@article {166866, title = {Madhav Gadgil (1942{\textendash}2026): A pioneering Indian ecologist{\textquoteright}s legacy of biodiversity conservation and human coexistence}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences}, volume = {123}, year = {2026}, month = {06}, abstract = {

Madhav Gadgil was an evolutionary ecologist and champion of governmental and intergovernmental policies for biodiversity conservation, human coexistence with nature, and indigenous rights to land, natural resources, and self-governance. He made foundational contributions to the development of biodiversity sciences, human ecology, people{\textquoteright}s traditional knowledge{\textemdash}and inherent rights to that knowledge as documented through biodiversity registers. Gadgil advocated a coherent policy integrating human welfare and biodiversity conservation in India. He will be remembered as an academic giant and an unmatched thinker, policy advocate, institution-builder, and humanitarian.

}, doi = {10.1073/pnas.2611387123}, url = {https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2611387123}, author = {Kunte, Krushnamegh and Ghate, Utkarsh and Subramanian, K.} } @article {166868, title = {A new species of Chonala Moore, 1893 (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) from northeastern India}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {5828}, year = {2026}, month = {Jun.}, pages = {575{\textendash}586}, abstract = {

We describe a new species of nymphalid butterfly, Chonala albistricta sp. nov. (Satyrinae: Satyrini) from Mayodia pass, Lower Dibang Valley District, Arunachal Pradesh, India, based on two male and one female specimens. The new species may be distinguished from the similar C. masoni (Elwes, 1882) by a distinctly narrower, unevenly bent white band on the forewing and other morphological traits, and differences in the tip of valve of the male genitalia. Additional notes are provided on the distributional range, habits and habitat, and phenology.

}, keywords = {butterfly taxonomy, Indian butterflies, Lepidoptera, new species, Species discovery, taxonomic description}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.5828.3.10}, url = {https://www.mapress.com/zt/article/view/zootaxa.5828.3.10}, author = {Kunte, Krushnamegh and Khan, Fahim and Pawar, Ujwala} } @article {163993, title = {Selective Sequestration of Cardenolides Shapes Chemical Defense in an Aposematic Butterfly.}, journal = {J Chem Ecol}, volume = {52}, year = {2026}, month = {2026 Feb 19}, pages = {20}, abstract = {

Aposematic insects often sequester plant toxins as chemical defenses, but the extent to which they selectively retain or eliminate specific compounds remains poorly understood. We investigated toxin sequestration in Danaus chrysippus, a chemically defended butterfly that feeds on the cardenolide-rich milkweed Calotropis gigantea. Using untargeted metabolomics, targeted cardenolide quantification, and Na$^{+}$/K$^{+}$-ATPase inhibition assays, we tested whether sequestration is compound-selective and compared the biochemical potency of plant and insect samples. Untargeted profiles showed that caterpillars and adults converge on an insect-specific metabolome, while frass retains a plant-like chemical signature. Targeted analyses showed consistent retention of four cardenolides (calotropagenin, coroglaucigenin, uzarigenin, frugoside) across developmental stages, complete exclusion of uscharin, and progressive loss of calotropin and calotoxin across metamorphosis. Enzyme assays revealed strong differences among sample types: frass showed the strongest inhibition (~ 5-fold weaker than the ouabain standard), adults were intermediate (~ 18-19-fold), and leaves and caterpillars were the weakest (~ 45-58-fold). These potency differences mirrored qualitative composition, frass contained the full set of detected cardenolides, whereas adults retained only a reduced subset. While porcine Na$^{+}$/K$^{+}$-ATPase assays quantify biochemical activity rather than predator deterrence, our results demonstrate clear compound-level selectivity and suggest that physiological filtering shapes the repertoire of plant toxins available for defense in aposematic insects.

}, keywords = {Animals, Asclepias, Butterflies, Cardenolides, Larva, Plant Leaves, Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase}, issn = {1573-1561}, doi = {10.1007/s10886-026-01695-6}, url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10886-026-01695-6}, author = {Mushtaq, Saleem and Kunte, Krushnamegh and Venkatesan, Radhika} } @article {160479, title = {Global selection on insect antipredator coloration.}, journal = {Science}, volume = {389}, year = {2025}, month = {2025 Sep 25}, pages = {1336-1341}, abstract = {

Natural selection has repeatedly led to the evolution of two alternative antipredator color strategies-camouflage to avoid detection and aposematism to advertise unprofitability-but we lack understanding of how ecological context favors one strategy over the other. We conducted a globally replicated predation experiment at 21 sites on six continents to test how predator community, prey community, and visual environment influenced the predation risk of 15,018 artificial paper "moth" prey with cryptic or warning coloration. Results indicated that aposematic strategies fare better in environments with low predation intensity, whereas camouflage strategies are advantaged when other camouflaged prey species are rare and when light levels are low. This study demonstrates how multiple mechanisms shape antipredator strategies, helping to explain the evolution and global distribution of camouflaged and aposematic animals.

}, keywords = {Animals, Biological Evolution, Biological Mimicry, Color, Ecosystem, Insecta, Pigmentation, Predatory Behavior, Selection, Genetic}, issn = {1095-9203}, doi = {10.1126/science.adr7368}, author = {Medina, Iliana and Exnerov{\'a}, Alice and Da{\v n}kov{\'a}, Kl{\'a}ra and Penacchio, Olivier and Sherratt, Tom N and Albrecht, Tom{\'a}{\v s} and Baidya, Sarika and Bosque, Renan Janke and Brown, H{\'e}lo{\"\i}se and Burdfield-Steel, Emily and Cain, Kristal E and Cez{\'a}rio, Rodrigo Roucourt and Chiari, Ylenia and Esquivel, Carolina and Ferreira, Rhainer Guillermo and Franklin, Amanda M and Garvey, Aloise and Guchu, Samuel and Hastings, Brandon T and Hotov{\'a}-Sv{\'a}dov{\'a}, Kate{\v r}ina and Hwang, Yerin and Kang, Changku and Kasaya, John and Kelley, Jennifer and Kim, Yongsu and Kunte, Krushnamegh and Daetto-Liberato, Felipe and Loeffler-Henry, Karl and Lopez, Vinicius Marques and MacKay-Dietrich, Claire and Mappes, Johanna and De M{\'a}rsico, Mar{\'\i}a Cecilia and Nawge, Viraj and Njoroge, Peter and Nokelainen, Ossi and Pal, Arka and Paul, Archan and Posont, Robert and Ra{\v s}ka, Jan and Reboreda, Juan Carlos and Rojas Ripari, Juan Manuel and Rowland, Hannah M and Sabio, Maria de Las Nieves and Salazar, Camilo and Salgado-Roa, Fabian C and Stephens-C{\'a}rdenas, Steve A and Szab{\'o}, Anita and Mongui Torres, Juan Pablo and Troscianko, Jolyon and Truhl{\'a}{\v r}ov{\'a}, Marie and Umbers, Kate D L and Venton, Molly and Vitasovich, Makenzie and Wang, Lu-Yi and Weil, Sarah-Sophie and Allen, William L} } @article {152903, title = {Natural and sexual selection and functional roles influence colouration but not the amount of variation in butterfly wing colour patterns.}, journal = {BMC Ecol Evol}, volume = {25}, year = {2025}, month = {2025 Jan 17}, pages = {11}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Trait variation is shaped by functional roles of traits and the strength and direction of selection acting on the traits. We hypothesized that in butterflies, sexually selected colouration is more variable owing to condition-dependent nature and directional selection on sexual ornaments, whereas naturally selected colouration may be less variable because of stabilising selection. We measured reflectance spectra, and extracted colour parameters, to compare the amount of variation in sexually versus naturally selected colour patches across wing surfaces and sexes of 20 butterfly species across 4 families (Nymphalidae, Papilionidae, Pieridae, Lycaenidae).

RESULTS: We found that: (a) males had more conspicuous, i.e., brighter and more saturated colour patches compared with females (as expected of sexually selected traits but not necessarily of naturally selected traits), and (b) dorsal surfaces in both sexes had more conspicuous sexual ornaments as well as protective (aposematic/mimetic) colour patches on darker wing backgrounds, compared with ventral surfaces. However, colour patches did not differ in the amount of variation either in selection (ecological/sexual functions), sex or wing surface-specific manner.

CONCLUSIONS: These findings show that functional roles and selection influence colour parameters but not the amount of variation in butterfly wing colour patterns.

}, keywords = {Animals, Butterflies, Color, Female, Male, Pigmentation, Selection, Genetic, Sex Characteristics, Sexual Selection, Wings, Animal}, issn = {2730-7182}, doi = {10.1186/s12862-024-02346-8}, author = {Dharmaraaj, Bhavya and Kunte, Krushnamegh} } @article {155516, title = {Reproductive Barriers and Genomic Hotspots of Adaptation During Allopatric Species Divergence.}, journal = {Mol Ecol}, year = {2025}, month = {2025 Mar 04}, pages = {e17703}, abstract = {

Theory predicts that in allopatric populations, genomic divergence and reproductive barriers may be driven by random genetic drift and thereby evolve slowly in large populations. However, local adaptation and divergence under selection may also play important roles, which remain poorly characterised. Here, we address three key questions in young allopatric species: (a) How widespread are genomic signatures of adaptive divergence?, (b) What is the functional space along which young sister species show divergence at the genomic level? and (c) How quickly might prezygotic and postzygotic reproductive barriers evolve? Analysis of 82 re-sequenced genomes of the Oriental Papilio polytes species group revealed surprisingly widespread hotspots of intense selection and selective sweeps at hundreds of genes, spanning all chromosomes, rather than divergence only in a few genomic islands. These genes are involved in diverse ecologically important adaptive functions such as wing development, colour patterning, courtship behaviour, mimicry, pheromone synthesis and olfaction, and host plant use and digestion of secondary metabolites, that could contribute to local adaptation and subsequent reproductive isolation. Divergence at such functional genes appeared to have evolved in conjunction with reproductive consequences: behavioural and hybridisation experiments revealed strong assortative mate preference (prezygotic barriers) as well as postzygotic barriers to hybridisation in timespans as short as 1.5 my, indicating that speciation was already complete rather than incipient. Our study thus demonstrates an underappreciated role of intense selection and potential local adaptation in creating genome-wide hotspots of rapid molecular evolution and divergence during differentiation and speciation in young allopatric species.

}, keywords = {assortative mating; postzygotic reproductive barriers; prezygotic reproductive barriers; selective sweeps; signatures of selection; speciation genomics.}, issn = {1365-294X}, doi = {10.1111/mec.17703}, url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40035353/}, author = {Deshmukh, Riddhi and Baral, Saurav and Kuwalekar, Muktai and Kizhakke, Athulya Girish and Kunte, Krushnamegh} } @article {142310, title = {Comprehensive phylogeny of Pieridae butterflies reveals strong correlation between diversification and temperature.}, journal = {iScience}, volume = {27}, year = {2024}, month = {2024 Apr 19}, pages = {109336}, abstract = {

Temperature is thought to be a key factor influencing global species richness patterns. We investigate the link between temperature and diversification in the butterfly family Pieridae by combining next generation DNA sequences and published molecular data with fine-grained distribution data. We sampled nearly 600 pierid butterfly species to infer the most comprehensive molecular phylogeny of the family and curated a distribution dataset of more than 800,000 occurrences. We found strong evidence that species in environments with more stable daily temperatures or cooler maximum temperatures in the warm seasons have higher speciation rates. Furthermore, speciation and extinction rates decreased in tandem with global temperatures through geological time, resulting in a constant net diversification.

