2023 Volume 74 Issue 1 Pages 1-12
Wing and spot patterns in butterflies vary somewhat within species. In addition, some butterflies have wing patterns intermediate between two related species. Identification of some of such individuals can be problematic. Here, we investigated two specimens that have a wing pattern intermediate between Parnara guttata (Bremer & Grey) and Zinaida pellucida (Murray), and another specimen of Melanitis phedima (Cramer) that has a wing pattern slightly similar to Melanitis leda (Linnaeus). We analyzed sequences of mitochondrial and nuclear genes for NADH dehydrogenase subunit 5 (ND5) and elongation factor-1 alpha (EF-1α), respectively, from these specimens. Double peaks which would suggest interspecific hybrids were not detected at any nucleotide position in the electropherograms of the EF-1α genes, in which nucleotides differ between the two species of each pair. The results of these analyses indicate that these specimens are not F1 interspecific hybrids but are P. guttata, Z. pellucida, and M. phedima, respectively. We also describe a new distinction in the pattern of the white spots on the forewings that can be used to discriminate between P. guttata and Z. pellucida. This feature is more reliable than the traditional criterion of the pattern of the white spots on the hindwings.
