Abstract
BackgroundRecent studies have demonstrated the utility of DNA barcoding in the discovery of overlooked species and in the connection of immature and adult stages. In this study, we use DNA barcoding to examine diversity patterns in 121 species of Nymphalidae from the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. Our results suggest the presence of cryptic species in 8 of these 121 taxa. As well, the reference database derived from the analysis of adult specimens allowed the identification of nymphalid caterpillars providing new details on host plant use.Methodology/Principal FindingsWe gathered DNA barcode sequences from 857 adult Nymphalidae representing 121 different species. This total includes four species (Adelpha iphiclus, Adelpha malea, Hamadryas iphtime and Taygetis laches) that were initially overlooked because of their close morphological similarity to other species. The barcode results showed that each of the 121 species possessed a diagnostic array of barcode sequences. In addition, there was evidence of cryptic taxa; seven species included two barcode clusters showing more than 2% sequence divergence while one species included three clusters. All 71 nymphalid caterpillars were identified to a species level by their sequence congruence to adult sequences. These caterpillars represented 16 species, and included Hamadryas julitta, an endemic species from the Yucatan Peninsula whose larval stages and host plant (Dalechampia schottii, also endemic to the Yucatan Peninsula) were previously unknown.Conclusions/SignificanceThis investigation has revealed overlooked species in a well-studied museum collection of nymphalid butterflies and suggests that there is a substantial incidence of cryptic species that await full characterization. The utility of barcoding in the rapid identification of caterpillars also promises to accelerate the assembly of information on life histories, a particularly important advance for hyperdiverse tropical insect assemblages.
Highlights
The Order Lepidoptera includes about 160,000 described species of butterflies and moths [1,2,3], and it is thought that a similar number await discovery [3,4]
Barcoding Nymphalidae from the Yucatan Peninsula morphological analysis revealed four species that had been overlooked in El Colegio de la Frontera Sur-Chetumal (ECOSUR) collection, Adelpha iphiclus, Adelpha malea, Hamadryas iphtime and Taygetis laches (Figure 1)
The first of these species represents a new record for the Yucatan Peninsula, while the last is a new record for Mexico
Summary
The Order Lepidoptera includes about 160,000 described species of butterflies and moths [1,2,3], and it is thought that a similar number await discovery [3,4]. Rearing caterpillars is the traditional way to connect larval and adult stages, and the success of this approach has been shown in Costa Rica where Janzen and Hallwachs have reared 4,500 species, nearly half of the local fauna [11,12,13,14]. This approach takes much time, staff and substantial funding [14]. We use DNA barcoding to examine diversity patterns in 121 species of Nymphalidae from the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. The reference database derived from the analysis of adult specimens allowed the identification of nymphalid caterpillars providing new details on host plant use
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