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Systematics and evolution of the African butterfly genus Mylothris (Lepidoptera, Pieridae)

Warren-Gash, Haydon ; Aduse-Poku, Kwaku ; Murillo-Ramos, Leidys LU orcid and Wahlberg, Niklas LU (2020) In Nota Lepidopterologica 43(1). p.1-14
Abstract

We study the systematics and evolutionary history of the Afrotropical butterfly genus Mylothris (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) based on six gene regions (COI, EF1a, GAPDH, MDH, RpS5 and wingless). We find that the genus can be placed into five species groups, termed the jacksoni, elodina, rhodope, agathina and hilara groups. Within these species groups, we find that many species show very little genetic differentiation based on the markers we sequenced, suggesting they have undergone rapid and recent speciation. Based on secondary calibrations, we estimate the age of the crown group of Mylothris to be about 16 million years old, but that many of the species level divergences have happened in the Pleistocene. We infer that the clade has its... (More)

We study the systematics and evolutionary history of the Afrotropical butterfly genus Mylothris (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) based on six gene regions (COI, EF1a, GAPDH, MDH, RpS5 and wingless). We find that the genus can be placed into five species groups, termed the jacksoni, elodina, rhodope, agathina and hilara groups. Within these species groups, we find that many species show very little genetic differentiation based on the markers we sequenced, suggesting they have undergone rapid and recent speciation. Based on secondary calibrations, we estimate the age of the crown group of Mylothris to be about 16 million years old, but that many of the species level divergences have happened in the Pleistocene. We infer that the clade has its origin in the forests of the Eastern part of Central Africa, and has spread out from there to other regions of Africa.

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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Nota Lepidopterologica
volume
43
issue
1
pages
14 pages
publisher
Soc. Europaea Lepidopterologica
external identifiers
  • scopus:85084860525
ISSN
0342-7536
DOI
10.3897/nl.43.46354
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
07a2b10a-4aff-4fe3-8afb-6332ceda9534
date added to LUP
2020-06-15 11:06:53
date last changed
2024-05-15 12:38:06
@article{07a2b10a-4aff-4fe3-8afb-6332ceda9534,
  abstract     = {{<p>We study the systematics and evolutionary history of the Afrotropical butterfly genus Mylothris (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) based on six gene regions (COI, EF1a, GAPDH, MDH, RpS5 and wingless). We find that the genus can be placed into five species groups, termed the jacksoni, elodina, rhodope, agathina and hilara groups. Within these species groups, we find that many species show very little genetic differentiation based on the markers we sequenced, suggesting they have undergone rapid and recent speciation. Based on secondary calibrations, we estimate the age of the crown group of Mylothris to be about 16 million years old, but that many of the species level divergences have happened in the Pleistocene. We infer that the clade has its origin in the forests of the Eastern part of Central Africa, and has spread out from there to other regions of Africa.</p>}},
  author       = {{Warren-Gash, Haydon and Aduse-Poku, Kwaku and Murillo-Ramos, Leidys and Wahlberg, Niklas}},
  issn         = {{0342-7536}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{1--14}},
  publisher    = {{Soc. Europaea Lepidopterologica}},
  series       = {{Nota Lepidopterologica}},
  title        = {{Systematics and evolution of the African butterfly genus Mylothris (Lepidoptera, Pieridae)}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/nl.43.46354}},
  doi          = {{10.3897/nl.43.46354}},
  volume       = {{43}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}