A morphological phylogenetic analysis of Argyrogrammana Strand (Lepidoptera: Riodinidae: Symmachiini)

Abstract

A phylogenetic analysis for all 55 known species of Argyrogrammana Strand, 1932 (Riodinidae: Symmachiini) is presented using 110 characters of adult morphology, all of which are illustrated. A single most parsimonious cladogram was generated that is fully resolved. Six species groups are recognized, which are hypothesized to be related as follows: (crocea group ((stilbe group (barine group + trochilia group)) + (occidentalis group + amalfreda group))). The stilbe complex of prior usage is found to be polyphyletic, with species distributed in the monotypic crocea group, stilbe group (2 species), and occidentalis group (12 species); the amalfreda complex of prior usage is found to be a monophyletic amalfreda group (30 species) once A. barine (Staudinger, 1887) is removed to the barine group (2 species); and the trochilia complex of prior usage is found to be a monophyletic trochilia group (8 species) once A. glaucopis (Bates, 1868) is removed to the amalfreda group. A synonymic checklist for Argyrogrammana is presented. Argyrogrammana appears to have had eight separate colonization and speciation events from Amazonia into the Transandean region (involving all species groups), one such event from the Transandean region back into Amazonia, and one such event from Amazonia into southeastern Brazil. Six vertical speciation events have occurred from the lowlands up into the montane elevations of the Andes, mostly from lowland Amazonia into the eastern Andes, where there has been a small intra-Andean species radiation in the A. natalita Hall & Willmott, 1995, clade (amalfreda group). Overall, 31% of species in the genus appear to be allo- or parapatrically distributed with respect to their closest relatives, and 98% are restricted to just one of the three major biogeographic regions, with 76% occurring in Amazonia and 24% in the Transandean region.