Search Results (7)

Background: The Satyrinae subfamily represents a taxonomically critical group within Nymphalidae, characterized by its remarkable species diversity. Despite its evolutionary significance, the phylogenetic relationships among tribal and subtribal lineages remain poorly resolved. Although mitochondrial genomes have become crucial molecular markers in Lepidoptera phylogenetics, their potential remains underutilized in the systematics of Satyrinae. Notably, Amathusiini exhibits a particular paucity, with only two congeneric representatives having been comprehensively sequenced to date. Methods: We employed high-throughput sequencing to assemble the complete mitochondrial genomes of two Amathusiini species, Discophora sondaica and Aemona amathusia. Our study revealed novel evolutionary insights through comparative genomics, which encompassed all available Satyrinae mitochondrial genomes. Additionally, we conducted phylogenetic reconstruction using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference approaches, utilizing the most extensive dataset to date. Results: The closed, circular mitochondrial genomes measure 15,333 bp for D. sondaica and 15,423 bp for A. amathusia, maintaining the ancestral lepidopteran architecture: 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNAs, 2 rRNAs, and an AT-rich control region. Comparative analyses of 71 mitochondrial genomes revealed strong evolutionary conservation across multiple parameters: nucleotide composition (AT content range: 77.9–81.8%), codon usage bias (ENC = 30.83–37.55), tRNA secondary structures, and control region organization. All PCGs showed purifying selection signals (Ka/Ks < 1.0), with atp8 exhibiting the highest evolutionary rate (Ka/Ks = 0.277). Phylogenetic reconstructions yielded congruent tribal-level topologies with strong nodal support: ((Satyrini + Melanitini) + (Amathusiini + Elymniini) + Zetherini), confirming a sister relationship between Amathusiini and Elymniini. Within Satyrini, five subtribes formed monophyletic groups: Ypthimina, Erebiina, Maniolina, Satyrina, and Melanargiina, arranged as ((Ypthimina + (Erebiina + Maniolina)) + (Satyrina + Melanargiina)). Mycalesina, Lethina, and Parargina comprised a well-supported clade (BS = 100%; PP = 1.0), though internal relationships required further resolution due to Lethina’s polyphyly. Conclusions: This study provides novel insights into mitochondrial genomic evolution within the Satyrinae subfamily while elucidating the efficacy of mitogenomic data for resolving deep phylogenetic relationships within this ecologically significant subfamily. Our findings establish critical genome baselines for further systematic research and underscore essential pathways for refining subtribal-level taxonomy through integrative molecular approaches. Full article

Satyrinae, one of the most species-rich groups within the Nymphalidae family, has traditionally relied on morphological characteristics for classification. However, this approach encounters challenges due to issues such as cryptic species and paraphyletic groups. Recent molecular phylogenetic studies have revealed the complex evolutionary history of Satyrinae, leading to the reclassification of the originally polyphyletic Satyrini into multiple independent tribes and confirming the monophyletic status of groups such as Amathusiini. Nevertheless, the phylogenetic relationships and divergence times of certain tribes remain contentious. This study focuses on three species of the Amathusiini tribe (Faunis aerope, Stichophthalma howqua, and Aemona lena), constructing a phylogenetic tree by sequencing the complete mitochondrial genome and integrating 13 protein-coding genes, including COI and ND5. The results indicate that the mitogenome lengths for the three satyrid species are 15,512 bp for Faunis aerope, 13,914 bp for Stichophthalma howqua, and 15,288 bp for Aemona lena. The genetic composition and sequencing of the newly obtained mitogenomes exhibit high conservation and are distinctive to this group of butterflies. Each of the three mitogenomes contains a characteristic collection of 37 genes along with an AT-rich region. Notably, the tRNA genes across these mitogenomes display a conventional cloverleaf configuration; however, the tRNA^Ser stem (AGN) lacks the dihydrouridine (DHU) arm. The three species exhibit varying lengths of AT-rich regions, resulting in differences in their mitochondrial genome sizes. Finally, the phylogenetic analysis supports the relationships among the four tribes of Satyrinae as: (Satyrini + (Amathusiini + Elymniini)) + Melanitini. Full article

The Nymphalidae family of cosmopolitan butterflies (Lepidoptera) comprises approximately 7200 species found on all continents and in all habitats. However, debate persists regarding the phylogenetic relationships within this family. In this study, we assembled and annotated eight mitogenomes of Nymphalidae, constituting the first report of complete mitogenomes for this family. Comparative analysis of 105 mitochondrial genomes revealed that the gene compositions and orders were identical to the ancestral insect mitogenome, except for Callerebia polyphemus trnV being before trnL and Limenitis homeyeri having two trnL genes. The results regarding length variation, AT bias, and codon usage were consistent with previous reports on butterfly mitogenomes. Our analysis indicated that the subfamilies Limenitinae, Nymphalinae, Apaturinae, Satyrinae, Charaxinae, Heliconiinae, and Danainae are monophyletic, while the subfamily the subfamily Cyrestinae is polyphyletic. Danainae is the base of the phylogenetic tree. At the tribe level, Euthaliini in Limenitinae; Melitaeini and Kallimini in Nymphalinae; Pseudergolini in Cyrestinae; Mycalesini, Coenonymphini, Ypthimini, Satyrini, and Melanitini in Satyrinae; and Charaxini in Charaxinae are regarded as monophyletic groups. However, the tribe Lethini in Satyrinae is paraphyletic, while the tribes Limenitini and Neptini in Limenitinae, Nymphalini and Hypolimni in Nymphalinae, and Danaini and Euploeini in Danainae are polyphyletic. This study is the first to report the gene features and phylogenetic relationships of the Nymphalidae family based on mitogenome analysis, providing a foundation for future studies of population genetics and phylogenetic relationships within this family. Full article