}, issn = {2589-0042}, doi = {10.1016/j.isci.2024.109336}, author = {Carvalho, Ana Paula S and Owens, Hannah L and St Laurent, Ryan A and Earl, Chandra and Dexter, Kelly M and Messcher, Rebeccah L and Willmott, Keith R and Aduse-Poku, Kwaku and Collins, Steve C and Homziak, Nicholas T and Hoshizaki, Sugihiko and Hsu, Yu-Feng and Kizhakke, Athulya G and Kunte, Krushnamegh and Martins, Dino J and Mega, Nicol{\'a}s O and Morinaka, Sadaharu and Peggie, Djunijanti and Romanowski, Helena P and S{\'a}fi{\'a}n, Szabolcs and Vila, Roger and Wang, Houshuai and Braby, Michael F and Espeland, Marianne and Breinholt, Jesse W and Pierce, Naomi E and Kawahara, Akito Y and Lohman, David J} } @article {152137, title = {Description of Protosticta khasia sp. nov. and Yunnanosticta siangi sp. nov., with new records of P. samtsensis Gurung \& Phan, 2023 from Northeast India (Odonata: Zygoptera: Platystictidae).}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {5448}, year = {2024}, month = {2024 May 13}, pages = {348-370}, abstract = {

Protosticta Selys is a genus of damselflies of the family Platystictidae Kennedy found in forests of tropical Southeast Asia. The genus Protosticta has rarely been reported from Northeast India. In this paper, we describe Protosticta khasia sp. nov. (subfamily Protostictinae Dijkstra et al.) based on holotype male and paratype female collected from Maraikaphon, East Khasi Hills district, Meghalaya, India. Protosticta khasia can be identified by the markings of the prothorax and the shape of the male paraproct with two arms. We also describe Yunnanosticta siangi sp. nov. (subfamily Sinostictinae Wilson) from Arunachal Pradesh, India, based on two males and two females. This species is differentiated from its congeners by the thoracic and abdominal markings as well as the shape of male caudal appendages. The key for males of Yunnanosticta is provided. Additionally, we provide new records of Protosticta samtsensis Gurung \& Phan, along with an updated key to the Protosticta species of Northeast India.

}, keywords = {Animal Distribution, Animal Structures, Animals, Body Size, Ecosystem, Female, India, Male, Odonata, Organ Size}, issn = {1175-5334}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.5448.3.2}, author = {Joshi, Shantanu and Sarkar, Vivek and Sawant, Dattaprasad and Pawar, Ujwala and Kunte, Krushnamegh} } @article {152135, title = {Devadatta adii sp. nov. (Odonata: Zygoptera: Devadattidae) from Upper Siang District, Arunachal Pradesh, India.}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {5519}, year = {2024}, month = {2024 Oct 10}, pages = {571-589}, abstract = {

We erect a new species Devadatta adii sp. nov. based on five males and five females collected from Upper Siang District, Arunachal Pradesh, India. The males of the new taxon are unique in terms of having a golden yellow lateral pterothorax, strongly curved cerci and filamentous genital ligula. We also provide illustrations of male thorax and caudal appendages of Devadatta spp..

}, keywords = {Animal Distribution, Animal Structures, Animals, Body Size, Female, India, Male, Odonata, Organ Size}, issn = {1175-5334}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.5519.4.6}, author = {Sawant, Dattaprasad and Joshi, Shantanu and Pawar, Ujwala and Naik, Pratiksha and Khan, Fahim and Nawge, Viraj and Kunte, Krushnamegh} } @article {149950, title = {Devadatta adii sp. nov. (Odonata: Zygoptera: Devadattidae) from Upper Siang District, Arunachal Pradesh, India}, journal = {ZOOTAXA}, volume = {5519}, year = {2024}, month = {10/2024}, pages = {571-589}, abstract = {

We erect a new species Devadatta adii sp. nov. based on five males and five females collected from Upper Siang District, Arunachal Pradesh, India. The males of the new taxon are unique in terms of having a golden yellow lateral pterothorax, strongly curved cerci and filamentous genital ligula. We also provide illustrations of male thorax and caudal appendages of Devadatta spp..

}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.5519.4.6}, author = {Sawant, Dattaprasad and Joshi, Shantanu and Pawar, Ujwala and Naik, Pratiksha and Khan, Fahim and Nawge, Viraj and Kunte, Krushnamegh} } @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 {140650, title = {Ghatippuspaschima, a new species and genus of plexippine jumping spider from the Western Ghats of India (Salticidae, Plexippini, Plexippina).}, journal = {Zookeys}, volume = {1191}, year = {2024}, month = {2024}, pages = {89-103}, abstract = {

We propose a new genus of plexippine jumping spiders from the Western Ghats of India based on the new species While it bears a superficial resemblance to in body form and in membrane-bearing embolus, our UCE phylogenomic data-the first to resolve broad relationships within the Plexippina-as well as morphological features justify its status as a new genus. In addition to the molecular data and morphological descriptions, we provide photographs of living specimens of and information on their natural history.

}, issn = {1313-2989}, doi = {10.3897/zookeys.1191.114117}, author = {Marathe, Kiran and Maddison, Wayne P and Kunte, Krushnamegh} } @article {131933, title = {A new species of Piarosoma Hampson, 1893 (Lepidoptera, Zygaenidae, Procridinae, Artonini) from Arunachal Pradesh, India.}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {5270}, year = {2024}, month = {2023 Apr 19}, pages = {139-145}, abstract = {

A new species, Piarosoma arunachalensis sp. nov., is described and illustrated based on external characters and the genitalia of two male specimens from Tale Wildlife Sanctuary, Lower Subansiri District, Arunachal Pradesh, India. The new species is distinguished from other Piarosoma by a combination of: a) presence of large hyaline patches on the wings, b) the absence of any white or yellow markings on the patagia and the abdominal segments, and c) differences in male genitalia.

}, keywords = {Animals, Animals, Wild, Genitalia, Genitalia, Male, India, Lepidoptera, Male, Moths}, issn = {1175-5334}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.5270.1.9}, author = {Sondhi, Sanjay and Efetov, Konstantin A and Tarmann, Gerhard M and Karmakar, Tarun and Pawar, Ujwala and Kunte, Krushnamegh} } @article {139056, title = {A new species of silverline butterfly, Cigaritis Donzel, 1847 (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae), from the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, India.}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {5399}, year = {2024}, month = {2024 Jan 10}, pages = {85-95}, abstract = {

A new species, Cigaritis conjuncta sp. nov. (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae), is described based on five male and four female specimens from Honey Valley, Kodagu District, Karnataka, which is part of the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, India. Cigaritis conjuncta sp. nov. is distinguished from all other congeners in India and Sri Lanka based on the following combination of diagnostic characters in the male: (a) dorsal forewing outer half, costal margin and nearly upper half of the cell black without orange markings, the remaining wing shining deep blue, (b) dorsal hindwing tornus pale orange-red with two black spots, (c) ventral forewing bands at end of discal cell conjoined, and (e) ventral hindwing subbasal and discal bands composed of spots that are not separated but conjoined to form broad bands that have irregular outlines, leaving only a narrow background colour in between. Female is similar on the ventral side, but entirely dark brown above. Male and female genitalia are dissected and figured for two paratypes of each sex, and natural history notes on the species are provided.

}, keywords = {Animals, Biodiversity, Butterflies, Female, India, Lepidoptera, Male}, issn = {1175-5334}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.5399.1.7}, author = {Kunte, Krushnamegh and Sengupta, Ashok and Pawar, Ujwala and Nawge, Viraj} } @article {149412, title = {Tenkana,, a new genus of jumping spiders (Salticidae, Plexippina) from South Asia, with the new Indian species .}, journal = {Zookeys}, volume = {1215}, year = {2024}, month = {2024}, pages = {91-106}, abstract = {

We describe a new plexippine genus, , supported by phylogenomic data from ultraconserved elements (UCEs), Sanger sequences of four genes, and morphological evidence. The type species, (Caleb, Christudhas, Laltanpuii \& Chitra, 2014), is transferred from , as is (Caleb, 2022), The phylogenomic data places among the plexippines near C.L. Koch, 1846 and Thorell, 1887, while the constrained four-gene phylogeny indicates that is distinct from . Additionally, we describe a new species,

}, issn = {1313-2989}, doi = {10.3897/zookeys.1215.133522}, author = {Marathe, Kiran and Caleb, John T D and Maddison, Wayne P and Nisha, B G and Maliye, Chinmay C and Lohit, Y T and Kunte, Krushnamegh} } @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 {135855, title = {A comparison between time-constrained counts and line transects as methods to estimate butterfly diversity and monitor populations in tropical habitats}, journal = {INSECT CONSERVATION AND DIVERSITY}, year = {2023}, month = {09/2023}, abstract = {

Long-term species monitoring programmes have revealed catastrophic declines in insect populations and disruption of biological communities that are contributing to biodiversity loss. Such discoveries have been possible because of standardised methods, such as line transects, of counting butterflies and other insects. However, line transects are not feasible in many tropical and mountainous habitats, so alternative methods must be explored.To tackle this issue, we devised time-constrained (30-min) counts and compared butterfly diversity estimated through timed counts and line transects in three tropical habitats in India (evergreen forest, dry deciduous forest and an urban woodland). We tested the relative performance of the two methods in sampling species richness and abundance, as well as numbers of rare, endemic and specialist butterflies.We observed greater overall species richness, and more species of habitat specialists and endemics per sample in time-constrained counts in the evergreen forest, but not in the other two habitats. Thus, time-constrained counts were relatively more efficient in detecting species in the species-rich evergreen habitat. Apart from this difference, the two sampling methods captured similar levels of species richness and other measures of diversity.Our study thus shows that time-constrained counts are a suitable if not a superior alternative to line transects to conduct butterfly diversity surveys and population monitoring in complex tropical landscapes. Due to methodological flexibility and simplicity, time-constrained counts may be particularly useful to study the impacts of climate change, habitat fragmentation and land use practices on butterfly, Odonata and other insect populations in populous and tech-ready tropical countries using citizen science frameworks.

Insights into the impacts of habitat and climate change, efficacy of management practices and so forth on the persistence of insect populations depend on long-term monitoring programmes that gather data using standardised methods.We devised time-constrained (30-min) counts as a standard method for sampling diversity and monitoring butterfly populations in tropical habitats where species diversity is high but linear transects are impractical.Our study showed that timed counts are as efficient as line transects in capturing species diversity and more efficient in sampling specialist and endemic species in tropical evergreen forests.image

}, doi = {10.1111/icad.12693}, author = {Attiwilli, Suman and Ravikanthachari, Nitin and Kunte, Krushnamegh} } @article {126668, title = {A comprehensive phylogeny and revised taxonomy illuminate the origin and diversification of the global radiation of Papilio (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae).}, journal = {Mol Phylogenet Evol}, volume = {183}, year = {2023}, month = {2023 Mar 11}, pages = {107758}, abstract = {

The swallowtail genus Papilio (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) is species rich, distributed worldwide, and has broad morphological habits and ecological niches. Because of its elevated species richness, it has been historically difficult to reconstruct a densely sampled phylogeny for this clade. Here we provide a taxonomic working list for the genus, resulting in 235 Papilio species, and assemble a molecular dataset of seven gene fragments representing ca. 80\% of the currently described diversity. Phylogenetic analyses reconstructed a robust tree with highly supported relationships within subgenera, although a few nodes in the early history of the Old World Papilio remain unresolved. Contrasting with previous results, we found that Papilio alexanor is sister to all Old World Papilio and that the subgenus Eleppone is no longer monotypic. The latter includes the recently described Fijian Papilio natewa with the Australian Papilio anactus and is sister to subgenus Araminta (formerly included in subgenus Menelaides) occurring in Southeast Asia. Our phylogeny also includes rarely studied (P. antimachus, P. benguetana) or endangered species (P. buddha, P. chikae). Taxonomic changes resulting from this study are elucidated. Molecular dating and biogeographic analyses indicate that Papilio originated ca. 30 million years ago (Oligocene), in a northern region centered on Beringia. A rapid early Miocene radiation in the Paleotropics is revealed within Old World Papilio, potentially explaining their low early branch support. Most subgenera originated in the early to middle Miocene followed by synchronous southward biogeographic dispersals and repeated local extirpations in northern latitudes. This study provides a comprehensive phylogenetic framework for Papilio with clarification of subgeneric systematics and species taxonomic changes enumerated, which will facilitate further studies to address questions on their ecology and evolutionary biology using this model clade.

