2018 Volume 69 Issue 2 Pages 49-52
The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) of Lethe diana (Butler) inhabiting Mikura Island (L. diana mikuraensis) were analyzed and compared with those of L. diana from other areas in Japan (L. diana diana). There were only 4-7 bp differences in 942 bp of mtDNA (432 bp of ND5 and 510 bp of CO1) between the specimens obtained at Mikura Island and the main islands of Japan, although L. diana from Mikura Island is described as a subspecies. Chemical analyses revealed that males of the two L. diana subspecies shared five n-alkanes with odd numbers of carbon atoms from 23 to 31 as the major CHCs, together with hexadecanoic acid and squalene. This is an example in which there is no significant difference in the mtDNA or CHCs of two subspecies, although adults of the two differ morphologically.
