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Associations between the larval-pupal parasitoids Erycia furibunda and E. festinans (Diptera: Tachinidae) and respectively, the sympatric and syntopic butterflies Euphydryas aurinia provincialis and Melitaea cinxia (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)
Full text linkSeveral studies on butterfly ecology and biology of Melitaeini butterflies have been carried out in the past, however the factors affecting butterfly mortality and the role of natural enemies on population dynamics are not yet fully known. Larval survival plays a key role in determining butterfly population size and distribution range; thus, knowing the sources and variation in larval mortality is essential understanding and predicting population dynamics. Butterfly larval mortality is generally ascribed to abiotic factors, predators and parasitoids (mainly Diptera and Hymenoptera). Among Diptera, tachinids parasitize primarily larval Lepidoptera. In this paper, we report the results of 5-year observations in the wild and captivity on the tachinids, Erycia furibunda and E. festinans, parasitoids of caterpillars of a population of Euphydryas aurinia spp. provincialis and Melitaea cinxia in Central Italy revealing their host specifity. The hosts, E. aurinia and M. cinxia, and parasitoids, E. furibunda and E. festinans, inhabit the same habitat and their life cycles highly overlap, nevertheless, the parasitoids maintain their host specifity: E. furibunda as parasitoid of E. aurinia; E. festinans as parasitoid of M. cinxia. This was confirmed by our findings during the butterfly breeding activities carried out for over five years. Although the role of chemical cues in host finding requires further research, according to our observations the presence of only E. furibunda on larval webs of E. aurinia let us suppose that the mechanism by which E. furibunda locates its host could be based on olfactory cues emitted by feeding damage to host plants that act from afar. Similarly, the mechanism of host finding used by E. festinans could act to select its host, M. cinxia. Furthermore, we illustrate some diagnostic features of adults for the identification of the studied parasitoids
Figure 1 from: Todisco V, Nazari V, Cesaroni D, Sbordoni V (2017) Preliminary molecular phylogeny and biogeography of the monobasic subfamily Calinaginae (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae). Zoosystematics and Evolution 93(2): 255-264. https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.93.10744
No full textFigure 1 -
(A) Approximate geographic distributions (Shirôzu 1960, Lang 2012) and sampling localities (circles) for the species of Calinaga included in this study (with the exception of the sample CBUD-INDIN for which we do not have an exact locality). Species as initially identified are highlighted and shown in different colours. Note that many of these initially attributed names subsequently proved erroneous. The map was obtained using Quantum GIS 2.8.2 based on a map from Natural Earth (www.naturalearthdata.com). (B) Median-Joining Network of mtDNA. Circle size proportional to haplotype frequency; number of nucleotide substitutions indicated along connections, except for single or double substitutions. In both figures the species are highlighted and shown in different colours as initially identified
Natural enemies of Euphydryas aurinia provincialis (Boisduval, 1828)
Full text linkEuphydryas aurinia (Rottemburg, 1775) is one of the most seriously threatened European butterflies, suffering a severe decline in most countries. Although there are several studies on its ecology and biology, the factors affecting its mortality and the role of natural enemies on its population dynamics are yet not fully known.
Larval survival plays a key role in establishing butterfly population size and distribution range; thus, knowing the sources and variation in larval mortality is essential to understand and predict population dynamics. The larval mortality of E.aurinia is mainly attributed to abiotic factors, parasitoids and predators.
In this paper, we present new data on natural enemies of caterpillars of a population of Euphydryas aurinia spp. provincialis in Central Italy. In the study area, females oviposit on several plants, including Gentiana cruciata, and caterpillars live in a communal silken web at I-III larval instar.
During July-August, we photographed in the field and/or collected on sight any potential predator that visited the larval webs on gentians. We visited the larval webs during day-light and every 2-3 hours per day along the same transect path;
this was marked by numbered flags, located at each of the host plants. For each visitor observed, we recorded the date and time of the observation and took notes on prey-predator interaction.
Various arthropods, from spiders to insects, have been recorded frequenting the larval web of E. aurinia. Among insects, the greatest number of observations was on hymenopterans and dipterans. Of these, females of the tachinid Erycia furibunda stayed at butterfly larval webs to parasite the I-III instar larvae. They visited a single larval group repeatedly through time, acting as a potential and substantial mortality factor for our endangered study species
Multivariate analysis of multi-character individual profiles as a tool in systematics
No full textThe biological concept of species, which considers either reproductive isolation or the recognition mating system as criteria for the species definition, suffers several operational difficulties. Reproductive isolation can be seldom demonstrated, especially when hybridization and introgressive phenomena occur, when populations are allopatric, and in non-amphigonically reproducing organisms. In such situations, traditional populational approaches may present problems and the description of taxonomic samples or their variability as averages, variances, or frequencies may be inadeguate. Multivariate ordination techniques may be usefully applied to individual data sets. This method offers several advantages in clarifying systematic and evolutionary relationships among demes, populations or species. First, it makes possible to evaluate the relative location of each individual with respect to various character sets with different properties. Second, it makes possible an identification a posteriori of each individual as <<belonging to>> or <<different from>> a specific cluster. Third, it makes possible to establish relative similarity among taxa within a reference system which is not deformed by cluster algorithms or a priori established character states. Finally, it provides essential indication on the most reliable taxonomic characters to be considered for current systematic work. Two study examples are reported to illustrate the usefulness of this kind of approach in natural situations, where hybridization and introgression occur
Molecular phylogenetic studies of Sino-Himalayan butterflies
No full textThe Sino-Himalayan subregion is a widely extended transition zone between the Oriental Region and the Palaearctic Region. It comprises two of the most representative biodiversity hotspots of the Eurasian Continent, i.e.: the whole Himalayan range, part of the Tibetan Plateau and the South-West China Mountains, and to a little extent also the Indo-Burma Hotspot.
