Paraspiculatus

Paraspiculatus
Paraspiculatus grande
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Pancrustacea
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Tribe: Eumaeini
Subtribe: Timaetina
Genus: Paraspiculatus
Johnson & Constantino, 1997

Paraspiculatus is a genus of butterflies in the family Lycaenidae. Species of the genus are found in montane habitats in the Andes of South America.

Taxonomy and characteristics

The genus Paraspiculatus was established by Kurt Johnson and Luis Miguel Constantino in 1997 and belongs to the tribe Eumaeini, within the butterfly family Lycaenidae. A taxonomic study published in 2001 by Zsolt Bálint and Alfred Moser revised the genus using characteristics of the female genitalia. A subsequent revision published by the Smithsonian Institution in 2017 examined wing patterns, reproductive structures and mitochondrial DNA sequences. The researchers noted that males exhibit limited variation in genital structures and lack distinctive secondary sexual traits, making wing patterns particularly important for distinguishing members of the genus.

Species

The following species are recognised in the genus Paraspiculatus:

Species complex Paraspiculatus elis
Species complex Paraspiculatus catrea
Species complex Paraspiculatus oroanna
Species complex Paraspiculatus apuya
Species complex Paraspiculatus hannelore
Species complex Paraspiculatus orobia
Species complex Paraspiculatus orobiana
Species complex Paraspiculatus transvesta
Species complex Paraspiculatus orocana
Paraspiculatus colombiensis

References

  1. 1 2 Busby, Robert C; Faynel, Christophe; Moser, Alfred; Robbins, Robert K (2017-08-15). "Sympatric Diversification in the Upper Amazon: A Revision of the Eumaeine Genus Paraspiculatus (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)". Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology (649): iv–65. doi:10.5479/si.1943-6696.649. ISSN 1943-6696.
  2. ↑ Robbins, Robert K.; Cong, Qian; Zhang, Jing; Shen, Jinhui; Busby, Robert C.; Faynel, Christophe; Duarte, Marcelo; Martins, Ananda R. P.; Prieto, Carlos; Lamas, Gerardo; Grishin, Nick V. (2022-07-01). "Genomics‐based higher classification of the species‐rich hairstreaks (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae: Eumaeini)". Systematic Entomology. 47 (3): 445–469. doi:10.1111/syen.12541. ISSN 0307-6970. PMC 9246340. PMID 35782754.
  3. ↑ Bálint, Zsolt; Moser, Alfred (2001). "Notes on the genus Paraspiculatus (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae: Eumaeini) with a synopsis of the taxa occurring in southern Brazil". Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien. Serie B. 103: 249–262. JSTOR 41767213.
  4. ↑ Busby, Robert C.; Faynel, Christophe; Moser, Alfred; Robbins, Robert K. (2017). Sympatric Diversification in the Upper Amazon: A Revision of the Eumaeine Genus Paraspiculatus (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) (Report). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology. Smithsonian Institution.