Morphological and genetic diversity of two individual forms of Euphaedra eberti (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae)

By

Zúbrik, Milan
Picq, Sandrine
Oremans, Philippe
Nisole, Audrey
Tremblay, Sophie
Cusson, Michel
Panigaj, Ľubomír
Mikitová, Barbora
Bollino, Maurizio

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2019-9-17

Original Publication

African invertebrates : a journal of biodiversity research

Volume

60

Series / Issue

Issue: 2

Pages

195--213

Subjects

COI gene sequencing , color variation , Euphaedra taxonomy , Limenitidinae , Male and female genitalia

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Pietermaritzburg, South Africa Council of the Natal Museum 2001-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/AfrInvertebr.60.35262

 

Abstract

A total of 385 Euphaedra eberti Aurivillius, 1898, adults collected between 2012 and 2018 in the vicinity of Bangui, Central African Republic, were examined for intraspecific morphological variability, genetic diversity and genitalia structure. The species shows significant wing pattern variability. Two main morphotypes were identified in the set: the nominate form eberti, and the one comprising specimens with a red patch, form rubromaculata. However, both forms had similar genitalic structures and shared some specific wing marks, in addition to displaying the same COI (i.e., barcode region of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene) haplotype, strongly suggesting that the two morphologically distinct forms belong to the same species, E. eberti. The causes of this variability remain unclear.