Lukhtanov, V.A.; Zakharov, E.V. Taxonomic Structure and Wing Pattern Evolution in the Parnassius mnemosyne Species Complex (Lepidoptera, Papilionidae). Insects2023, 14, 942.
Lukhtanov, V.A.; Zakharov, E.V. Taxonomic Structure and Wing Pattern Evolution in the Parnassius mnemosyne Species Complex (Lepidoptera, Papilionidae). Insects 2023, 14, 942.
Lukhtanov, V.A.; Zakharov, E.V. Taxonomic Structure and Wing Pattern Evolution in the Parnassius mnemosyne Species Complex (Lepidoptera, Papilionidae). Insects2023, 14, 942.
Lukhtanov, V.A.; Zakharov, E.V. Taxonomic Structure and Wing Pattern Evolution in the Parnassius mnemosyne Species Complex (Lepidoptera, Papilionidae). Insects 2023, 14, 942.
Abstract
In our work, using the analysis of DNA barcodes and morphology (wing color, male genitalia, sphragis shape in females), we show that the group of species close to P. mnemosyne is represented by two phylogenetic lineages, the western and eastern ones. The eastern lineage includes P. stubbendorfii, P. glacialis and P. hoenei. The western lineage includes three morphologically similar species, P. mnemosyne (Western Eurasia), P. turatii (southwestern Europe) and P. nubilosus stat. nov. (Turkmenistan and NE Iran), as well as P. ariadne (Altai). The latter species differs from the rest of the group in the presence of red spots on the wings. Parnassius mnemosyne s.s. is represented by four differentiated mitochondrial clusters that show clear association with specific geographic regions. We propose to interpret them as subspecies: P. mnemosyne mnemosyne (Central and Eastern Europe, N Caucasus, N Turkey), P. mnemosyne adolphi (the Middle East), P. mnemosyne orientalis (Tian Shan) and P. mnemosyne gigantea (Gissar-Alai in Central Asia). We demonstrate that in P. ariadne the red spots on the wing evolved as a reversion to the ancestral wing pattern. This reversion is observed in Altai, where the distribution areas of the western lineage, represented by P. ariadne, and the eastern lineage, represented by P. stubbendorfii, overlap. These two species hybridize in Altai, and we hypothesize that the color change in P. ariadne is the result of reinforcement of prezygotic isolation in the contact zone. Lectotype of Parnassius mnemosyne var. nubilosus Christoph, 1873 is designated.
Biology and Life Sciences, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
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