Astraptes fulgerator
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| Astraptes fulgerator |
The Two-barred Flasher (Astraptes fulgerator), is a cryptic species complex in the spread-wing skipper butterfly genus Astraptes. It ranges all over the Americas, from the southern USA to northern Argentina.
This butterfly has been subject of a pioneering DNA barcoding study[1] and its taxonomy is being reexamined as a result of this investigation.
A. fulgerator's adults all look quite alike, but the caterpillars and pupae show a wide range of colors and patterns, and the caterpillars also vary in food preference. Therefore, it was long suspected that the butterflies referred to as Astraptes fulgerator indeed comprised just a single species. The COI DNA sequence data indicated that a number of populations are reproductively isolated, making them distinct species.
While the exact number of taxa involved is disputed - some of the "species" detected by the barcoding study apparently being nothing more than individual variations or morphs[citation needed] -, it still appears fairly likely that more than one species is indeed involved.
[edit] References
- ^ Herbert et al. 2004, PNAS vol. 101, p. 14812-7 : "Ten species in one: DNA barcoding reveals cryptic species in the neotropical skipper butterfly Astraptes fulgerator"
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