The study was carried out in spring seasons of 2017 and 2018 the forest area Maldevta region. distinct butterflies were collected from sites preserved according to their body size density. total 26 species collected, identified categorized as families sub –families like Papilionidae: Papilioninae; Pieridae: Pierinae, Coliadinae; Nymphalidae: Nymphalinae, Satyrinae, Danainae; Lycaenidae: Lycaeni...

AIM Despite the greatest butterfly diversity on Earth occurring in the Neotropical Andes and Amazonia, there is still keen debate about the origins of this exceptional biota. A densely sampled calibrated phylogeny for a widespread butterfly subtribe, Oleriina (Nymphalidae: Ithomiini) was used to estimate the origin, colonization history and diversification of this species-rich group. LOCATION...

The butterfly tribe Melitaeini [Nymphalidae] contains numerous species that have been the subjects of a wide range of biological studies. Despite numerous taxonomic revisions, many of the evolutionary relationships within the tribe remain unresolved. Utilizing mitochondrial and nuclear gene regions, we produced a time-calibrated phylogenetic hypothesis for 222 exemplars comprising at least 178 ...

Lepidopteran insects have provided excellent study systems for understanding adaptive phenotypic plasticity. Although there are a few well-studied examples of adult plasticity among tropical butterflies, our understanding of plasticity of larval and pupal stages is largely restricted to temperate butterflies. The environmental parameters inducing phenotypic plasticity and the selective pressure...

DNA barcodes were obtained for 81 butterfly species belonging to 52 genera from sites in north-central Pakistan to test the utility of barcoding for their identification and to gain a better understanding of regional barcode variation. These species represent 25% of the butterfly fauna of Pakistan and belong to five families, although the Nymphalidae were dominant, comprising 38% of the total s...

The Neotropics harbour the most diverse flora and fauna on Earth. The Andes are a major centre of diversification and source of diversity for adjacent areas in plants and vertebrates, but studies on insects remain scarce, even though they constitute the largest fraction of terrestrial biodiversity. Here, we combine molecular and morphological characters to generate a dated phylogeny of the butt...

The regal fritillary ("regal") (Speyeria idalia) is endangered in Wisconsin, USA, and declining and at risk range-wide. During 1988-2015, we surveyed 24 known regal sites and >100 areas of potential habitat in Wisconsin. We recorded 9037 individuals in 742.7 km on the peak survey per year at occupied sites. At six sites surveyed over 5-25 years, we found regal fritillaries in only one year, mos...

Measurements of species richness and species abundance can have important implications for regulations and conservation. This study investigated species richness and abundance of butterflies in the family Nymphalidae at undisturbed, and disturbed habitats in Tirimbina Biological Reserve and Nogal Private Reserve, Sarapiquí, Costa Rica. Traps baited with rotten banana were placed in the canopy a...

We aggregated data on butterfly-host plant associations from existing sources in order to address the following questions: (1) is there a general correlation between host diversity and butterfly species richness?, (2) has the evolution of host plant use followed consistent patterns across butterfly lineages?, (3) what is the common ancestral host plant for all butterfly lineages? The compilatio...

Frequency-dependent selection on warning color can maintain narrow hybrid zones between unpalatable prey taxa. To measure such selection, we transferred marked Heliconius erato (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) in both directions across a 10-km-wide hybrid zone between Peruvian races differing in color pattern. These experimental H. erato were released at four sites, along with control H. erato of the...