}, issn = {1095-9513}, doi = {10.1016/j.ympev.2023.107758}, author = {Condamine, Fabien L and Allio, R{\'e}mi and Reboud, Eliette L and Dupuis, Julian R and Toussaint, Emmanuel F A and Mazet, Nathan and Hu, Shao-Ji and Lewis, Delano S and Kunte, Krushnamegh and Cotton, Adam M and Sperling, Felix A H} } @article {130542, title = {The evolution and ecology of multiple antipredator defences.}, journal = {J Evol Biol}, year = {2023}, month = {2023 Jun 26}, abstract = {

Prey seldom rely on a single type of antipredator defence, often using multiple defences to avoid predation. In many cases, selection in different contexts may favour the evolution of multiple defences in a prey. However, a prey may use multiple defences to protect itself during a single predator encounter. Such "defence portfolios" that defend prey against a single instance of predation are distributed across and within successive stages of the predation sequence (encounter, detection, identification, approach (attack), subjugation and consumption). We contend that at present, our understanding of defence portfolio evolution is incomplete, and seen from the fragmentary perspective of specific sensory systems (e.g., visual) or specific types of defences (especially aposematism). In this review, we aim to build a comprehensive framework for conceptualizing the evolution of multiple prey defences, beginning with hypotheses for the evolution of multiple defences in general, and defence portfolios in particular. We then examine idealized models of resource trade-offs and functional interactions between traits, along with evidence supporting them. We find that defence portfolios are constrained by resource allocation to other aspects of life history, as well as functional incompatibilities between different defences. We also find that selection is likely to favour combinations of defences that have synergistic effects on predator behaviour and prey survival. Next, we examine specific aspects of prey ecology, genetics and development, and predator cognition that modify the predictions of current hypotheses or introduce competing hypotheses. We outline schema for gathering data on the distribution of prey defences across species and geography, determining how multiple defences are produced, and testing the proximate mechanisms by which multiple prey defences impact predator behaviour. Adopting these approaches will strengthen our understanding of multiple defensive strategies.

}, issn = {1420-9101}, doi = {10.1111/jeb.14192}, author = {Kikuchi, David W and Allen, William L and Arbuckle, Kevin and Aubier, Thomas G and Briolat, Emmanuelle S and Burdfield-Steel, Emily R and Cheney, Karen L and Da{\v n}kov{\'a}, Kl{\'a}ra and Elias, Marianne and H{\"a}m{\"a}l{\"a}inen, Liisa and Herberstein, Marie E and Hossie, Thomas J and Joron, Mathieu and Kunte, Krushnamegh and Leavell, Brian C and Lindstedt, Carita and Lorioux-Chevalier, Ugo and McClure, Melanie and McLellan, Callum F and Medina, Iliana and Nawge, Viraj and P{\'a}ez, Erika and Pal, Arka and Pek{\'a}r, Stano and Penacchio, Olivier and Ra{\v s}ka, Jan and Reader, Tom and Rojas, Bibiana and R{\"o}nk{\"a}, Katja H and R{\"o}{\ss}ler, Daniela C and Rowe, Candy and Rowland, Hannah M and Roy, Arlety and Schaal, Kaitlin A and Sherratt, Thomas N and Skelhorn, John and Smart, Hannah R and Stankowich, Ted and Stefan, Amanda M and Summers, Kyle and Taylor, Christopher H and Thorogood, Rose and Umbers, Kate and Winters, Anne E and Yeager, Justin and Exnerov{\'a}, Alice} } @article {129156, title = {A global phylogeny of butterflies reveals their evolutionary history, ancestral hosts and biogeographic origins.}, journal = {Nat Ecol Evol}, year = {2023}, month = {2023 May 15}, abstract = {

Butterflies are a diverse and charismatic insect group that are thought to have evolved with plants and dispersed throughout the world in response to key geological events. However, these hypotheses have not been extensively tested because a comprehensive phylogenetic framework and datasets for butterfly larval hosts and global distributions are lacking. We sequenced 391 genes from nearly 2,300 butterfly species, sampled from 90 countries and 28 specimen collections, to reconstruct a new phylogenomic tree of butterflies representing 92\% of all genera. Our phylogeny has strong support for nearly all nodes and demonstrates that at least 36 butterfly tribes require reclassification. Divergence time analyses imply an origin ~100 million years ago for butterflies and indicate that all but one family were present before the K/Pg extinction event. We aggregated larval host datasets and global distribution records and found that butterflies are likely to have first fed on Fabaceae and originated in what is now the Americas. Soon after the Cretaceous Thermal Maximum, butterflies crossed Beringia and diversified in the Palaeotropics. Our results also reveal that most butterfly species are specialists that feed on only one larval host plant family. However, generalist butterflies that consume two or more plant families usually feed on closely related plants.

}, issn = {2397-334X}, doi = {10.1038/s41559-023-02041-9}, author = {Kawahara, Akito Y and Storer, Caroline and Carvalho, Ana Paula S and Plotkin, David M and Condamine, Fabien L and Braga, Mariana P and Ellis, Emily A and St Laurent, Ryan A and Li, Xuankun and Barve, Vijay and Cai, Liming and Earl, Chandra and Frandsen, Paul B and Owens, Hannah L and Valencia-Montoya, Wendy A and Aduse-Poku, Kwaku and Toussaint, Emmanuel F A and Dexter, Kelly M and Doleck, Tenzing and Markee, Amanda and Messcher, Rebeccah and Nguyen, Y-Lan and Badon, Jade Aster T and Ben{\'\i}tez, Hugo A and Braby, Michael F and Buenavente, Perry A C and Chan, Wei-Ping and Collins, Steve C and Rabideau Childers, Richard A and Dankowicz, Even and Eastwood, Rod and Fric, Zdenek F and Gott, Riley J and Hall, Jason P W and Hallwachs, Winnie and Hardy, Nate B and Sipe, Rachel L Hawkins and Heath, Alan and Hinolan, Jomar D and Homziak, Nicholas T and Hsu, Yu-Feng and Inayoshi, Yutaka and Itliong, Micael G A and Janzen, Daniel H and Kitching, Ian J and Kunte, Krushnamegh and Lamas, Gerardo and Landis, Michael J and Larsen, Elise A and Larsen, Torben B and Leong, Jing V and Lukhtanov, Vladimir and Maier, Crystal A and Martinez, Jose I and Martins, Dino J and Maruyama, Kiyoshi and Maunsell, Sarah C and Mega, Nicol{\'a}s Oliveira and Monastyrskii, Alexander and Morais, Ana B B and M{\"u}ller, Chris J and Naive, Mark Arcebal K and Nielsen, Gregory and Padr{\'o}n, Pablo Sebasti{\'a}n and Peggie, Djunijanti and Romanowski, Helena Piccoli and S{\'a}fi{\'a}n, Szabolcs and Saito, Motoki and Schr{\"o}der, Stefan and Shirey, Vaughn and Soltis, Doug and Soltis, Pamela and Sourakov, Andrei and Talavera, Gerard and Vila, Roger and Vlasanek, Petr and Wang, Houshuai and Warren, Andrew D and Willmott, Keith R and Yago, Masaya and Jetz, Walter and Jarzyna, Marta A and Breinholt, Jesse W and Espeland, Marianne and Ries, Leslie and Guralnick, Robert P and Pierce, Naomi E and Lohman, David J} } @article {137334, title = {On the identity of Hesperia parrhasius Fabricius, 1793 and its allied species (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)}, journal = {JOURNAL OF ASIA-PACIFIC ENTOMOLOGY }, volume = {26}, year = {2023}, month = {12/2023}, pages = {102165}, abstract = {

In light of new evidence from DNA and morphology of male genitalia, we review and clarify the status of nominal lycaenid taxa Hesperia parrhasius Fabricius 1793, Lycaena pandava Horsfield [1829], L. contracta Butler 1880 and Catochrysops ella Butler 1881. We designate a neotype for H. parrhasius and a lectotype for C. bengalia de Nice {\textquoteright} ville, 1885. The following new combinations, status and synonymies are established: Lachides galba (Lederer, 1855) = Lycaena phiala Grum-Grshimailo, 1890, syn. nov.; Lachides parrhasius contracta (Butler, 1880), stat. nov. = Catochrysops ella Butler 1881, syn. nov.; Lachides parrhasius nila (Evans, 1925), comb. nov.; Luthrodes pandava (Horsfiled, [1828]) = Cathochrysops bengalia de Nice {\textquoteright} ville, 1885, syn. nov. and Luthrodes pandava (Horsfield, [1829]) = Lycaenesthes orissica Moore, 1884, syn. nov. A checklist with all taxonomic changes to the discussed taxa is provided.

}, doi = {10.1016/j.aspen.2023.102165}, author = {Nazari, Vazrick and Kunte, Krushnamegh and Balint, Zsolt} } @article {130541, title = {Molecular phylogeny, historical biogeography, and classification of Pseudocoladenia butterflies (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae).}, journal = {Mol Phylogenet Evol}, volume = {186}, year = {2023}, month = {2023 Jun 21}, pages = {107865}, abstract = {

The range of the butterfly genus Pseudocoladenia includes several biodiversity hotspots, such as the Himalayas, mountains of southwestern China, and Sundaland. However, the taxonomic status of some of its species/subspecies remain controversial, and no previous phylogenetic or biogeographic analyses have been conducted. Herein, we determined the systematic relationships and biogeographic history of this genus by reconstructing its phylogeny based on six genes and 69 specimens as representatives of all known species/subspecies. Two species delimitation methods (Bayes Poisson Tree Processes and Bayesian Phylogenetics and Phylogeography) were also employed to assess the status of each taxon. Based on these results and morphological evidence, we identified 12 species and three subspecies in the genus and subsequently classified these into three species groups: P. fatih, P. dea, and P. dan. Five taxa, P. sadakoe (Sonan and Mitono, 1936) stat. nov., P. celebica (Fruhstorfer, 1909) stat. nov., P. fulvescens (Elwes and Edwarda, 1897) stat. nov., P. eacus (Latreille, 1823) stat. nov., and P. fabia (Evans, 1949) stat. nov. were all recognized as independent species. Additionally, two taxa, P. eacus sumatrana (Fruhstorfer, 1909) comb. nov. and P. eacus dhyana (Fruhstorfer, 1909) comb. nov., were placed under P. eacus (Latreille, 1823) stat. nov. as subspecies. Another new species distributed in N. Yunnan, Pseudocoladenia yunnana Fan, Cao \& Hou sp. nov., was discovered and described. Divergence time and ancestral range estimation indicated that the most recent common ancestor of Pseudocoladenia was distributed in the Himalayas-Hengduan Mountain region and Indochina and diverged approximately 14.00\ Ma. Continuous and episodic dispersal, vicariance, and extinction were used to determine the current geographic distribution of the genus. The P. fatih group had a prominently disjunct distribution between the Himalaya-Hengduan Mountain and Taiwan. Meanwhile, the P. dan group was first derived in Indochina and subsequently dispersed into the southeastern Asian archipelagoes. This study provides a reference for the evolutionary route of transoceanic distributed species in Asia and elaborates on the causes of biodiversity.

