Molecular Population Structure of Junonia Butterflies from French Guiana, Guadeloupe, and Martinique

Up to 9 described species of Junonia butterflies occur in the Americas, but authorities disagree due to species similarities, geographical and seasonal variability, and possible hybridization. In dispute is whether Caribbean Junonia are conspecific with South American species. Cytochrome oxidase I...

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Main Authors: Amber P. Gemmell, Tanja E. Borchers, Jeffrey M. Marcus
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2014-01-01
Series:Psyche: A Journal of Entomology
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/897596
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author Amber P. Gemmell
Tanja E. Borchers
Jeffrey M. Marcus
author_facet Amber P. Gemmell
Tanja E. Borchers
Jeffrey M. Marcus
author_sort Amber P. Gemmell
collection DOAJ
description Up to 9 described species of Junonia butterflies occur in the Americas, but authorities disagree due to species similarities, geographical and seasonal variability, and possible hybridization. In dispute is whether Caribbean Junonia are conspecific with South American species. Cytochrome oxidase I (COI) barcodes, wingless (wg) sequences, and Randomly Amplified Fingerprints (RAF) were studied to reveal Junonia population structure in French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Argentina. Phylogenetic analysis of COI recovered 2 haplotype groups, but most Junonia species can have either haplotype, so COI barcodes are ambiguous. Analysis of nuclear wingless alleles revealed geographic patterns but did not identify Junonia species. Nuclear RAF genotyping distinguished 11 populations of Junonia arranged into 3 clusters. Gene flow occurs within clusters but is limited between clusters. One cluster included all Argentinian samples. Two clusters included samples from French Guiana, Martinique, and Guadeloupe and appear to be divided by larval host plant use (Lamiales versus Scrophulariales). Many Junonia taxa were distributed across populations, possibly reflecting patterns of genetic exchange. We had difficulty distinguishing between the Caribbean forms J. zonalis and J. neildi, but we demonstrate that Caribbean Junonia are genetically distinct from South American J. evarete and J. genoveva, supporting the taxonomic hypothesis that they are heterospecific.
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spelling doaj-art-4e7323cd70f54e5ea7a84de477e59a7f2025-08-20T02:05:36ZengWileyPsyche: A Journal of Entomology0033-26151687-74382014-01-01201410.1155/2014/897596897596Molecular Population Structure of Junonia Butterflies from French Guiana, Guadeloupe, and MartiniqueAmber P. Gemmell0Tanja E. Borchers1Jeffrey M. Marcus2Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, CanadaDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, CanadaDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, CanadaUp to 9 described species of Junonia butterflies occur in the Americas, but authorities disagree due to species similarities, geographical and seasonal variability, and possible hybridization. In dispute is whether Caribbean Junonia are conspecific with South American species. Cytochrome oxidase I (COI) barcodes, wingless (wg) sequences, and Randomly Amplified Fingerprints (RAF) were studied to reveal Junonia population structure in French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Argentina. Phylogenetic analysis of COI recovered 2 haplotype groups, but most Junonia species can have either haplotype, so COI barcodes are ambiguous. Analysis of nuclear wingless alleles revealed geographic patterns but did not identify Junonia species. Nuclear RAF genotyping distinguished 11 populations of Junonia arranged into 3 clusters. Gene flow occurs within clusters but is limited between clusters. One cluster included all Argentinian samples. Two clusters included samples from French Guiana, Martinique, and Guadeloupe and appear to be divided by larval host plant use (Lamiales versus Scrophulariales). Many Junonia taxa were distributed across populations, possibly reflecting patterns of genetic exchange. We had difficulty distinguishing between the Caribbean forms J. zonalis and J. neildi, but we demonstrate that Caribbean Junonia are genetically distinct from South American J. evarete and J. genoveva, supporting the taxonomic hypothesis that they are heterospecific.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/897596
spellingShingle Amber P. Gemmell
Tanja E. Borchers
Jeffrey M. Marcus
Molecular Population Structure of Junonia Butterflies from French Guiana, Guadeloupe, and Martinique
Psyche: A Journal of Entomology
title Molecular Population Structure of Junonia Butterflies from French Guiana, Guadeloupe, and Martinique
title_full Molecular Population Structure of Junonia Butterflies from French Guiana, Guadeloupe, and Martinique
title_fullStr Molecular Population Structure of Junonia Butterflies from French Guiana, Guadeloupe, and Martinique
title_full_unstemmed Molecular Population Structure of Junonia Butterflies from French Guiana, Guadeloupe, and Martinique
title_short Molecular Population Structure of Junonia Butterflies from French Guiana, Guadeloupe, and Martinique
title_sort molecular population structure of junonia butterflies from french guiana guadeloupe and martinique
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/897596
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