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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Nymphalid butterflies diversify following near demise at the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary

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Author(s):
Wahlberg, Niklas [1, 2] ; Leneveu, Julien [1] ; Kodandaramaiah, Ullasa [2] ; Pena, Carlos [2] ; Nylin, Soren [2] ; Freitas, Andre V. L. [3, 4] ; Brower, Andrew V. Z. [5]
Total Authors: 7
Affiliation:
[1] Univ Turku, Dept Biol, Genet Lab, Turku 20014 - Finland
[2] Stockholm Univ, Dept Zool, S-10691 Stockholm - Sweden
[3] Univ Estadual Campinas, Inst Biol, Museu Zool, BR-13083970 Campinas, SP - Brazil
[4] Univ Estadual Campinas, Dept Biol Anim, BR-13083970 Campinas, SP - Brazil
[5] Middle Tennessee State Univ, Dept Biol, Murfreesboro, TN 37132 - USA
Total Affiliations: 5
Document type: Journal article
Source: PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES; v. 276, n. 1677, p. 4295-4302, DEC 22 2009.
Web of Science Citations: 264
Abstract

The butterfly family Nymphalidae contains some of the most important non-drosophilid insect model systems for evolutionary and ecological studies, yet the evolutionary history of the group has remained shrouded in mystery. We have inferred a robust phylogenetic hypothesis based on sequences of 10 genes and 235 morphological characters for exemplars of 400 of the 540 valid nymphalid genera representing all major lineages of the family. By dating the branching events, we infer that Nymphalidae originated in the Cretaceous at 90 Ma, but that the ancestors of 10-12 lineages survived the end-Cretaceous catastrophe in the Neotropical and Oriental regions. Patterns of diversification suggest extinction of lineages at the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary (65 Ma) and subsequent elevated speciation rates in the Tertiary. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 98/05101-8 - Lepidoptera of the State of São Paulo: diversity, distribution, resources, and use for analysis and environmental monitoring
Grantee:Keith Spalding Brown Junior
Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants