Molecular systematics of the arctiine tribe Syntomini (Lepidoptera, Erebidae)

Abstract

The Old World tribe Syntomini is the most neglected of the three major groups of the subfamily Arctiinae -the most megadiverse lineage (c. 11 000 species) of the superfamily Noctuoidea, comprising about a quarter of its entire species diversity. In none of the previous morphogenetic studies was Syntomini (which are often conspicuously spotted, aposematic moths) sampled adequately enough to provide information about the tribe's systematic diversity and relationships above species level. As such data are of crucial importance for a comprehensive understanding of arctiine diversity and evolution, we have investigated the relationships of the major lineages of Syntomini based on up to eight mitochondrial and nuclear genes and 91 species, representing 39 genera. We cover most of the known genera and major geographic regions, including, for the first time, Madagascar, where there is a significant syntomine radiation. We find that the thyretines, in particular, which are restricted to the Afrotropical region, are paraphyletic. As a result we propose to treat Thyretina syn.n. (Thyretini sensu Przybyłowicz, 2009) as an artificial assemblage and synonymize it under Syntomini. Thyretes Boisduval and Pseudothyretes Dufrane stand on their own close to the Madagascan radiation, whereas all but one of the Madagascan syntomines comprise a monophylum, with the genus Fletcherinia Griveaud instead being related to at least one species of Ceryx Wallengren in Africa. Also surprising from a biogeographical point of view is that the genus Dysauxes Hübner, which includes the European Handmaiden moth, is nested within the Madagascan radiation. Our study also makes it clear that much more detailed studies are needed to revise not only Ceryx from Asia and Africa but the Afrotropical syntomine genera, many of which do not form clades in our phylogenetic reconstruction, and to further inventory the diversity that is present in the Afrotropics. Based on our results, we consider Thyretarctia Strand stat. rev., Daphaenisca Kiriakoff stat.n. and Callobalacra Kiriakoff stat.n. as valid genera. We also move Anapisa Kiriakoff and return Meganaclia Aurivillius and Nacliodes Strand to Syntomini. 624

Unveiling cryptic diversity among Müllerian co-mimics: insights from the Western Palaearctic Syntomis moths (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae)

“…However, more samples of S. nigricornis and other middle-eastern taxa are needed to resolve the biogeographic history of this connection. Finally, the weak support values recovered for the relationship of S. phegea and S. aequipuncta with the lineages of quercii-marjana and ragazzii-nigricornis stress the need to broaden the analysis to more genetic markers and species to fully resolve the evolutionary history of Western Palaearctic Syntomis (see also Przybyłowicz et al 2019).…”

Malagasy Polka Dot Moths (Noctuoidea: Erebidae: Arctiinae: Syntomini) of Ambohitantely—endemism in the most important relict of Central Plateau rainforest in Madagascar

“…The p-distance between barcode sequences was calculated in MEGA X ( Kumar et al, 2018 ). The outgroup sequence of Fletcherinia decaryi Griveaud, 1964 (GenBank accession code ) was obtained from the study of Przybyłowicz et al (2019) . DNA sequences are deposited in GenBank ( – ) and accession codes are provided in Table S2 .…”

“…belong to a single evolutionary lineage deriving from a megadiverse radiation, which also gave raise to what have been interpreted as out-of-Madagascar dispersal events, reaching Africa ( Pseudonaclia puella ( Boisduval, 1847 )), Mauritius and even the Palaearctic (genus Dysauxes ) ( Przybyłowicz et al, 2019 ; Przybyłowicz et al, 2021, unpublished data). However, since the “Amatidae” monograph of Griveaud (1964) , little attention has been paid to the systematics and biogeography of the group, with only a few additional species described by P. Griveaud and P. Viette that were listed in Viette (1990) , until the phylogenetic paper of Przybyłowicz et al (2019) . The latter paper and our further examinations show that the present systematic arrangement comprises several genera which are artificial assemblages of not closely related species rather than evolutionary monophyletic units.…”

A review of the genus Mecistorhabdia (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae: Syntomini) with a description of a new species from the Central African Republic

“…In this study we follow the systematic account of Przybyłowicz et al (2019) for the higher taxonomic levels.…”

“…Following morphological and molecular studies of the entire Noctuoidea it was downgraded to tribal rank by Jacobson & Weller (2002) and fi nally treated as a subtribe Thyretina of Syntomini (Zahiri et al, 2011). Recently a comprehensive molecular study revealed that the Thyretina is not monophyletic (Przybyłowicz et al, 2019). As a result, it was formally synonymized with Syntomini.…”