}, issn = {1095-9513}, doi = {10.1016/j.ympev.2023.107865}, author = {Hou, Yongxiang and Cao, Chenglong and Chiba, Hideyuki and Chang, Zhou and Huang, Siyao and Zhu, Lijuan and Kunte, Krushnamegh and Huang, Zhenfu and Wang, Min and Fan, Xiaoling} } @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 {111545, title = {Burmagomphus chaukulensis, a new species of dragonfly (Odonata: Anisoptera: Gomphidae) from the Western Ghats, Maharashtra, India}, journal = {ZOOTAXA }, volume = {5133}, year = {2022}, month = {05/2022}, pages = {413-430}, abstract = {

We describe a new species of dragonfly, Burmagomphus chaukulensis sp. nov., based on four males and two females from Chaukul, Sindhudurg, Maharashtra located in the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot of India. The newly described species is diagnosed from its congeners by a combination of following characters: the shape of male caudal appendages (prominent lateral spines on cerci) and the lateral thoracic markings (stripe on mesepisternum reduced and pointed anteriorly). Additionally, B. chaukulensis is unique in terms of the shape of hamuli, strongly angulated with spines at both sides. An updated identification key to Indian Burmagomphus spp. is also provided.

}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.5133.3.6}, author = {Joshi, Shantanu and Sawant, Dattaprasad and Ogale, Hemant and Kunte, Krushnamegh} } @article {112947, title = {Detecting and removing sample contamination in phylogenomic data: an example and its implications for Cicadidae phylogeny (Insecta: Hemiptera).}, journal = {Syst Biol}, year = {2022}, month = {2022 Jun 16}, abstract = {

Contamination of a genetic sample with DNA from one or more non-target species is a continuing concern of molecular phylogenetic studies, both Sanger sequencing studies and Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) studies. We developed an automated pipeline for identifying and excluding likely cross-contaminated loci based on detection of bimodal distributions of patristic distances across gene trees. When the contamination occurs between samples within a dataset, comparisons between a contaminated sample and its contaminant taxon will yield bimodal distributions with one peak close to zero patristic distance. This new method does not rely on a priori knowledge of taxon relatedness nor does it determine the causes(s) of the contamination. Exclusion of putatively contaminated loci from a dataset generated for the insect family Cicadidae showed that these sequences were affecting some topological patterns and branch supports, although the effects were sometimes subtle, with some contamination-influenced relationships exhibiting strong bootstrap support. Long tip branches and outlier values for one anchored phylogenomic pipeline statistic (AvgNHomologs) were correlated with the presence of contamination. While the AHE markers used here, which target hemipteroid taxa, proved effective in resolving deep and shallow level Cicadidae relationships in aggregate, individual markers contained inadequate phylogenetic signal, in part probably due to short length. The cleaned dataset, consisting of 429 loci, from 90 genera representing 44 of 56 current Cicadidae tribes, supported three of the four sampled Cicadidae subfamilies in concatenated-matrix maximum likelihood (ML) and multispecies coalescent-based species tree analyses, with the fourth subfamily weakly supported in the ML trees. No well-supported patterns from previous family-level Sanger sequencing studies of Cicadidae phylogeny were contradicted. One taxon (Aragualna plenalinea) did not fall with its current subfamily in the genetic tree, and this genus and its tribe Aragualnini is reclassified to Tibicininae following morphological re-examination. Only subtle differences were observed in trees after removal of loci for which divergent base frequencies were detected. Greater success may be achieved by increased taxon sampling and developing a probe set targeting a more recent common ancestor and longer loci. Searches for contamination are an essential step in phylogenomic analyses of all kinds and our pipeline is an effective solution.

}, issn = {1076-836X}, doi = {10.1093/sysbio/syac043}, author = {Owen, Christopher L and Marshall, David C and Wade, Elizabeth J and Meister, Russ and Goemans, Geert and Kunte, Krushnamegh and Moulds, Max and Hill, Kathy and Villet, M and Pham, Thai-Hong and Kortyna, Michelle and Lemmon, Emily Moriarty and Lemmon, Alan R and Simon, Chris} } @article {105474, title = {Ecological monitoring and indicator taxa: butterfly communities in heterogeneous landscapes of the Western Ghats and Malabar coast, India}, journal = {JOURNAL OF INSECT CONSERVATION}, year = {2022}, month = {01/2022}, abstract = {

As the pace of socioeconomic developments continues to accelerate, the environmental degradation and biodiversity loss become the norm. While it is crucial to constantly monitor and assess ecological impacts, baseline data are scanty for ecologically sensitive regions and biodiversity hotspots such as the Western Ghats. With their great public appeal and ease to work with, butterflies are excellent communities to monitor the ecological health. To characterize the baseline patterns of butterfly communities, using time-constrained counts, we surveyed eight heterogeneous landscapes of the coastal plains of the Western Ghats. We recorded 43,118 individuals and 175 species, with large differences in their diversity and species-specific abundances among habitats. The coastal and semi-evergreen-forest habitats were at the two extremes with intermediate patterns in agricultural and other habitats that suffered diverse anthropogenic pressures. Using indicator value analysis, 22 habitat-specific and several shared indicator species were identified. Even some of the most abundant species showed distinct niches, and therefore can be used as indicator species to monitor community dynamics. Patterns of numerous habitat-specific host-plant butterfly species pairs that were identified were discussed in relation to butterfly abundance and conservation. Implications for insect conservation This study has implications for insect conservation by providing important baseline data on butterfly taxa for future monitoring and assessment of this ecologically sensitive region.

}, doi = {10.1007/s10841-022-00368-5}, author = {Naik, Deepak and Rao, R. Shyama Prasad and Kunte, Krushnamegh and Mustak, Mohammed S.} } @article {109939, title = {Profiling, monitoring and conserving caterpillar fungus in the Himalayan region using anchored hybrid enrichment markers.}, journal = {Proc Biol Sci}, volume = {289}, year = {2022}, month = {2022 Apr 27}, pages = {20212650}, abstract = {

The collection of caterpillar fungus accounts for 50-70\% of the household income of thousands of Himalayan communities and has an estimated market value of $5-11 billion across Asia. However, Himalayan collectors are at multiple economic disadvantages compared with collectors on the Tibetan Plateau because their product is not legally recognized. Using a customized hybrid-enrichment probe set and market-grade caterpillar fungus (with samples up to 30 years old) from 94 production zones across Asia, we uncovered clear geography-based signatures of historical dispersal and significant isolation-by-distance among caterpillar fungus hosts. This high-throughput approach can readily distinguish samples from major production zones with definitive geographical resolution, especially for samples from the Himalayan region that form monophyletic clades in our analysis. Based on these results, we propose a two-step procedure to help local communities authenticate their produce and improve this multi-national trade-route without creating opportunities for illegal exports and other forms of economic exploitation. We argue that policymakers and conservation practitioners must encourage the fair trade of caterpillar fungus in addition to sustainable harvesting to support a trans-boundary conservation effort that is much needed for this natural commodity in the Himalayan region.

}, keywords = {Asia, Fungi, Geography}, issn = {1471-2954}, doi = {10.1098/rspb.2021.2650}, author = {Wang, Zhengyang and Da, Wa and Negi, Chandra Singh and Ghimire, Puspa Lal and Wangdi, Karma and Yadav, Pramod K and Pubu, Zhuoma and Lama, Laiku and Yarpel, Kuenga and Maunsell, Sarah C and Liu, Yong and Kunte, Krushnamegh and Bawa, Kamaljit S and Yang, Darong and Pierce, Naomi E} } @article {91467, title = {Description of three new species of the genus Mata Distant, 1906 (Hemiptera: Cicadidae: Cicadinae: Oncotympanini) with notes on their natural history from Indian state of Meghalaya, India.}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {4908}, year = {2021}, month = {2021 Jan 13}, pages = {zootaxa.4908.1.1}, abstract = {

Three new species of the Asian genus Mata Distant, 1906 (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) viz. Mata lenonia sp.nov.; Mata ruffordii sp.nov. and Mata meghalayana sp.nov. are described from Indian state of Meghalaya. Keys and taxonomic descriptions of these species are provided with detailed accounts of their natural history and acoustics.

}, issn = {1175-5334}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.4908.1.1}, author = {Sarkar, Vivek and Mahapatra, Cuckoo and Mohapatra, Pratyush P and Nair, Manoj V and Kunte, Krushnamegh} } @inbook {103400, title = {Evolution of Mimicry Rings as a Window into Community Dynamics}, booktitle = {ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS }, volume = {52}, year = {2021}, pages = {315-341}, abstract = {

Mimicry rings are communities of mimetic organisms that are excellent models for ecological and evolutionary studies because the community composition, the nature of the species interactions, the phenotypes under selection, and the selective agents are well characterized. Here, we review how regional and ecological filtering, density- and frequency-dependent selection, toxicity of prey, and age of mimicry rings shape their assembly. We synthesize findings from theoretical and empirical studies to generate the following hypotheses: (a) the degree of unpalatability and age of mimicry rings increase mimicry ring size and (b) the degree of unpalatability, generalization of the aposematic signal, and availability of alternative prey are positively related to the breadth of the protection umbrella for an aposematic signal and negatively related to the degree of mimetic resemblance. We also provide a phylogenetic framework in which key aspects of mimicry ring diversification may be studied.

}, issn = {eISSN 1545-2069}, doi = {10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-012021-024616}, author = {Kunte, Krushnamegh and Kizhakke, Athulya Girish and Nawge, Viraj and Futuyma, DJ} } @article {97222, title = {Habitat preference and functional traits influence responses of tropical butterflies to varied habitat disturbance}, journal = {INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TROPICAL INSECT SCIENCE}, year = {2021}, month = {08/2021}, abstract = {

Biodiversity is declining worldwide due to anthropogenic disturbances. There is a vital need to be able to predict the impacts of these disturbances on ecological communities. Species{\textquoteright} attributes such as habitat preference and functional morphological traits may help in uncovering broad patterns in their responses to anthropogenic habitat disturbance. We examined trait-habitat associations in 251 tropical butterfly species by measuring three morphological traits (body mass, wing length and proboscis length) and classifying species according to their habitat preference (forest, ecotone, open). We then correlated these measures (morphological traits and habitat preference) to responses of butterflies to two common habitat disturbances, i.e., a road passing through forest, and dominance of an invasive plant Lantana camara. Both evolutionary relatedness (i.e., family affiliation) and habitat preference explained considerable variation in butterfly morphological traits, suggesting a relationship between evolutionary relatedness, habitat preference and morphology. Both habitat preference and morphological traits influenced response to habitat disturbance: (a) forest roads were frequented by smaller butterflies (b) Lantana-dominated patches were depauperate in larger butterfly species and species with long probosces that are usually associated with deep-flowered forest plants, and (c) habitat preference was related to disturbance from both road and Lantana, with forest-specialized butterfly species showing a negative response. These results suggest that tropical butterflies show generalized responses to habitat disturbance according to their habitat preference and functional morphological traits.