Vertical stratification is a recognized pattern in tropical forests; however, biotic and abiotic factors driving this pattern are little explored. We investigated the influence of daily climatic variation in the vertical stratification of fruit-feeding butterfly assemblages sampled with bait traps in the understory and canopy of a subtropical Atlantic Forest. Overall, 1347 individuals belonging to 38 species of fruit-feeding butterflies were recorded. The canopy and understory are distinct concerning diurnal but not nocturnal microclimatic conditions, leading to different responses in community structure. Richness did not differ between strata, but we observed an effect of stratum in interaction with variation in microclimatic conditions, with the canopy increasing in abundance compared to the understory. Temperature homogenization at night can hinder vertical stratification in richness, while microclimatic variation influences species abundance. The species composition was affected by strata with high turnover in the understory, without an effect of microclimatic variables in beta diversity. In addition to the difference in composition, our study shows that the understory was represented mainly by species from Satyrinae, while the canopy presented species from different clades. This could be an artefact of habitat structure, and the species adapted to the closed forest have a dispersal limitation compared to in the canopy. These findings help us to better understand the mechanisms generating distinct patterns of vertical stratification of fruit-feeding butterflies in the Neotropics and provide new insights into the role of microclimatic conditions in the structure of insect assemblages. Full article

The cold hardiness of overwintering stages affects the distribution of temperate and cold-zone insects. Studies on Erebia, a species-rich cold-zone butterfly genus, detected unexpected diversity of cold hardiness traits. We expanded our investigation to eight Satyrinae species of seven genera. We assessed Autumn and Winter supercooling points (SCPs) and concentrations of putatively cryoprotective sugars and polyols via gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Aphantopus hyperantus and Hipparchia semele survived freezing of body fluids; Coenonympha arcania, C. gardetta, and Melanargia galathea died prior to freezing; Maniola jurtina, Chazara briseis, and Minois dryas displayed a mixed response. SCP varied from −22 to −9 °C among species. Total sugar and polyol concentrations (TSPC) varied sixfold (2 to 12 μg × mg⁻¹) and eightfold including the Erebia spp. results. SCP and TSPC did not correlate. Alpine Erebia spp. contained high trehalose, threitol, and erythritol; C. briseis and C. gardetta contained high ribitol and trehalose; lowland species contained high saccharose, maltose, fructose, and sorbitol. SCP, TSPC, and glycerol concentrations were affected by phylogeny. Species of mountains or steppes tend to be freeze-avoidant, overwinter as young larvae, and contain high concentrations of trehalose, while those of mesic environments tend to be freeze-tolerant, overwinter as later instars, and rely on compounds such as maltose, saccharose, and fructose. Full article

Satyrinae is a 3000-species butterfly subfamily of Nymphalidae. The higher-level classification of this family is still controversial. In this research, we sequenced the complete mitogenomes of three satyrid butterfly species, Hipparchia autonoe, Paroeneis palaearctica, and Oeneis buddha, and studied the phylogeny of Satyrinae with all known complete mitogenomes. The results showed that the lengths of the three satyrid butterfly mitogenomes are 15,435 bp (H. Autonoe), 15,942 bp (P. palaearctica), and 15,259 bp (O. buddha). Gene content and arrangement of newly sequenced mitogenomes are highly conserved and are typical of Lepidoptera. These three mitogenomes were found to have a typical set of 37 genes and an A + T-rich region. The tRNA genes in these three mitogenomes showed a typical clover leaf structure, but the stem of tRNASer (AGN) was lacking dihydroacridine. In these three species, the lengths of the A + T-rich regions were different, which led to differences in mitochondrial genome sizes. The characterizations of the three mitogenomes enrich our knowledge on the Lepidopteran mitogenome and provide us genetic information to reconstruct the phylogenetic tree. Finally, the phylogenetic results confirmed the position of the genus Davidina in the subfamily Satyrini, had a closer phylogenetic relationship with Oeneis, and the phylogenetic analysis supported the formation of Oeneis buddha as an independent taxon in Oeneis. Full article

In this study, the complete mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) of Hestina persimilis and Hestinalis nama (Nymphalidae: Apaturinae) were acquired. The mitogenomes of H. persimilis and H. nama are 15,252 bp and 15,208 bp in length, respectively. These two mitogenomes have the typical composition, including 37 genes and a control region. The start codons of the protein-coding genes (PCGs) in the two mitogenomes are the typical codon pattern ATN, except CGA in the cox1 gene. Twenty-one tRNA genes show a typical clover leaf structure, however, trnS1(AGN) lacks the dihydrouridine (DHU) stem. The secondary structures of rrnL and rrnS of two species were predicted, and there are several new stem loops near the 5′ of rrnL secondary structure. Based on comparative genomic analysis, four similar conservative structures can be found in the control regions of these two mitogenomes. The phylogenetic analyses were performed on mitogenomes of Nymphalidae. The phylogenetic trees show that the relationships among Nymphalidae are generally identical to previous studies, as follows: LibytheinaeDanainae + ((Calinaginae + Satyrinae) + DanainaeLibytheinae + ((Heliconiinae + Limenitidinae) + (Nymphalinae + (Apaturinae + Biblidinae)))). Hestinalisnama is apart from Hestina, and closely related to Apatura, forming monophyly. Full article