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Complex Population Patterns of Eunica tatila Herrich-Schäffer (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae), with Special Emphasis on Sexual Dimorphism

  • Ecology, Behavior and Bionomics
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Abstract

The species Eunica tatila (Herrich-Schäffer) is present in the Neotropical region and comprises three subspecies. In Mexico, only one subspecies is reported: E. t. tatila (Herrich-Schäffer). The Yucatan Peninsula, in southeastern Mexico, is located in a transitional geographical position, between southern Florida, the West Indies and Central America. It is part of a transitional region, important for the dispersion of insects from southern Florida via Cuba and the Yucatan Peninsula. Considering the possibility of the overlapping and delimitation of described subspecies, we sampled different populations in the Yucatan Peninsula to possibly assign a subspecies name and evaluate the magnitude of sexual dimorphism. We collected 591 individuals (♀284, ♂307) in conserved areas. The study of male genitalia led to the identification of Eunica tatila tatilista (Kaye) as a subspecies; however, hypandrium structure and wing pattern analysis suggest a mix of E. t. tatila and E. t. tatilista characteristics. The analysis of sexual dimorphism provided evidence of more complex wing morphs for females, with 12 patterns instead of four as previously described. Our results demonstrate the complexity of characterizing E. tatila and suggest that the Yucatan Peninsula is a transitional zone for subspecies of some butterflies.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the directors of the following protected areas where butterfly sampling was conducted: J.A. Zuñiga Morales from the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, A.O. Ortíz Moreno from the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, and M.de C. Garcia Rivas from the Xcalak Reefs National Park. Also to the directors of the following private protected areas: C. Elizondo from the ECOSUR Botanical Garden, E. Acosta from “El Zapotal”, and J. Callaghan from the Kaxil Kiuic Biocultural Reserve. Thanks to the National Institute of Anthropology and History for granting access to the Kohunlich archaeological site and finally; special thanks to the people of the village Miguel Hidalgo for their hospitality during our stay. We appreciate the invaluable support provided by S.J. Uc Tescum (ECOSUR - Chetumal), participating as a guide and providing technical assistance in the field. We express our gratitude to the staff of the ECOSUR zoology collection in Chetumal for technical support (B. Prado, E. Dominguez Mukul and R.O. Parrao Ordaz). Finally, we would like to thank H. Weissenberger (ECOSUR - Chetumal) for producing Fig 2 and to H. Bahena-Basave (ECOSUR - Chetumal) for assisting with butterfly photography.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratorio de Ecología Molecular y Conservación, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR), Av. Centenario km 5.5, C.P. 77014, Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico

    L Cavanzón-Medrano & S Machkour-M’Rabet

  2. Museo de Zoología El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR), Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico

    C Pozo & N Salas-Suárez

  3. Lab de Conducta Animal, ECOSUR, Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico

    Y Hénaut

  4. Lab d’Ecologie Terrestre, CNRS (UMR 5552), Univ Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France

    L Legal

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  1. L Cavanzón-Medrano
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Correspondence to S Machkour-M’Rabet.

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Edited by André VL Freitas - UNICAMP

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Cavanzón-Medrano, L., Pozo, C., Hénaut, Y. et al. Complex Population Patterns of Eunica tatila Herrich-Schäffer (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae), with Special Emphasis on Sexual Dimorphism. Neotrop Entomol 45, 148–158 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13744-015-0351-0

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