}, doi = {10.1007/s42690-021-00609-1}, author = {Attiwilli, Suman and Karmakar, Tarun and Isvaran, Kavita and Kunte, Krushnamegh} } @article {95776, title = {The molecular systematics and diversification of a taxonomically unstable group of Asian cicada tribes related to Cicadini Latreille, 1802 (Hemiptera : Cicadidae)}, journal = {INVERTEBRATE SYSTEMATICS}, year = {2021}, month = {06/2021}, abstract = {

The cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) related to tribe Cicadini exhibit some of the most remarkable phenotypes in the family, with many genera possessing striking colour patterns and unusual morphological features. This largely Asian group of 13 tribes has proven challenging for cicada taxonomists, in part because of likely convergent evolution or losses of these phenotypes. We present the first focused molecular phylogeny of this clade, including similar to 60 described genera. The genetic dataset contains 839 ingroup-informative sites (out of 2575) from mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, nuclear elongation factor-1 alpha, and nuclear acetyltransferase. We use Bayesian and maximum likelihood trees to test recent changes in tribe- and subtribe- level classification, and we reconstruct ancestral character states for potentially convergent traits influencing tribe descriptions. We use fossil and molecular clock calibrations to estimate the temporal and geographic context of the radiation. The tribes Gaeanini, Leptopsaltriini, Platypleurini, Psithyristriini, and Tosenini appear polyphyletic and in need of revision, in part because of convergent evolution of opaque wings and multiple convergent gains or losses of abdominal tubercles. Kalabita Moulton, 1923 is transferred from Platypleurini to Leptopsaltriini. Vittagaeana gen. nov. is established for Vittagaeana paviei comb. nov. and Vittagaeana dives comb. nov., formerly in Tosena. Sinosenini syn. nov. is synonymised with Dundubiina. Ayuthiini trib. nov. is established with two new subtribes for Ayuthia Distant, 1919 and Distantalna Boulard, 2009, formerly in Tosenini. For the earliest split in the tree, one common ancestor appears to have been Indian + Asian in geographic distribution and the other Asian. We estimate that the radiation began in the middle Cenozoic Era, possibly as recently as the early Miocene. The recent and steady pattern of diversification suggests that refinement of tribe diagnoses will prove challenging.

}, doi = {10.1071/IS20079}, author = {Hill, Kathy B. R. and Marshall, David C and Marathe, Kiran and Moulds, Maxwell S. and Lee, Young June and Pham, Thai-Hong and Mohagan, Alma B. and Sarkar, Vivek and Price, Benjamin W. and Duffels, J. P. and Schouten, Marieke A. and de Boer, Arnold J. and Kunte, Krushnamegh and Simon, Chris} } @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 {78098, title = {Phylogenomics Reveals Ancient Gene Tree Discordance in the Amphibian Tree of Life.}, journal = {Syst Biol}, volume = {70}, year = {2021}, month = {2020 May 02}, pages = {49-66}, abstract = {

Molecular phylogenies have yielded strong support for many parts of the amphibian Tree of Life, but poor support for the resolution of deeper nodes, including relationships among families and orders. To clarify these relationships, we provide a phylogenomic perspective on amphibian relationships by developing a taxon-specific Anchored Hybrid Enrichment protocol targeting hundreds of conserved exons which are effective across the class. After obtaining data from 220 loci for 286 species (representing 94\% of the families and 44\% of the genera), we estimate a phylogeny for extant amphibians and identify gene tree-species tree conflict across the deepest branches of the amphibian phylogeny. We perform locus-by-locus genealogical interrogation of alternative topological hypotheses for amphibian monophyly, focusing on interordinal relationships. We find that phylogenetic signal deep in the amphibian phylogeny varies greatly across loci in a manner that is consistent with incomplete lineage sorting in the ancestral lineage of extant amphibians. Our results overwhelmingly support amphibian monophyly and a sister relationship between frogs and salamanders, consistent with the Batrachia hypothesis. Species tree analyses converge on a small set of topological hypotheses for the relationships among extant amphibian families. These results clarify several contentious portions of the amphibian Tree of Life, which in conjunction with a set of vetted fossil calibrations, support a surprisingly younger timescale for crown and ordinal amphibian diversification than previously reported. More broadly, our study provides insight into the sources, magnitudes, and heterogeneity of support across loci in phylogenomic data sets.

}, issn = {1076-836X}, doi = {10.1093/sysbio/syaa034}, author = {Hime, Paul M and Lemmon, Alan R and Lemmon, Emily C Moriarty and Prendini, Elizabeth and Brown, Jeremy M and Thomson, Robert C and Kratovil, Justin D and Noonan, Brice P and Pyron, R Alexander and Peloso, Pedro L V and Kortyna, Michelle L and Keogh, J Scott and Donnellan, Stephen C and Mueller, Rachel Lockridge and Raxworthy, Christopher J and Kunte, Krushnamegh and Ron, Santiago R and Das, Sandeep and Gaitonde, Nikhil and Green, David M and Labisko, Jim and Che, Jing and Weisrock, David W} } @article {79867, title = {Adaptive plasticity in wing melanisation of a montane butterfly across a Himalayan elevational gradient}, journal = {ECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY}, year = {2020}, type = {07/2020}, abstract = {

Traits that are significant to the thermal ecology of temperate or montane species are expected to prominently co-vary with the thermal environment experienced by an organism. The HimalayanPieris canidiabutterfly exhibits considerable variation in wing melanisation. We investigated: (i) whether variation in wing melanisation and (ii) activity period of this montane butterfly was influenced by the seasonally and elevationally changing thermal landscape. We discovered that wing melanisation varied across elevation, seasons, sex, and wing surfaces, with the variation strongly structured in space and time: colder seasons and higher elevations produced more melanic individuals. Notably, melanisation did not vary uniformly across all wing surfaces: (i) melanisation of the ventral hindwing co-varied much more prominently with elevation, but (ii) melanisation on all other surfaces varied with seasonal changes in the thermal environment. Observed wing surface-specific patterns indicated thermoregulatory function for this variation in melanisation. Such wing surface-specific responses to seasonal and elevational variation in temperature have rarely been reported in montane insects. Moreover, daily and seasonal thermal cycles were found to strongly influence activity periods of this species, suggesting the potential limits to wing melanisation plasticity. Overall, these results showed that the seasonal and elevational gradients in temperature influence the thermal phenotype as well as activity periods of this Himalayan butterfly. It will be critical to study the phenotypic evolution of such montane insects in response to the ongoing climate change, which is already showing significant signs in this iconic mountain range.

}, doi = {10.1111/een.12911}, author = {Gautam, Shubham and Kunte, Krushnamegh} } @article {81505, title = {Dispersal and migration have contrasting effects on butterfly flight morphology and reproduction.}, journal = {Biol Lett}, volume = {16}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 Aug}, pages = {20200393}, abstract = {

Movement may fundamentally alter morphology and reproductive states in insects. In long-distance migrants, reproductive diapause is associated with trade-offs between diverse life-history traits such as flight morphology and lifespan. However, many non-diapausing insects engage in shorter resource-driven dispersals. How diapause and other reproductive states alter flight morphology in migrating versus dispersing insects is poorly understood. To find out, we compared flight morphology in different reproductive states of multiple butterfly species. We found that dispersers consisted of ovulating females with higher egg loads compared with non-dispersing females. This trend was in stark contrast with that of migrating female butterflies in reproductive diapause, which made substantially higher investment in flight tissue compared with reproductively active, non-migrating females. Thus, long-distance migration and shorter resource-driven dispersals had contrasting effects on flight morphology and egg loads. By contrast, male flight morphology was not affected by dispersal, migration or associated reproductive states. Thus, dispersal and migration affected resource allocation in flight and reproductive tissue in a sex-specific manner across relatively mobile versus non-dispersing individuals of different species. These findings suggest that dispersals between fragmented habitats may put extra stress on egg-carrying females by increasing their flight burdens.

}, issn = {1744-957X}, doi = {10.1098/rsbl.2020.0393}, author = {Bhaumik, Vaishali and Kunte, Krushnamegh} } @article {81498, title = {Molecular Evolution and Developmental Expression of Melanin Pathway Genes in Lepidoptera}, journal = {FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION}, volume = {8}, year = {2020}, month = {07/2020}, abstract = {

Pigmentation is involved in a wide array of biological functions across insect orders, including body patterning, thermoregulation, and immunity. The melanin pathway, in particular, has been characterized in several species. However, molecular evolution of the genes involved in this pathway is poorly explored. We traced the molecular evolution of six melanin pathway genes in 53 species of Lepidoptera covering butterflies and moths, and representing over 100 million years of diversification. We compared the rates of synonymous and non-synonymous substitutions within and between these genes to study the signatures of selection at the level of individual sites, genes, and branches of the gene tree. We found that molecular evolution of all six genes was governed by strong purifying selection. Yet, a number of sites showed signs of being under positive selection, including in the highly conserved domain regions of three genes. Further, we traced the expression of these genes across developmental stages, tissues, and sexes in thePapilio polytesbutterfly using a developmental transcriptome dataset. We observed that the expression patterns of the genes inP. polyteslargely reflected their known tissue-specific function in other species. The expression of sequentially acting genes in the melanin pathway was correlated. Interestingly, melanin pathway genes also showed a sexually dimorphic pattern of developmental heterochrony, i.e., females showed prominent upregulation of melanin pathway genes in pre-pupal stage compared to males, while males showed prominent upregulation in 9-day pupal wings compared to females. Our evolutionary and developmental analyses suggest that the vast diversity of wing patterning and pigmentation in Lepidoptera may have evolved despite largely constrained sequence evolution, with potential contribution from differential developmental expression of genes in a highly conserved pathway.

}, doi = {10.3389/fevo.2020.00226}, author = {Kuwalekar, Muktai and Deshmukh, Riddhi and Padvi, Ajay 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 {87597, title = {A phylogenetic and taxonomic review of baviine jumping spiders (Araneae, Salticidae, Baviini).}, journal = {Zookeys}, volume = {1004}, year = {2020}, month = {2020}, pages = {27-97}, abstract = {

The systematics and taxonomy of the tropical Asian jumping spiders of the tribe Baviini is reviewed, with a molecular phylogenetic study (UCE sequence capture, traditional Sanger sequencing) guiding a reclassification of the group{\textquoteright}s genera. The well-studied members of the group are placed into six genera: Simon, 1877, Caleb \& Sankaran, 2019, Simon, 1901, Thorell, 1895, Simon, 1885, and one new genus, Maddison, The identity of is clarified, and Kanesharatnam \& Benjamin, 2018 synonymized with it. Strand, 1911 is synonymized with . The molecular phylogeny divides the baviines into three clades, the clade with a long embolus (, ), the genus with a flat body and short embolus, and the clade with a higher body and (usually) short embolus (remaining genera). In general, morphological synapomorphies support or extend the molecularly delimited groups. Eighteen new species are described: , , , , , , , , (type species of ), , , , , , , , , and , all , with taxonomic authority W. Maddison. The distinctions between baviines and the astioid {\.Z}abka, 1985 are reviewed, leading to four species being moved into from and other genera. Fifteen new combinations are established: (Freudenschuss \& Seiter, 2016), (Simon, 1903), (Pr{\'o}szy{\'n}ski \& Deeleman-Reinhold, 2013), (Berry, Beatty \& Pr{\'o}szy{\'n}ski, 1997), (Pr{\'o}szy{\'n}ski \& Deeleman-Reinhold, 2013), (Cao \& Li, 2016), (Reimoser, 1929), (Thorell, 1881), (Keyserling, 1883), (Strand, 1911), (Cao \& Li, 2016), (Simon, 1900), (Cao \& Li, 2016), (Kanesharatnam \& Benjamin, 2018), (Strand, 1911), all One combination is restored, (C. L. Koch, 1846). Five of these new or restored combinations correct previous errors of placing species in genera that have superficially similar palps but extremely different body forms, in fact belonging in distantly related tribes, emphasizing that the general shape of male palps should be used with caution in determining relationships. A little-studied genus, Pr{\'o}szy{\'n}ski, 2018, is tentatively assigned to the Baviini. Thorell, 1895 is assigned to the Ballini.

