No abstract

The butterfly genus Zizina in New Zealand has a complex taxonomic history due to the presence of morphological intermediates between the two species, the endemic Z. oxleyi and the introduced Z. labradus, in a putative hybrid zone on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. This makes species identification in the field problematic, particularly as the presence of hybrids has not been confirmed. We address this uncertainty through morphological and molecular analyses. Specimens were collected from a range of locations in New Zealand, as well as from Australia, and measurements were made of male genitalia and ventral wing coloration. Two mitochondrial genes (COI, ND5) and three nuclear gene fragments (28S, ITS2 and wingless) were also sequenced for a selection of individuals, and the presence of Wolbachia species in genomic DNA was tested. The two species were separable in morphological space, although there was some overlap, and the contact zone appeared to be around Kaikoura on the east coast of the South Island. Furthermore, specimens from the putative hybrid zone could be classified as Z. oxleyi using morphological characters individually, but not when these were used in a principal component analysis. Molecular analysis showed that there was a mean sequence divergence of 2.0% between two clades for COI, and 4.1% for ND5, but suggested that the contact zone between them was in the north‐west of the South Island. However, there was only a single clade for each of the three nuclear markers. It is thought that this incongruence between morphological and molecular markers is indicative of hybridization which is more extensive than previously thought. However, the possibility that recent speciation has occurred or is occurring is not ruled out.

No abstract

The invertebrate community richness diversity and abundance associated with pasture productivity and plant species richness at the Lincoln University Research Dairy Farm was examined Invertebrates were sampled in November 2010 (spring) and March 2011 (late summer) by pitfall traps in two pastures types simple (perennial ryegrass/white clover) and complex (perennial ryegrass white clover prairie grass chicory plantain red clover) Pooled across seasons invertebrate richness was greater in the complex pasture compared to the simple pasture but there were no differences in invertebrate community diversity or total abundance between pasture types However greater productivity of the complex pasture in late summer resulted in greater invertebrate abundance in this pasture type but without a concomitant increase in invertebrate species richness or diversity These preliminary results suggest that pasture productivity drives invertebrate abundance and that pasture plant richness drives invertebrate richness regardless of productivity

No abstract