Molecular Population Structure ofJunoniaButterflies from French Guiana, Guadeloupe, and Martinique

摘要

Up to 9 described species ofJunoniabutterflies occur in the Americas, but authorities disagree due to species similarities, geographical and seasonal variability, and possible hybridization. In dispute is whether CaribbeanJunoniaare conspecific with South American species.Cytochrome oxidase I(COI) barcodes,wingless(wg) sequences, and Randomly Amplified Fingerprints (RAF) were studied to revealJunoniapopulation structure in French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Argentina. Phylogenetic analysis ofCOIrecovered 2 haplotype groups, but mostJunoniaspecies can have either haplotype, soCOIbarcodes are ambiguous. Analysis of nuclearwinglessalleles revealed geographic patterns but did not identifyJunoniaspecies. Nuclear RAF genotyping distinguished 11 populations ofJunoniaarranged 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). ManyJunoniataxa were distributed across populations, possibly reflecting patterns of genetic exchange. We had difficulty distinguishing between the Caribbean formsJ. zonalisandJ. neildi, but we demonstrate that CaribbeanJunoniaare genetically distinct from South AmericanJ. evareteandJ. genoveva, supporting the taxonomic hypothesis that they are heterospecific.