The Taxa of the Hyponephele lycaon – H. lupina Species Complex (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Satyrinae): Deep DNA Barcode Divergence despite Morphological Similarity

Abstract

The genus Hyponephele includes about 40 species distributed throughout the southern part of the Palaearctic area. Within this genus, the taxa of the H. lycaon – H. lupina species complex are similar with respect to the wing pattern and genitalia structure. Here we revise this group using analysis of butterfly morphology, DNA barcodes, and study of the type material. We show that, with a few exceptions, the species in this group are allopatric in distribution. Allopatry in combination with phenotypic similarity may be theoretically interpreted as evidence for the conspecifity of these taxa. Here we falsify this hypothesis by using DNA barcode analysis. We show that the species of this complex are genetically very distant and cannot be combined together as a polytypic species. We also demonstrate that H. lupina consists of two deeply diverged allopatric clades, H. lupina s. s. and H. mauritanica comb. & stat. nov. The barcode p-distance between these taxa (3.4-4.9%) is significantly higher than the generally accepted 'standard' minimum interspecific divergence (2.0-3.0% ) threshold. These two clades can also be distinguished by the color of the upperside of the wing in males (brown with conspicuous golden reflection in H. lupina ; dark brown without golden reflection in H. mauritanica) and by details in male genitalia and male androconia structures. Syntypes of Hyponephele sifanica, H. cheena cheena, H. cheena iskander, and H. cheena kashmirica are studied and figured.