}, issn = {1313-2989}, doi = {10.3897/zookeys.1004.57526}, author = {Maddison, Wayne P and Beattie, Imara and Marathe, Kiran and Ng, Paul Y C and Kanesharatnam, Nilani and Benjamin, Suresh P and Kunte, Krushnamegh} } @article {84066, title = {Three new species of Protosticta Selys, 1885 (Odonata: Zygoptera: Platystictidae) from the Western Ghats, India, with taxonomic notes on P. mortoni Fraser, 1922 and rediscovery of P. rufostigma Kimmins, 1958.}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {4858}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 Sep 30}, pages = {zootaxa.4858.2.1}, abstract = {

Three new species of Protosticta Selys, 1885 (Odonata: Zygoptera: Platystictidae) from the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot in India: P. cyanofemora sp. nov. (wet evergreen forests in Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary, Kollam, Kerala and Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu), P. myristicaensis sp. nov. (Myristica swamp at Kathalekan, Shivamogga, Karnataka) and P. sholai sp. nov. (montane sholas of Upper Manalar, Meghamalai Wildlife Sanctuary, Theni, Tamil Nadu) are described and illustrated. We compare these three new species with other Protosticta spp. from the Western Ghats based on new material and provide comprehensive differential diagnoses with determination key for males of all species occurring in the Western Ghats. The taxonomic validity of P. mortoni Fraser, 1922 is established with fresh specimens from Hassan, Karnataka, and rediscovery of P. rufostigma Kimmins, 1958 is reported from Kanyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu.

}, keywords = {Animals, Animals, Wild, Biodiversity, Forests, India, Male, Odonata}, issn = {1175-5334}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.4858.2.1}, author = {Joshi, Shantanu and Subramanian, K A and Babu, R and Sawant, Dattaprasad and Kunte, Krushnamegh} } @article {83748, title = {Tissue-specific developmental regulation and isoform usage underlie the role of in sex differentiation and mimicry in swallowtails.}, journal = {R Soc Open Sci}, volume = {7}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 Sep}, pages = {200792}, abstract = {

Adaptive phenotypes often arise by rewiring existing developmental networks. Co-option of transcription factors in novel contexts has facilitated the evolution of ecologically important adaptations. () governs fundamental sex differentiation during embryonic stages and has been co-opted to regulate diverse secondary sexual dimorphisms during pupal development of holometabolous insects. In , regulates female-limited mimetic polymorphism, resulting in mimetic and non-mimetic forms. To understand how a critical gene such as regulates novel wing patterns while maintaining its basic function in sex differentiation, we traced its expression through metamorphosis in using developmental transcriptome data. We found three key expression peaks: (i) eggs in pre- and post-ovisposition stages; (ii) developing wing discs and body in final larval instar; and (iii) 3-day pupae. We identified potential targets using co-expression and differential expression analysis, and found distinct, non-overlapping sets of genes-containing putative binding sites-in developing wings versus abdominal tissue and in mimetic versus non-mimetic individuals. This suggests that regulates distinct downstream targets in different tissues and wing colour morphs and has perhaps acquired new, previously unknown targets, for regulating mimetic polymorphism. Additionally, we observed that the three female isoforms of were differentially expressed across stages (from eggs to adults) and tissues and differed in their protein structure. This may promote differential protein-protein interactions for each isoform and facilitate sub-functionalization of activity across its isoforms. Our findings suggest that employs tissue-specific downstream effectors and partitions its functions across multiple isoforms to regulate primary and secondary sexual dimorphism through insect development.

}, issn = {2054-5703}, doi = {10.1098/rsos.200792}, author = {Deshmukh, Riddhi and Lakhe, Dhanashree 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 {70232, title = {Disrupting butterfly caterpillar microbiomes does not impact their survival and development.}, journal = {Proc Biol Sci}, volume = {286}, year = {2019}, month = {2019 Dec 18}, pages = {20192438}, abstract = {

Associations with gut microbes are believed to play crucial roles in the physiology, immune function, development and behaviour of insects. However, microbiome sequencing has recently suggested that butterflies are an anomaly, because their microbiomes do not show strong host- and developmental stage-specific associations. We experimentally manipulated butterfly larval gut microbiota and found that disrupting gut microbes had little influence on larval survival and development. Larvae of the butterflies and that fed on chemically sterilized or antibiotic-treated host plant leaves had significantly reduced bacterial loads, and their gut bacterial communities were disrupted substantially. However, neither host species treated this way suffered a significant fitness cost: across multiple experimental blocks, treated and control larvae had similar survival, growth and development. Furthermore, re-introducing microbes from the excreta of control larvae did not improve larval growth and survival. Thus, these butterfly larvae did not appear to rely on specialized gut bacteria for digestion, detoxification, biomass accumulation and metamorphosis. Our experiments thus show that dependence on gut bacteria for growth and survival is not a universal phenomenon across insects. Our findings also caution that strategies which target gut microbiomes may not always succeed in controlling Lepidopteran pests.

}, issn = {1471-2954}, doi = {10.1098/rspb.2019.2438}, author = {Phalnikar, Kruttika and Kunte, Krushnamegh and Agashe, Deepa} } @article {57785, title = {Genetic architecture and sex-specific selection govern modular, male-biased evolution of .}, journal = {Sci Adv}, volume = {5}, year = {2019}, month = {2019 May}, pages = {eaau3753}, abstract = {

regulates early embryonic sex differentiation in holometabolous insects, along with the development of species-, sex-, and morph-specific adaptations during pupal stages. How does a highly conserved gene with a critical developmental role also remain functionally dynamic enough to gain ecologically important adaptations that are divergent in sister species? We analyzed patterns of exon-level molecular evolution and protein structural homology of from 145 species of four insect orders representing 350 million years of divergence. This analysis revealed that evolution of was governed by a modular architecture: Functional domains and female-specific regions were highly conserved, whereas male-specific sequences and protein structures evolved up to thousand-fold faster, with sites under pervasive and/or episodic positive selection. This pattern of sex bias was reversed in Hymenoptera. Thus, highly conserved yet dynamic master regulators such as may partition specific conserved and novel functions in different genic modules at deep evolutionary time scales.

}, issn = {2375-2548}, doi = {10.1126/sciadv.aau3753}, author = {Baral, Saurav and Arumugam, Gandhimathi and Deshmukh, Riddhi and Kunte, Krushnamegh} } @article {53618, title = {A multilocus phylogenetic framework of the tribe Aeromachini (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae: Hesperiinae), with implications for taxonomy and biogeography}, journal = {Systematic Entomology}, year = {2019}, month = {01/2019}, abstract = {

The Oriental tribe Aeromachini (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae: Hesperiinae) is diverse and widespread, but its monophyly and circumscription remain unresolved. In this study, we inferred phylogenetic relationships within the tribe using two mitochondrial (16S and COI-COII) and two nuclear genes (EF-1α and Wingless) from 71 samples representing all of the known genera of Aeromachini (s.l.). Phylogenetic topologies obtained from two model-based methods (maximum-likelihood and Bayesian inference) were largely congruent, showing that Aeromachini was monophyletic. Many genera within Aeromachini were polyphyletic, especially Arnetta, Thoressa, Ampittia and Sovia. Based on these results, we propose a new classification consisting of 14 genera, of which two are newly described: Halpemorpha gen.n. and Praethoressa gen.n. Ampittia and Ochus are restructured, with: (i) Ampittia nana and Ampittia dalailama moved to Aeromachus, (ii) new combinations proposed for the remaining Ampittia species, and (iii) a new combination, Ampittia subvittatus comb.n., proposed. The Oriental members of the genus Arnetta belong to this tribe, but the African Arnetta hyposticta was found to be embedded into the outgroup and closely related to Isoteinon. We propose that hyposticta be reinstated in the genus Galerga Mabille, along with two other African species (fito and ellipsis). Thoressa is polyphyletic, with three distinct lineages. The type species Thoressa masoni forms a clade closely related to the sister genera Sebastonyma and Parasovia. We thus describe Praethoressa gen.n. to include the species varia (formerly of Thoressa), and transfer the remaining Thoressa to Pedesta, which is confirmed as a valid genus. Although the relationships of some genera remained unsolved in our work, the present phylogenetic hypothesis will serve as a reference for further studies. A secondary calibration was used to estimate the divergence time, which indicated that the diversification of Aeromachini started in the late Eocene and early Oligocene (c. 34.22 Ma). Further, ancestral range estimates indicated that the common ancestor of Aeromachini originated in Southeast Asia. Diversification in situ and range expansion to adjacent areas have played essential roles in the evolution of Aeromachini, but founder-event speciation and vicariance also have likely been important factors in shaping the biogeographical history of this tribe.

}, doi = {10.1111/syen.12322}, author = {Huang, Zhen-Fu and Chiba, H and Jin, J and Kizhakke, AG and Wang, Min and Kunte, Krushnamegh and Fan, X} } @article {60612, title = {Predictability in the evolution of Orthopteran cardenolide insensitivity.}, journal = {Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci}, volume = {374}, year = {2019}, month = {2019 Jul 22}, pages = {20180246}, abstract = {

The repeated evolutionary specialization of distantly related insects to cardenolide-containing host plants provides a stunning example of parallel adaptation. Hundreds of herbivorous insect species have independently evolved insensitivity to cardenolides, which are potent inhibitors of the alpha-subunit of Na,K-ATPase (ATPα). Previous studies investigating ATPα-mediated cardenolide insensitivity in five insect orders have revealed remarkably high levels of parallelism in the evolution of this trait, including the frequent occurrence of parallel amino acid substitutions at two sites and recurrent episodes of duplication followed by neo-functionalization. Here we add data for a sixth insect order, Orthoptera, which includes an ancient group of highly aposematic cardenolide-sequestering grasshoppers in the family Pyrgomorphidae. We find that Orthopterans exhibit largely predictable patterns of evolution of insensitivity established by sampling other insect orders. Taken together the data lend further support to the proposal that negative pleiotropic constraints are a key determinant in the evolution of cardenolide insensitivity in insects. Furthermore, analysis of our expanded taxonomic survey implicates positive selection acting on site 111 of cardenolide-sequestering species with a single-copy of ATPα, and sites 115, 118 and 122 in lineages with neo-functionalized duplicate copies, all of which are sites of frequent parallel amino acid substitution. This article is part of the theme issue {\textquoteright}Convergent evolution in the genomics era: new insights and directions{\textquoteright}.

}, issn = {1471-2970}, doi = {10.1098/rstb.2018.0246}, author = {Yang, Lu and Ravikanthachari, Nitin and Mari{\~n}o-P{\'e}rez, Ricardo and Deshmukh, Riddhi and Wu, Mariana and Rosenstein, Adam and Kunte, Krushnamegh and Song, Hojun and Andolfatto, Peter} } @article {35861, title = {Dietary and developmental shifts in butterfly-associated bacterial communities.}, journal = {R Soc Open Sci}, volume = {5}, year = {2018}, month = {2018 May}, pages = {171559}, abstract = {

Bacterial communities associated with insects can substantially influence host ecology, evolution and behaviour. Host diet is a key factor that shapes bacterial communities, but the impact of dietary transitions across insect development is poorly understood. We analysed bacterial communities of 12 butterfly species across different developmental stages, using amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Butterfly larvae typically consume leaves of a single host plant, whereas adults are more generalist nectar feeders. Thus, we expected bacterial communities to vary substantially across butterfly development. Surprisingly, only few species showed significant dietary and developmental transitions in bacterial communities, suggesting weak impacts of dietary transitions across butterfly development. On the other hand, bacterial communities were strongly influenced by butterfly species and family identity, potentially due to dietary and physiological variation across the host phylogeny. Larvae of most butterfly species largely mirrored bacterial community composition of their diets, suggesting passive acquisition rather than active selection. Overall, our results suggest that although butterflies harbour distinct microbiomes across taxonomic groups and dietary guilds, the dramatic dietary shifts that occur during development do not impose strong selection to maintain distinct bacterial communities across all butterfly hosts.

