vénézuéla (3e Note). Un cas de parasitisme sur les ailes des Lépidoptérès". Bol. Ent. Venez. 5: 1–4.
  22. ↑ G. Lamas 2008 La sistemática sobre mariposas (Lepidoptera: Hesperioidea y Papilionoidea) en el mundo: estado actual y perspectivas futuras: 57–70.
  23. 1 2 A. L. Viloria 2003 "Historical biogeography and the origins of the satyrine butterflies of the tropical Andes (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera)", In: Llorente J. Morrone, J. J. (Eds.) Una perspectiva latinoamericana de la biogeografía Universidad Autónoma de México, México.
  24. 1 2 3 Michael J Adams 1985 Speciation in the pronophiline butterflies (Satyridae) of the northern AndesJournal of Research on the Lepidoptera Supl. 1: 33–49.
  25. 1 2 3 Sourakov, Andrei; Zakharov, Evgeny (2011). ""Darwin's butterflies"? DNA barcoding and the radiation of the endemic Caribbean butterfly genus Calisto (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Satyrinae)". Comparative Cytogenetics. 5 (3): 191–210. doi:10.3897/compcytogen.v5i3.1730. PMC   3833777 . PMID   24260629.
  26. ↑ Wahlberg, N.; Leneveu, J.; Kodandaramaiah, U.; Peña, C.; Nylin, S.; Freitas, A. V. L.; Brower, A. V. Z. (2009). "Nymphalid butterflies diversify following near demise at the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary". Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences. 276 (1677): 4295–4302. doi:10.1098/rspb.2009.1303. PMC   2817107 . PMID   19793750.
  27. 1 2 A. L. Viloria 1999 Studies on the systematics and biogeography of some montane satyrid butterflies (Lepidoptera). Imperial College, London. PhD Thesis
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