A most interesting feature of this area is the unique nature of many of the animal and plant taxa characteristic of its biota. In fact, the Sino-Himalayan subregion although representing the transition zone between broadly overlapping elements from two zoogeographical regions, is also the abode of several endemic plant and animal taxa. This feature is well testified by the butterfly fauna which include several genera typical of this area.
A second feature is that several of these genera are represented by many species, all or most of them confined to restricted ranges particularly in the Hengduan range and in other mountain area of South-West China.
We are interested in the times and modes of the impressive cladogenetic events leading to the evolution of several Sino-Himalayan speciose butterfly genera, such as Aporia (Pieridae), Byasa andPazala (Papilionidae), Callerebia, Loxerebia, Hemadara and Argestina (Nymphalidae, Satyrinae), Calinaga (Nymphalidae, Calinaginae) and a few other genera.
While speciation events could be related to the complex topography of this region, with steep mountains alternated to deep valleys resulting in a wide range of local climatic conditions, also tectonic and other historical processes could have driven older cladogenetic processes.
In order to contribute to clarify these questions, that also apply to a number of animal and plant taxa, we have approached the butterfly studies from a molecular phylogenetic point of view.
Here we show the status of advancement of our studies by presenting data on molecular phylogenies for the genera Aporia, Byasa and the whole group of Satyrine butterflies belonging to the genus Callerebia and allied genera. At this stage we discuss in particular the correspondences and discordances found in respect of traditional classifications, and discuss the value of mtDNA sequences to predict the specific status of related taxa, offering a preliminary view of the inferred times of the main speciation events in the Sino-Himalayan butterflies
Molecular phylogeny, classification, and biogeographic origin of Callerebia and other related Sino-Himalayan genera (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae)
Full text linkThe Sino-Himalayan subregion is a widely extended transition zone between the Oriental Region and the Palaearctic Region. A most interesting feature of this area is the unique nature of many of the animal and plant taxa characteristic of its biota. In fact, the Sino-Himalayan subregion although representing the transition zone between broadly overlapping elements from two zoogeographical regions, is also the abode of several endemic plant and animal taxa. This feature is well testified by the butterfly fauna which includes several speciose genera typical of this area.
Employing DNA sequences (471 bp) of the elongation factor nuclear gene (EF-1α) as molecular marker, the present study is aimed to investigate the phylogenetic relationships of five genera of the tribe Satyrini (Satyrinae, Nymphalidae), namely Callerebia, Argestina, Hemadara, Loxerebia, (from now on this group of genera will be named “callerebias”) and Eugrumia, most of them consisting of extremely localized species. So far, these butterflies have never been included in molecular studies, since most of the species are rare and/or geographically restricted. Results from this study, although preliminary, draw attention to the need for a systematic revision of the whole tribe Satyrini. In particular, our results lead to reconsider the placement of all the “callerebias” genera that should be moved from subtribe Ypthimina to Erebiina.
In addition, the “callerebias” are recognized as more related to the strictly Holarctic genus Erebia rather than to the tropical Ypthima, almost certainly of Oriental origin. Thus, it is possible to hypothesize the origin of the “callerebias” from an ancient stock of Palaearctic butterflies. Ecological specialization and adaptive radiation might have driven early speciation events of the “callerebias“ genera
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENIES IN DOLICHOPODA CAVE CRICKETS AND MESSENGER TRANSFER DNA RATE CALIBRATION
No full textGoing Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Notes on the geographical variation of Hipparchia autonoe (Insecta: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae) with description of a new subspecies from Qinghai (China)
No full textHipparchia autonoe (Esper, 1783) is a Palaearctic species showing a wide-ranging geographical distribution from the Caucasus to Tibet across the south of Siberia and Mongolia to the Far East of Asia and the north of China, and a considerable degree of phenotypic variation. This note focuses on the area that includes the highlands of Qinghai, Tibet and Gansu, where diferent phenotypes and races ly at a relatively short distance from one another, demanding both a taxonomic revision and a biogeographical interpretation.
In particular, we describe H. autonoe arcellae n. ssp. from Qinghai, and resurrect the taxon H. a. extrema as a valid subspecies, formerly synonymized by Kudrna (1977) with the nominotypical subspecies. Both its distinctive wing pattern and male genitalia morphometrics support this interpretation.
From a biogeographical point of view, processes of vicariance and dispersal, similar to those reported on plants, could have afected evolutionary divergence of populations in refugia of the Qinghai-Gansu-Sichuan area followed by a recent demographic spread. The relatively greater uniformity of the Eurasian
populations is also hypothesized to be the result of a quite recent expansion
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