@article {597396, title = {Ecologically relevant cryptic species in the highly polymorphic Amazonian butterfly Mechanitis mazaeus, sensu lato (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae; Ithomiini).}, journal = {Biological Journal of the Linnean Society}, volume = {106}, year = {2012}, note = {

doi:10.1111/j.1095-8312.2012.01874.x

}, pages = {540-560}, abstract = {

The understanding of mimicry has relied on a strong biosystematic framework ever since early naturalists firstrecognized this textbook example of natural selection. We follow in this tradition, applying new biosystematicsinformation to resolve problems in an especially difficult genus of tropical butterflies. Mechanitis species areimportant components of Neotropical mimetic communities. However, their colour pattern variability has presentedchallenges for systematists, and has made it difficult to study the very mimicry they so nicely illustrate. The SouthAmerican Mechanitis mazaeus and relatives have remained particularly intractable. Recent systematists haverecognized one highly polytypic species, whereas earlier work recognized the melanic Andean foothill races as adistinct species: Mechanitis messenoides. Recent molecular evidence suggests M. mazaeus and M. messenoides aregenetically well differentiated, but evidence of morphological and ecological differences indicative of separatespecies was still lacking. Thus, it remains to be conclusively demonstrated whether this is an extreme case of apolymorphic mimetic species, or whether distinct co-mimetic lineages are involved. Here we provide evidence thatM. mazaeus and M. messenoides are ecologically distinct and identify consistent morphological differences in bothadult and immature stages. These ecological and morphological differences are correlated with mitochondrialsequence data. In spite of some overlap in almost all traits, wing shape, adult colour pattern, and larval colourpattern differ between the two species, in addition to clutch size and larval host use in local sympatry. Althoughthree well-differentiated mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroups were identified within these two species, one forM. mazaeus and two within M. messenoides, no morphological or ecological differences were found between twomtDNA haplogroups, both of which appear to belong to M. messenoides. We conclude that M. mazaeus andM. messenoides are distinct although highly polymorphic species, each with multiple sympatric co-mimetic forms,and suggest that further work is needed to clarify the identity of other phenotypes and subspecies of Mechanitis.{\textcopyright} 2012 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, 106, 540{\textendash}560.

}, keywords = {Amazonia {\textendash} biodiversity {\textendash} DNA barcoding {\textendash} host plant {\textendash} integrative taxonomy, {\textendash} Mùˆllerian mimicry {\textendash} mitochondrial DNA {\textendash} Neotropics {\textendash} Solanum.}, author = {Hill, R. I. and Elias, M. and Dasmahapatra, K. K. and Jiggins, C. D. and Koong, V. and Willmott, K. R. and Mallet, J.} }