}, issn = {2054-5703}, doi = {10.1098/rsos.171559}, author = {Phalnikar, Kruttika and Kunte, Krushnamegh and Agashe, Deepa} } @article {30078, title = { Female butterflies modulate investment in reproduction and flight in response to monsoon-driven migrations}, journal = {OIKOS}, volume = { 127 }, year = {2018}, month = {02/2018}, pages = {285-296}, abstract = {
Migratory species may display striking phenotypic plasticity during individual lifetimes. This may include differential investment in body parts and functions, differential resource use and allocation, and behavioural changes between migratory and non-migratory phases. While migration-related phenotypic changes are well-reported, their underlying mechanisms are usually poorly understood. Here we compare individuals from migratory (reproductive diapause) and non-migratory (reproductive) phases of closely related aposematic butterfly species to study how sexual dimorphism and migratory behaviour underlie significant morphological tradeoffs, and propose a plausible scenario to explain the migration-related phenotypic plasticity observed in females of migratory species. We found that female butterflies invested significantly more in their abdominal mass compared to males irrespective of their migratory phase, and underwent a clear shift in their body mass allocation after the switch from the reproductive diapause phase to the reproductive phase. In reproductive phase, females invested much more in reproductive tissue. This switch occurred as a result of increased abdominal mass (i.e. reproductive tissue mass) without significant reduction in the thoracic mass (i.e. flight muscle mass). Migratory males, however, were not significantly different from non-migratory males in terms of relative investment in flight and reproductive tissues. These patterns were consistent between migratory and non-migratory aposematic species within and across clades. While migratory habits may influence the physiology and behaviour of both sexes, long-distance migration affected female morphology much more markedly compared to that of males. These results show the sex-specific nature of adaptations to migratory behaviour, and suggest that seemingly disparate life-history traits such as aposematism and migration may have similar influences on the lifetime energetic investments of insects.

}, doi = {10.1111/oik.04593}, author = {Bhaumik, V. and Kunte, Krushnamegh} } @article {28068, title = {Mimicry in butterflies: co-option and a bag of magnificent developmental genetic tricks.}, journal = {Wiley Interdiscip Rev Dev Biol}, volume = {7}, year = {2018}, month = {2018 Jan}, abstract = {

Butterfly wing patterns are key adaptations that are controlled by remarkable developmental and genetic mechanisms that facilitate rapid evolutionary change. With swift advancements in the fields of genomics and genetic manipulations, identifying the regulators of wing development and mimetic wing patterns has become feasible even in nonmodel organisms such as butterflies. Recent mapping and gene expression studies have identified single switch loci of major effects such as transcription factors and supergenes as the main drivers of adaptive evolution of mimetic and polymorphic butterfly wing patterns. We highlight several of these examples, with emphasis on doublesex, optix, WntA and other dynamic, yet essential, master regulators that control critical color variation and sex-specific traits. Co-option emerges as a predominant theme, where typically embryonic and other early-stage developmental genes and networks have been rewired to regulate polymorphic and sex-limited mimetic wing patterns in iconic butterfly adaptations. Drawing comparisons from our knowledge of wing development in Drosophila, we illustrate the functional space of genes that have been recruited to regulate butterfly wing patterns. We also propose a developmental pathway that potentially results in dorsoventral mismatch in butterfly wing patterns. Such dorsoventrally mismatched color patterns modulate signal components of butterfly wings that are used in intra- and inter-specific communication. Recent advances-fuelled by RNAi-mediated knockdowns and CRISPR/Cas9-based genomic edits-in the developmental genetics of butterfly wing patterns, and the underlying biological diversity and complexity of wing coloration, are pushing butterflies as an emerging model system in ecological genetics and evolutionary developmental biology. WIREs Dev Biol 2018, 7:e291. doi: 10.1002/wdev.291 This article is categorized under: Gene Expression and Transcriptional Hierarchies \> Regulatory Mechanisms Comparative Development and Evolution \> Regulation of Organ Diversity Comparative Development and Evolution \> Evolutionary Novelties.

}, issn = {1759-7692}, doi = {10.1002/wdev.291}, author = {Deshmukh, Riddhi and Baral, Saurav and Gandhimathi, A and Kuwalekar, Muktai and Kunte, Krushnamegh} } @article {36264, title = {A molecular phylogeny of the cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) with a review of tribe and subfamily classification}, journal = {ZOOTAXA}, volume = {4424}, year = {2018}, month = {05/2018}, pages = {1-64 }, abstract = {

A molecular phylogeny and a review of family-group classification are presented for 137 species (ca. 125 genera) of the insect family Cicadidae, the true cicadas, plus two species of hairy cicadas (Tettigarctidae) and two outgroup species from Cercopidae. Five genes, two of them mitochondrial, comprise the 4992 base-pair molecular dataset. Maximum-likelihood and Bayesian phylogenetic results are shown, including analyses to address potential base composition bias. Tettigarcta is confirmed as the sister-clade of the Cicadidae and support is found for three subfamilies identified in an earlier morphological cladistic analysis. A set of paraphyletic deep-level clades formed by African genera are together named as Tettigomyiinae n. stat. Taxonomic reassignments of genera and tribes are made where morphological examination confirms incorrect placements suggested by the molecular tree, and 11 new tribes are defined (Arenopsaltriini n. tribe, Durangonini n. tribe, Katoini n. tribe, Lacetasini n. tribe, Macrotristriini n. tribe, Malagasiini n. tribe, Nelcyndanini n. tribe, Pagiphorini n. tribe, Pictilini n. tribe, Psaltodini n. tribe, and Selymbriini n. tribe). Tribe Tacuini n. syn. is synonymized with Cryptotympanini, and Tryellina n. syn. is synonymized with an expanded Tribe Lamotialnini. Tribe Hyantiini n. syn. is synonymized with Fidicinini. Tribe Sinosenini is transferred to Cicadinae from Cicadettinae, Cicadatrini is moved to Cicadettinae from Cicadinae, and Ydiellini and Tettigomyiini are transferred to Tettigomyiinae n. stat from Cicadettinae. While the subfamily Cicadinae, historically defined by the presence of timbal covers, is weakly supported in the molecular tree, high taxonomic rank is not supported for several earlier clades based on unique morphology associated with sound production.

}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.4424.1.1 }, author = {Marshall, DC and Moulds, M and Hill, KBR and Price, BW and Wade, EJ and Owen, CL and Goemans, G and Marathe, K and Sarkar, V and Cooley, JR and Sanborn, AF and Kunte, Krushnamegh and Villet, MH and Simon, C} } @article {45304, title = {Revision of the genus Rustia St{\r a}l, 1866 (Hemiptera: Cicadidae: Cicadinae) including a generic synonymy, four new combinations, and two new species from the Western Ghats, India.}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {4457}, year = {2018}, month = {2018 Aug 09}, pages = {431-443}, abstract = {

The cicada genus Rustia St{\r a}l, 1866 is redescribed. The synonymy of Gudaba Distant, 1906 n. syn. is proposed reassigning the four species of that genus to become Rustia apicata (Distant, 1906) n. comb., Rustia longicauda (Lei, 1996) n. comb., Rustia maculata (Distant, 1912) n. comb., and Rustia marginata (Distant, 1897) n. comb. Two new species, Rustia minuta n. sp. and Rustia kodagura n. sp. that were found during our Indian cicada surveys in the Western Ghats are described. A key for the known species of the genus is provided.

}, issn = {1175-5334}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.4457.3.5}, author = {Marathe, Kiran and Sanborn, Allen F and Kunte, Krushnamegh} } @article {19528, title = {Adaptive Genetic Exchange: A Tangled History of Admixture and Evolutionary Innovation.}, journal = {Trends Ecol Evol}, year = {2017}, month = {2017 Jun 20}, abstract = {

Genetic exchange between divergent evolutionary lineages, from introgressive hybridization between locally adapted populations to insertion of retroviral sequences into eukaryotic genomes, has now been documented. The detection of frequent divergence-with-gene-flow contrasts the neo-Darwinian paradigm of largely allopatric diversification. Nevertheless, of even greater significance is the growing wealth of data suggesting that the recipients of the transferred genomic material gain adaptive phenotypes from the donor lineages. This adaptive enrichment is reflected by changes in pathogenicity in viruses and bacteria, the transformation of ecological amplitude in eukaryotes, and adaptive radiations in extremely diverse lineages. Although genetic exchange may produce maladaptive consequences, most of the recently reported examples suggest increases in fitness, and many such adaptive trait transfers have been identified in our own species.

}, issn = {1872-8383}, doi = {10.1016/j.tree.2017.05.007}, author = {Arnold, Michael L and Kunte, Krushnamegh} } @article {16566, title = {Evolutionary Assembly of Communities in Butterfly Mimicry Rings.}, journal = {Am Nat}, volume = {189}, year = {2017}, month = {2017 Apr}, pages = {E58-E76}, abstract = {

Species co-occurrence in ecological communities is thought to be influenced by multiple ecological and evolutionary processes, especially colonization and competition. However, effects of other interspecific interactions and evolutionary relationships are less explored. We examined evolutionary histories of community members and roles of mutualistic and parasitic interactions (M{\"u}llerian and Batesian mimicry, respectively) in the assembly of mimetic butterfly communities called mimicry rings in tropical forests of the Western Ghats, India. We found that M{\"u}llerian mimics were phylogenetically clustered, sharing aposematic signals due to common ancestry. On the other hand, Batesian mimics joined mimicry rings through convergent evolution and random phylogenetic assembly. Since the Western Ghats are a habitat island, we compared species diversity and composition in its mimicry rings with those of habitat mainland to test effects of biogeographic connectivity. The Western Ghats consisted of fewer mimicry rings and an overall smaller number of aposematic species and mimics compared to habitat mainland. The depauperate mimicry rings in the Western Ghats could have resulted from stochastic processes, reflecting their long temporal and spatial isolation and trickling colonization by the mimetic butterfly communities. These results highlight how evolutionary history, biogeographic isolation, and stochastic colonization influence the evolutionary assembly and diversity of ecological communities.

}, issn = {1537-5323}, doi = {10.1086/690907}, author = {Joshi, Jahnavi and Prakash, Anupama and Kunte, Krushnamegh} } @article {25709, title = {A new species of Platypleura Amyot \& Audinet-Serville, 1843 (Hemiptera: Cicadidae: Cicadinae) from the Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh, India}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {4311}, year = {2017}, month = {08/2017}, pages = {523-536}, abstract = {

We here describe a new cicada species, Platypleura poorvachala sp. nov., (Hemiptera: Cicadidae: Cicadinae) from the Eastern Ghats of India. The combination of following characters distinguishes this species from its platypleurine relatives: (a) transverse continuous infuscation along the nodal line and in the central area of the forewings, and (b) opaque hindwings, which are indochine-coloured with two prominent sub-distal black bands. We illustrate the male and female types and the male genitalia, and present a photographic plate for comparison of this species with other Indian and Southeast Asian Platypleura species with respect to its morphology and distribution.

}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.4311.4.5}, author = {Marathe, Kiran and Yeshwanth, HM and Basu, DN 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} } @article {26574, title = {On the taxonomic status of Eurylepis poonaensis (Squamata: Scincidae): resolving a long-standing conundrum}, journal = {SALAMANDRA}, volume = {53}, year = {2017}, month = {08/2017}, pages = {389-397}, abstract = {

The scincid genus Eurylepis was split off from the cosmopolitan genus Eumeces sensu lato, with Eurylepis taeniolatus
being the type species, which is taxonomically poorly understood. The other nominate species in this genus is
Eurylepis poonaensis, which was known only from its type locality and original description, and is the only known member
of the subfamily Scincinae from near the Western Ghats. However, earlier studies raised doubts about its specific validity,
often without examining type or other specimens. We collected fresh samples of this species from the type locality
and nearby areas. Based on the examination of the holotype and the new material, we provide a detailed redescription of
E. poonaensis, additional data on its skeletal structure, habitat, and natural history. We also provide a detailed redescription
of E. taeniolatus based on the holotype to avoid further taxonomic ambiguity.

