@article {147295, title = {DNA barcodes from over-a-century-old type specimens shed light on the taxonomy of a group of rare butterflies (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Calinaginae).}, journal = {PLoS One}, volume = {19}, year = {2024}, month = {2024}, pages = {e0305825}, abstract = {

We analyzed COI barcode sequences from 138 over-a-century old specimens of Calinaga including 36 name-bearing type specimens stored at the Natural History Museum London. These new data, combined with previously available RPS5 sequences, divide the Calinaga samples into four well-supported mitochondrial lineages that together with a novel wing-pattern analysis, support the recognition of six species (lhatso, buddha, brahma, aborica, formosana and davidis), with all other names subsumed either as subspecies or synonyms. One new taxon is described, Calinaga aborica naima Vane-Wright, ssp. n.

}, keywords = {Animals, Butterflies, DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic, Electron Transport Complex IV, Phylogeny, Wings, Animal}, issn = {1932-6203}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0305825}, author = {Todisco, Valentina and Basu, Dipendra Nath and Prosser, Sean W J and Russell, Stephen and Mutanen, Marko and Zilli, Alberto and Huertas, Blanca and Kunte, Krushnamegh and Vane-Wright, Richard} } @article {152136, title = {Two new taxa of brush-footed butterflies (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) from the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, southern India.}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {5543}, year = {2024}, month = {2024 Dec 04}, pages = {343-367}, abstract = {

A new species, Amathusia travancorica sp. nov. (Nymphalidae: Satyrinae: Amathusiini), and a new subspecies, Athyma inara sahyadriensis ssp. nov. (Nymphalidae: Limenitidinae: Limenitidini), are described from the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, India, based on multiple male and female specimens. The new taxa are compared with type specimens of related species and subspecies, revealing consistent differences that distinguish the new taxa. Genitalia dissections are also provided as comparative materials. Additional information is provided on historical records, distributional ranges, habits and habitat, phenology, larval host plants, and early stages. Finally, the type locality and synonymy of Pantoporia mera Swinhoe, 1917 are discussed based on comparison of type specimens (Pantoporia mera Swinhoe, 1917 syn. nov.=Athyma inara Westwood, 1850).

}, keywords = {Animal Distribution, Animal Structures, Animals, Biodiversity, Body Size, Butterflies, Ecosystem, Female, India, Larva, Male, Organ Size}, issn = {1175-5334}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.5543.3.3}, author = {Kunte, Krushnamegh and Basu, Dipendra Nath} } @article {121923, title = {The tempo and mode of character evolution in the assembly of mimetic communities.}, journal = {Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A}, volume = {120}, year = {2023}, month = {2023 Jan 03}, pages = {e2203724120}, abstract = {

Multitrait adaptive evolution is shaped by factors such as phylogenetic and functional constraints as well as the intensity and direction of selection. The tempo and mode of such multitrait evolution can differentially impact the assembly of biological communities. Batesian mimicry, in which undefended prey gain a fitness advantage by evolving a resemblance to aposematic models, involves adaptive evolution of multiple traits such as color patterns and flight morphology. To elucidate the evolutionary mechanisms of such multitrait adaptations, we evaluated the tempo and mode of adaptive convergence in flight morphology and color patterns in mimetic butterfly communities. We found that compared with Batesian mimics or nonmimetic sister species, models showed significantly faster rates of aposematic trait evolution, creating adaptive peaks for mimicry. At the community level, the degree of mimetic resemblance between mimics and models was positively correlated with the rate of character evolution, but independent of phylogenetic relatedness. Monomorphic mimics and female-limited mimics converged on the color patterns of models to a similar degree, showing that there were no constraints on mimetic trait evolution with respect to sex-specific selections. Convergence was driven by the greater lability of color patterns, which evolved at significantly faster rates than the phylogenetically conserved flight morphological traits, indicating that the two traits evolve under differential selection pressures and/or functional and genetic constraints. These community-wide patterns show that during the assembly of a community, the tempo of adaptive evolution is nonlinear, and specific to the underlying functional relationships and key traits that define the community.

}, keywords = {Animals, Biological Evolution, Biological Mimicry, Biota, Butterflies, Excipients, Female, Male, Phylogeny, Predatory Behavior}, issn = {1091-6490}, doi = {10.1073/pnas.2203724120}, author = {Basu, Dipendra Nath and Bhaumik, Vaishali and Kunte, Krushnamegh} } @article {103917, title = {Carcass Scavenging Relaxes Chemical-Driven Female Interference Competition in Flour Beetles}, journal = {AMERICAN NATURALIST}, year = {2022}, month = {01/2022}, abstract = {

Female-female nonsexual interference competition is a major fitness determinant of biased sex ratio groups with high female density. What strategies can females use to overcome the negative impact of this competition? To answer this question we used flour beetles (Tribolium castaneum) where competing females from female-biased groups were already known to suppress each other{\textquoteright}s fecundity by secreting toxic quinones from their stink glands, indicating a unique chemical-driven interference competition. Surprisingly, increasing resources did not alleviate these fitness costs. Females also did not disperse more from the site of interference competition. Hence, the competition was influenced by neither the total resource availability nor the lack of opportunity to avoid chemical interference. Instead, protein sequestered via scavenging of nutrient-rich carcasses relaxed female competition by increasing fecundity and reducing the quinone content. Finally, stink gland components themselves triggered carcass scavenging and increased fecundity, indicating the possibility of a novel chemical-driven feedback loop to reduce the competition. In the present work we provide the rare analyses where multiple competing hypotheses were jointly tested to establish carcass scavenging as an important potential strategy to overcome the fitness costs of intrasexual female interference competition.

