Mesoamerica is a cradle and the Atlantic Forest is a museum of Neotropical butterfly diversity: insights from the evolution and biogeography of Brassolini (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)

Author(s)

Matos-Maravi, Pavel ^{[1, 2, 3]} ; Wahlberg, Niklas ^[4] ; Freitas, Andre V. L. ^[5] ; Devries, Phil ^{[6, 7]} ; Antonelli, Alexandre ^{[1, 2, 8, 9]} ; Penz, Carla M. ^[6]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Gothenburg, Dept Biol & Environm Sci, Carl Skottsbergs Gata 22B, S-41319 Gothenburg - Sweden

^[2] Gothenburg Global Biodivers Ctr, Carl Skottsbergs Gata 22B, S-41319 Gothenburg - Sweden

^[3] Czech Acad Sci, Biol Ctr, Inst Entomol, Branisovska 1160-31, Ceske Budejovice 37005 - Czech Republic

^[4] Lund Univ, Dept Biol, Solvegatan 37, S-22362 Lund - Sweden

^[5] Univ Estadual Campinas, Inst Biol, Dept Biol Anim, Rua Monteiro Lobato 255, BR-13083862 Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[6] Univ New Orleans, Dept Biol Sci, 2000 Lakeshore Dr, New Orleans, LA 70148 - USA

^[7] Florida Museum Nat Hist, Lepidoptera, 1659 Museum Rd, Gainesville, FL 32611 - USA

^[8] Royal Bot Gardens Kew, Richmond TW9 3AE, Surrey - England

^[9] Univ Oxford, Dept Plant Sci, South Parks Rd, Oxford OX1 3RB - England

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Biological Journal of the Linnean Society; v. 133, n. 3, p. 704-724, JUL 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Regional species diversity is explained ultimately by speciation, extinction and dispersal. Here, we estimate dispersal and speciation rates of Neotropical butterflies to propose an explanation for the distribution and diversity of extant species. We focused on the tribe Brassolini (owl butterflies and allies), a Neotropical group that comprises 17 genera and 108 species, most of them endemic to rainforest biomes. We inferred a robust species tree using the multispecies coalescent framework and a dataset including molecular and morphological characters. This formed the basis for three changes in Brassolini classification: (1) Naropina syn. nov. is subsumed within Brassolina; (2) Aponarope syn. nov. is subsumed within Narope; and (3) Selenophanes orgetorix comb. nov. is reassigned from Catoblepia to Selenophanes. By applying biogeographical stochastic mapping, we found contrasting species diversification and dispersal dynamics across rainforest biomes, which might be explained, in part, by the geological and environmental history of each bioregion. Our results revealed a mosaic of biome-specific evolutionary histories within the Neotropics, where butterfly species have diversified rapidly (cradles: Mesoamerica), have accumulated gradually (museums: Atlantic Forest) or have diversified and accumulated alternately (Amazonia). Our study contributes evidence from a major butterfly lineage that the Neotropics are a museum and a cradle of species diversity. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 13/50297-0 - Dimensions US-BIOTA São Paulo: a multidisciplinary framework for biodiversity prediction in the Brazilian Atlantic forest hotspot
• Grantee: Cristina Yumi Miyaki
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 12/50260-6 - Structure and evolution of the Amazonian biota and its environment: an integrative approach
• Grantee: Lúcia Garcez Lohmann
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 11/50225-3 - Natural history, phylogeny and conservation of Neotropical Lepidoptera
• Grantee: André Victor Lucci Freitas
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Regular Research Grants