Panbiogeography of the Yucatan Peninsula Based on Charaxinae (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)

Authors

  • Aixchel Maya-Martínez
  • Juan J. Schmitter-Soto
  • Carmen Pozo

Abstract

We have studied the origin of the Charaxinae lepidopteran fauna of the Yucatan Peninsula in a panbiogeographical analysis. The expectation was that this biota had a single origin (one generalized track) from Central America. A database was generated with worldwide distributional records of Charaxinae. The panbiogeographical analysis used the program Trazos2004, an extension for ArcView. A total of 22,124 records and 304 species were obtained, and 226 individual tracks were generated. Seventeen generalized tracks were obtained for the Americas; 2 of these penetrate into the Yucatan Peninsula. We conclude that the origin of the Yucatec Charaxinae fauna is tropical, following in America the Neotropical pattern, the so-called Mexican biogeographic "Y". This fauna originates from 2 putative Mesoamerican invasions: an older one (perhaps Miocene), that penetrated across the "Sierrita de Ticul" (a low mountain range); the other one more recent (Pliocene), which invaded along the Caribbean coast.

View this article in BioOne

Downloads

Published

2011-09-01

Issue

Vol. 94, No. 3 (September 2011)

Section

Research Papers

License

Copyright for any article published in Florida Entomologist is held by the author(s) of the article. Florida Entomologist is an open access journal. Florida Entomologist follows terms of the Creative Commons, Attribution Non-Commercial License (cc by-nc). By submitting and publishing articles in Florida Entomologist, authors grant the FOJ and Florida Entomologist's host institutions permission to make the article available through Internet posting and electronic dissemination, and to otherwise archive the information contained both electronically and in a hard printed version. When used, information and images obtained from articles must be referenced and cited appropriately. Articles may be reproduced for personal, educational, or archival purposes, or any non-commercial use. Permission should be sought from the author(s) for multiple, non-commercial reproduction. Written permission from the author(s) is required for any commercial reproduction.