}, doi = {10.1086/717250}, author = {Bagchi, Basabi and Seal, Srijan and Raina, Manasven and Basu, Dipendra Nath and Khan, Imroze} } @article {103920, title = {A new species of Zographetus Watson, 1893 (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) from Sikkim, eastern Himalaya, India}, journal = {ZOOTAXA }, volume = {5072}, year = {2021}, month = {12/2021}, pages = {373-379}, abstract = {

A new species, Zographetus dzonguensis sp. nov., is described based on three male specimens from Upper Dzongu, North Sikkim District, Sikkim, India. The new species is closely similar to Z. pangi from Guangdong and Z. hainanensis from Hainan, China, from which it is distinguished based on the following combination of external characters: (a) forewing with the white spot at the base of space M3 being sharply pointed at the inner edge and conspicuously more elongated, and (b) on underside of hindwing, all chocolate-brown spots being smaller, in Z. dzonguensis sp. nov. compared with both Z. pangi and Z. hainanensis. In Z. dzonguensis sp. nov., the male genitalia may be distinguished as follows: (c) tegumen and uncus are almost equal in length, (d) the dorsal outline of tegumen is relatively flat, and (e) saccus is distinctly bent upward as angle between vinculum and saccus is more acute than in Z. pangi and Z. hainanensis.

}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.5072.4.4}, author = {Karmakar, Tarun and Lepcha, Sonam Wangchuk and Basu, Dipendra Nath and Kunte, Krushnamegh} } @article {83747, title = {A new species of Metallolophia Warren, 1895 (Lepidoptera: Geometridae: Geometrinae), and notes on M. opalina (Warren, 1893), from eastern Himalaya, India}, journal = {ZOOTAXA}, volume = {4838}, year = {2020}, month = {08/2020}, pages = {289-297}, abstract = {

A new species, Metallolophia tale ensis, sp. nov., is described and illustrated from Tale Wildlife Sanctuary, Lower Subansiri District. Arunachal Pradesh, India, based on male specimens. A second species, Metallolophia opalina (Warren, 1893), is recorded from India after more than a century, extending its range eastwards into Arunachal Pradesh, India.

}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.4838.2.9}, author = {Sondhi, Sanjay and Basu, Dipendra Nath and Sondhi, Yash and Kunte, Krushnamegh} } @article {79791, title = {Tools of the trade: MicroCT reveals native structure and functional morphology of organs that drive caterpillar-ant interactions.}, journal = {Sci Rep}, volume = {10}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 Jun 29}, pages = {10593}, abstract = {

Caterpillars of many lycaenid butterflies are tended by ants that offer protection from predators and parasitoids. Specialized structures such as glands, ciliary organs and chitinous ornamentation in caterpillars play key roles in the underlying tactile, acoustic, and chemical communication between caterpillars and ants. Although the ecological, evolutionary, and behavioural aspects of these interactions are well studied, the mechanisms (i.e., the functional morphology) that drive the specialized interactive organs are poorly characterized. We used advanced X-ray microtomography (MicroCT) to delineate internal, native morphology of specialized larval dew patches, nectar glands, and tactile ciliary organs that mediate interactions between Crematogaster ants and caterpillars of the obligate myrmecophilous Apharitis lilacinus butterfly. Our non-destructive MicroCT analysis provided novel 3-D insights into the native structure and positions of these specialized organs in unmatched detail. This analysis also suggested a functional relationship between organ structures and surrounding muscles and nervation that operate the glands and tactile organs, including a {\textquoteright}lasso bag{\textquoteright} control mechanism for dew patches and muscle control for other organs. This provided a holistic understanding of the organs that drive very close caterpillar-ant interactions. Our MicroCT analysis opens a door for similar structural and functional analysis of adaptive insect morphology.

}, issn = {2045-2322}, doi = {10.1038/s41598-020-67486-5}, author = {Basu, Dipendra Nath and Kunte, Krushnamegh} } @article {28260, title = {A new species of Theretra Hubner (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) from the southern Western Ghats, India}, journal = {ZOOTAXA}, volume = {4323}, year = {2017}, month = {09/2017}, pages = {185-196}, abstract = {

A new species of the genus Theretra Hubner [1819], Theretra shendurneensis sp. nov., is described from Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary, southern Western Ghats, India, based on external and internal morphology, and genetic markers. The new species is compared in external and male genital morphology, genetic divergence and geographic range with three similar and closely related species: T. boisduvalii (Bugnion, 1839), T. sumatrensis (Joicey and Kaye, 1917) and T. rhesus (Boisduval, [1875]). Recent changes to the classification of Theretra are discussed and rejected.

}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.4323.2.2}, author = {Sondhi, Yash and Kitching, Ian J. and Basu, Dipendra Nath and Kunte, Krushnamegh} }