Anisha Sapkota

The Neotropical butterfly genus Colobura Billberg, 1820 (Nymphalidae) includes widespread, common and conspicuous species whose taxonomy one might expect to be well understood. Using integrative taxonomy—combining morphology (genitalia, larval traits, adult wing patterns, and UV reflectance), genome sequencing (mitochondrial barcodes, complete mitogenomes, and nuclear genomes), and life history data—we describe Colobura cryptica Sapkota, Orellana & Willmott sp. nov., a new species previously conflated with Colobura annulata. Key diagnostic morphological traits include: (1) a shorter third submarginal line on the ventral forewing that does not reach the pale cream transverse band, and (2) velvet-black larvae that lack yellow rings between segments or yellow spots at anterior edge of segments. Phylogenomic analyses resolved four distinct clades, with C. cryptica forming a genetically divergent lineage that is broadly sympatric with its sister species C. annulata. We further demonstrate a biogeographical split in C. dirce populations across the Andes and redefine the ranges of C. dirce wolcotti and C. dirce dirce. Genome sequencing showed that C. d. wolcotti, previously thought to be restricted to the Caribbean Islands, is also present in Central America and coastal Ecuador/northern Colombia west of the Andes, whereas C. d. dirce occurs only east of the Andes. This division corresponds with differences in ventral UV reflectance, which is strongly expressed in C. d. wolcotti but reduced in C. d. dirce. We conducted a preliminary investigation of UV-reflectance on the ventral wings and found evidence for differences across the four taxa, and we discuss the possibility of UV-mediated reproductive isolation that might have contributed to speciation in Colobura.

Aegiale C. Felder & R. Felder, 1860 has traditionally been treated as a monotypic genus of Giant Skippers (Hesperiidae: Megathymina), represented by A. hesperiaris (Walker, 1856), which occurs from northern to central Mexico, mostly east of the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range. Here, we describe a second species, Aegiale occidentalis KC, McGuire & Shirey, sp. nov ., from Sonora, Mexico, occurring in the Sierra Madre Occidental. Morphological comparisons, including female genitalia, were used to diagnose the new species. Aegiale occidentalis sp. nov . differs from A. hesperiaris in dorsal forewing coloration, with fully orange apical and discal cell spots, and in female genitalia, including shorter papillae anales and a reduced sterigma. We provide illustrations of the habitus and female genitalia of both species, a key to differentiate them, and a key to distinguish Aegiale from other Megathymina genera. The discovery of A. occidentalis sp. nov . expands the known diversity of the genus and highlights underexplored montane regions in northwestern Mexico, with implications for the biogeography of agave-feeding Megathymina.

Accurate documentation and identification of species, along with publishing findings in peer-reviewed sources, are essential for enhancing biodiversity knowledge and guiding conservation efforts effectively. In this paper, we present corrections to records of butterfly species we previously documented from Nepal, updating their identifications based on new information. The records of ...

Panama’s rich butterfly diversity, owing to its position as a biological bridge between North America and South America, remains insufficiently documented. To contribute faunistic data from this region, we conducted a noninvasive modified Pollard walk survey of adult butterflies over 20 days, between May 20 and June 14, 2023, focusing on central Panama: Panama City (high urbanization, low elevation), Cerro Azul (moderate urbanization, high elevation), and Gamboa (low urbanization, low elevation). A total of 310 taxa representing 308 species were identified from all papilionoid families except Hedylidae, comprising 1803 individuals. The relatively low abundance observed during the study period may be attributed to the El Niño conditions that coincided with the surveys. Panama City yielded 137 taxa and 474 individuals (8 days), Cerro Azul yielded 58 taxa and 221 individuals (4 days), and Gamboa yielded 220 taxa and 1108 individuals (8 days). Rarefaction and extrapolation analyses, which account for uneven sampling efforts, revealed that Gamboa exhibited the highest butterfly diversity across all diversity orders, including species richness ( q = 0), Shannon diversity ( q = 1), and Simpson’s diversity ( q = 2), followed by Panama City and Cerro Azul. These results emphasize that species diversity tends to be greater at lower elevations and in less urbanized areas. This study provides valuable insights into the butterfly fauna of central Panama, contributing to understanding biodiversity and highlighting the need for long‐term research to enable comprehensive analysis and conservation efforts in this understudied ecoregion.

Butterflies are among the most effective bioindicators of climate change; however, their diversity in many rural areas of the Central Himalayas remains understudied. This study provides an assessment of butterfly diversity in the foothills of Bhorletar, Madhya Nepal Municipality, Lamjung District, Nepal, within an elevation range of 420–600 m. Conducted between July 2019 and January 2021, the survey involved opportunistic observations and photography of adult butterflies in their natural habitats, with sampling occurring six times each month. The study aimed to investigate the species composition, richness, and abundance of butterflies across the survey period and identify seasonal changes in species composition and richness. A total of 94,009 individuals across 226 species, 129 genera, and six families were documented. During this study, Halpe arcuata Evans, 1937 and Hasora taminatus bhavara Fruhstorfer, 1911 were recorded for the first time in Nepal. Additionally, Halpe filda Evans, 1949 and Ctenoptilum vasava vasava (Moore, [1866]) were recorded for only the second and third times, respectively, in Nepal, following a gap of approximately three decades. The most abundant species was Pieris canidia indica Evans, 1926 (Relative Abundance [RA] 2.55%), followed by Pseudozizeeria maha maha (Kollar, [1844]) (RA 2.13%). Species richness showed an annual bimodal distribution, peaking in April (180 species) and August (161 species), while the lowest richness was observed in January and February, with 68 and 75 species, respectively. Diversity indices included a Shannon–Wiener index of 4.71, Pielou's J index of 0.87, an effective number of species of 111.24, and Margalef's richness index of 19.65, indicating high species diversity with a well‐balanced mix of species evenness and richness. This study offers the first peer‐reviewed checklist of butterflies from Bhorletar, providing crucial baseline data for future research and conservation efforts, and highlights the remarkable seasonal and species diversity within the region.