Systematics of Neotropical Butterflies

A morphological and molecular study of the Memphis acidalia species complex

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Neotropical butterflies, residing in Central America, the Caribbean, and South America, present great biological diversity. As indicators for other butterfly and insect groups, butterflies are often the subjects of monitoring programs, where certain groups are frequently encountered in bait traps. Thus, it is important to have proper identification tools in place and to have firm taxonomy. The genus Memphis is widespread in canopy environments in the neotropics, with over 60 species. Its species are diverse, specifically regarding wing patterns. Memphis also exhibits sexual dimorphism, or differences that have been observed between genders. As a result, various species groups still need to be studied to provide identification tools for distinguishing among species for future sampling. I aim to address the taxonomy and identification of one of these groups: Memphis acidalia and relatives.

 

Memphis acidalia is distributed throughout South America east of the Andes, with related possible species in the western Amazon. M. acidalia exhibits a high intraspecific variability, or variations in morphological features. As a result, species limits need to be identified, and because some names for species are based on females and some on males, it is not clear what names apply to species. I aim to investigate the following questions: 1) Which males and females belong to the same species, and how can they be identified? 2) How many species are there within M. acidalia? 3) What are the correct taxonomic names to apply to species?

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Regarding methods, I am employing a combination of morphological and molecular analyses. I am using DNA barcoding, the sequencing of short mitochondrial DNA sequences. Additionally, I am performing dissections to determine differences in morphological features. I have been working as a volunteer at the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, which contains moth and butterfly collections of the Florida Museum of Natural History; I have worked in pinning and labeling of specimens. Thus, I bring with me exposure to the lab where I am conducting research. 

 

To address data collection, the McGuire Center has over 30 frozen tissue samples ready for DNA study for the M. acidalia complex, and many more as specimens in the collection. I am also collaborating with Dr. Fernando Dias, an associate professor at the Universidade Estadual de Londrina. Dr. Dias has half-complete treatments on various Memphis complexes available, and he has collected label data, DNA barcodes, drawings, and photos. He has offered to contribute such data to this project.