}, author = {Datta-Roy, Aniruddha and Deepak, V. and Chaitanya, R and Murthy, Channakeshva and Harshal Bhosale and Lajmi, Aparna and Karanth, K. Praveen and Kunte, Krushnamegh and Giri, Varad} } @article {16569, title = {Butterflies (Lepidoptera) of the Kameng Protected Area Complex, western Arunachal Pradesh, India}, journal = {Journal of Threatened Taxa}, volume = {8}, year = {2016}, pages = {9053{\textendash}9124}, author = {Sondhi, S. and Kunte, Krushnamegh} } @article {8204, title = {The cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) of India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal and Sri Lanka: an annotated provisional catalogue, regional checklist and bibliography.}, journal = {Biodivers Data J}, year = {2016}, month = {2016}, pages = {e8051}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: The cicadas of the Indian subcontinent, like many other insects in the region, have remained understudied since the early part of the 20th Century, and await modern taxonomic, systematic and phylogenetic treatment. This paper presents an updated systematic catalogue of cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) from India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal and Sri Lanka, the first in over a century.

NEW INFORMATION: This paper treats 281 species, including: India and Bangladesh (189 species), Bhutan (19 species), Myanmar (81 species), Nepal (46 species) and Sri Lanka (22 species). For each species all recognized junior synonyms are included with information on the type material and additional specimens where relevant. The global distributional range and notes on the taxonomy of each species are included where appropriate. Two lists are provided: (1) species known to occur in India and Bangladesh (treated as a geographic unit), Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal and Sri Lanka; and (2) species previously listed from these countries in error. A bibliography of species descriptions is provided, with the papers containing the original descriptions provided where copyright allows.

}, issn = {1314-2828}, doi = {10.3897/BDJ.4.e8051}, author = {Price, Benjamin Wills and Allan, Elizabeth Louise and Marathe, Kiran and Sarkar, Vivek and Simon, Chris and Kunte, Krushnamegh} } @article {16567, title = {Flower specialization of butterflies and impacts of non-native flower use in a transformed tropical landscape}, journal = {Biological Conservation}, volume = {201}, year = {2016}, month = {2016}, pages = {84{\textendash}191}, author = {Jain, A. and Kunte, Krushnamegh and Webb, E.L.} } @article {2214, title = {A new species of the genus Thaicharmus Kova{\v r}{\'\i}k, 1995 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) from northeast India}, journal = {Euscorpius}, volume = {215}, year = {2016}, pages = {1-11}, abstract = {

A new species Thaicharmus guptai sp. nov. is described from the northeast Indian state of Tripura. The new species differs from the known members of the genus in the following set of morphological characters: large size (total length 45.6 mm); trichobothrium d2 is distal to i1 on femur; trichobothria est, em and et on the external surface of the patella do not form a straight line. Subaculear tubercle is absent. The movable finger of pedipalp chela has 12 cutting rows of denticles. The movable finger is much longer than the pedipalp patella. Number of pectinal teeth 20/19; pectines with distinct lamellae and fulcra. Two horn-like projections are present on the ventrolateral aspect of the metasomal segment V.

}, author = {Mirza, Z.A and Sanap, R.V. and Kunte, Krushnamegh} } @article {8347, title = {New status for Fraser{\textquoteright}s forgotten Aciagrion approximans krishna, stat. nov (Odonata: Zygoptera: Coenagrionidae) from the Western Ghats of India}, journal = {International Journal of Odonatology}, volume = {19}, year = {2016}, month = {07/2016}, pages = {41-51}, chapter = {41}, abstract = {

Aciagrion Selys, 1891 is one of the taxonomically difficult and poorly known genera of Oriental damselflies. Aciargion hisopa race krishna Fraser, 1921 Fraser, F. C. (1921). A list of dragonflies from Mahableshwar. The Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 25, 540{\textendash}543. Retrieved from http://medusa.jcu.edu.au was described from Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra, India. However, later Fraser (1933 Fraser, F. C. (1933). The fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma: Odonata (Vol. 1). London: Taylor and Francis.) doubted the taxonomic necessity of this taxon. His notion of Aciagrion hisopa (Selys, 1876) was erroneous, as evidenced by syntypes of this species in Selys{\textquoteright} collection, so the ssp. krishna is not conspecific with A. hisopa. Topotypic specimens of ssp. krishna from the Western Ghats were compared to specimens of Aciagrion approximans (Selys, 1876) from the Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, which are topotypical because of the recent designation of the neotype of this species in Selys{\textquoteright} collection. These two series were found to be very close to each other but differing at the level of subspecies, so we propose a new subspecies status and combination, Aciagrion approximans krishna Fraser, 1921 Fraser, F. C. (1921). A list of dragonflies from Mahableshwar. The Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 25, 540{\textendash}543. Retrieved from http://medusa.jcu.edu.au. The range and geographical variation of A. approximans beyond India is clarified.

}, doi = {10.1080/13887890.2016.1166463}, author = {Joshi, Shantanu and Kosterin, Oleg E and Kunte, Krushnamegh} } @article {16571, title = {Re-discovery of Calinaga aborica Tytler, 1915 (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Calinaginae) from Arunachal Pradesh, India}, journal = {Journal of Threatened Taxa}, volume = {8}, year = {2016}, month = {2016}, pages = {8618{\textendash}8622}, author = {Sondhi, S. and Karmakar, T. and Sondhi, Y. and Jhaveri, R. and Kunte, Krushnamegh} } @article {8349, title = {{\textquoteright}On the rocks{\textquoteright}: reproductive biology of the endemic toad Xanthophryne (Anura: Bufonidae) from the Western Ghats, India }, journal = {Journal of Natural History}, volume = {50}, year = {2016}, month = {07/2016}, pages = {2557-2572}, chapter = {2557}, abstract = {

Xanthophryne is a toad genus endemic to the northern Western Ghats of India, with two extant sister species\ {\textendash}\ Xanthophryne koynayensis and Xanthophryne tigerina. Both species are local endemics and endangered. We studied reproductive biology of these toads and found that they are specialized to the lateritic rocky outcrops at mid-elevations in high rainfall areas. Xanthophryne toads have sporadic, multiple spawning bouts lasting 2{\textendash}4\ days during early monsoon. In this explosive breeding behaviour, we observed male toads to engage in {\textquoteleft}pelvic thrusts{\textquoteright}, a unique and novel behaviour among anurans. Females oviposit in shallow pools in depressions of lateritic boulders where their tadpoles metamorphose. These ephemeral rocky pools have limited resources and they desiccate rapidly with a break in the rains. To mitigate the stochastic risk of desiccation and subsequent large-scale egg/tadpole mortality, females may disperse their reproductive investment spatially and temporally in multiple clutches, and tadpoles metamorphose rapidly. Here, we describe the amplexus, spawning and male advertisement call, and provide a comparative account of the life history traits of the two Xanthophryne species. These toads face numerous threats and are in need of urgent conservation action. These toads, seemingly well adapted to the isolated rocky outcrops, offer an excellent opportunity to understand endemism, mating systems, anuran ecology and behaviour.

}, doi = {10.1080/00222933.2016.1200686}, author = {Gaitonde, Nikhil and Giri, Varad B and Kunte, Krushnamegh} } @article {2212, title = {Butterflies of India}, journal = {Indian Foundation for Butterflies}, volume = {2}, year = {2015}, url = {http://ifoundbutterflies.org/}, author = {Kunte, Krushnamegh and Roy, P and Kalesh, S. and Kodandaramaia, U} } @article {994, title = {Comparative molecular species delimitation in the charismatic Nawab butterflies (Nymphalidae, Charaxinae, Polyura).}, journal = {Mol Phylogenet Evol}, volume = {91}, year = {2015}, month = {2015 Oct}, pages = {194-209}, abstract = {

The charismatic tropical Polyura Nawab butterflies are distributed across twelve biodiversity hotspots in the Indomalayan/Australasian archipelago. In this study, we tested an array of species delimitation methods and compared the results to existing morphology-based taxonomy. We sequenced two mitochondrial and two nuclear gene fragments to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships within Polyura using both Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood. Based on this phylogenetic framework, we used the recently introduced bGMYC, BPP and PTP methods to investigate species boundaries. Based on our results, we describe two new species Polyura paulettae Toussaint sp. n. and Polyura smilesi Toussaint sp. n., propose one synonym, and five populations are raised to species status. Most of the newly recognized species are single-island endemics likely resulting from the recent highly complex geological history of the Indomalayan-Australasian archipelago. Surprisingly, we also find two newly recognized species in the Indomalayan region where additional biotic or abiotic factors have fostered speciation. Species delimitation methods were largely congruent and succeeded to cross-validate most extant morphological species. PTP and BPP seem to yield more consistent and robust estimations of species boundaries with respect to morphological characters while bGMYC delivered contrasting results depending on the different gene trees considered. Our findings demonstrate the efficiency of comparative approaches using molecular species delimitation methods on empirical data. They also pave the way for the investigation of less well-known groups to unveil patterns of species richness and catalogue Earth{\textquoteright}s concealed, therefore unappreciated diversity.

}, issn = {1095-9513}, doi = {10.1016/j.ympev.2015.05.015}, author = {Toussaint, Emmanuel F A and Morini{\`e}re, J{\'e}r{\^o}me and M{\"u}ller, Chris J and Kunte, Krushnamegh and Turlin, Bernard and Axel Hausmann and Balke, Michael} } @article {2209, title = {Evolutionary Biology}, journal = {Current Science}, volume = {108}, year = {2015}, pages = {1835-1873}, author = {Kunte, Krushnamegh and Agashe, Deepa} } @article {2211, title = {A new species of damselfly, Protosticta ponmudiensis (Odonata: Zygoptera: Platystictidae) from Ponmudi Hills in the Western Ghats of India}, journal = {Journal of Threatened Taxa}, volume = {7}, year = {2015}, pages = {7146-7151}, author = {Kiran, C. G. and Kalesh, S. and Kunte, Krushnamegh} } @article {2210, title = {A new species of Hypolycaena (Lepidoptera: Lycenidae) from Arunachal Pradesh, north-eastern India}, journal = {The Journal of Research on the Lepidoptera}, volume = {48}, year = {2015}, pages = {21-27}, author = {Kunte, Krushnamegh} } @article {1622, title = {Prey from the eyes of predators: Color discriminability of aposematic and mimetic butterflies from an avian visual perspective.}, journal = {Evolution}, volume = {69}, year = {2015}, month = {2015 Nov}, pages = {2985-94}, abstract = {

Predation exerts strong selection on mimetic butterfly wing color patterns, which also serve other functions such as sexual selection. Therefore, specific selection pressures may affect the sexes and signal components differentially. We tested three predictions about the evolution of mimetic resemblance by comparing wing coloration of aposematic butterflies and their Batesian mimics: (a) females gain greater mimetic advantage than males and therefore are better mimics, (b) due to intersexual genetic correlations, sexually monomorphic mimics are better mimics than female-limited mimics, and (c) mimetic resemblance is better on the dorsal wing surface that is visible to predators in flight. Using a physiological model of avian color vision, we quantified mimetic resemblance from predators{\textquoteright} perspective, which showed that female butterflies were better mimics than males. Mimetic resemblance in female-limited mimics was comparable to that in sexually monomorphic mimics, suggesting that intersexual genetic correlations did not constrain adaptive response to selection for female-limited mimicry. Mimetic resemblance on the ventral wing surface was better than that on the dorsal wing surface, implying stronger natural and sexual selection on ventral and dorsal surfaces, respectively. These results suggest that mimetic resemblance in butterfly mimicry rings has evolved under various selective pressures acting in a sex- and wing surface-specific manner.

}, issn = {1558-5646}, doi = {10.1111/evo.12800}, author = {Su, Shiyu and Lim, Matthew and Kunte, Krushnamegh} }