TY - JOUR

T1 - Congruence between comparative morphology and molecular phylogenies

T2 - the final stage of evolution of the skeletal characters of male genitalia in the subtribe Polyommatina (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae). Part 2. Uncus and subunci

AU - Korzeev, A. I.

AU - Stekolnikov, A. A.

PY - 2017/11/1

Y1 - 2017/11/1

N2 - The morphology of the male terminalia (uncus and subunci) was studied in 39 species of the subtribe Polyommatina (Lycaenidae). Traces of nine established characters were mapped on the molecular phylogeny of the subtribe proposed by Talavera et al. (2013). The ancestral character states for these morphological structures were established in Plebejus s. l. and Polyommatus s. l. According to the time calibration of the proposed molecular tree, the studied skeletal structures (uncus and subunci) evolved very slowly within the last million years. It was shown that the similar shape of the uncus and subuncus branches arose independently and underwent parallel morphological transformations. In particular, wide and, as a rule, ventrally directed uncus lobes arose independently in Polyommatus s. str., Alpherakya, Glabroculus, and Aricia. Yet, in various evolutionary lines of Polyommatina similar changes in the length ratio of the proximal and distal parts of the subunci as well as in the shape of their apical hooks were observed. The character states marking the groups Polyommatus s. str. and Aricia were established. The evolutionary changes in the uncus morphology were highly non-uniform in the various monophyletic lines of Polyommatina. As a result, representatives of some “old” lines have more specialized features of the uncus morphology in comparison with those belonging to “young” lines that retain ancestral character states. In Polyommatina, the transformation of the male terminalia was directed toward development of the most effective mechanism of female fixation during copulation. This goal was reached in similar ways in various evolutionary lines of Polyommatina, which explains numerous parallelisms in morphology of these structures.

AB - The morphology of the male terminalia (uncus and subunci) was studied in 39 species of the subtribe Polyommatina (Lycaenidae). Traces of nine established characters were mapped on the molecular phylogeny of the subtribe proposed by Talavera et al. (2013). The ancestral character states for these morphological structures were established in Plebejus s. l. and Polyommatus s. l. According to the time calibration of the proposed molecular tree, the studied skeletal structures (uncus and subunci) evolved very slowly within the last million years. It was shown that the similar shape of the uncus and subuncus branches arose independently and underwent parallel morphological transformations. In particular, wide and, as a rule, ventrally directed uncus lobes arose independently in Polyommatus s. str., Alpherakya, Glabroculus, and Aricia. Yet, in various evolutionary lines of Polyommatina similar changes in the length ratio of the proximal and distal parts of the subunci as well as in the shape of their apical hooks were observed. The character states marking the groups Polyommatus s. str. and Aricia were established. The evolutionary changes in the uncus morphology were highly non-uniform in the various monophyletic lines of Polyommatina. As a result, representatives of some “old” lines have more specialized features of the uncus morphology in comparison with those belonging to “young” lines that retain ancestral character states. In Polyommatina, the transformation of the male terminalia was directed toward development of the most effective mechanism of female fixation during copulation. This goal was reached in similar ways in various evolutionary lines of Polyommatina, which explains numerous parallelisms in morphology of these structures.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85038968645&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1134/S0013873817080024

DO - 10.1134/S0013873817080024

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85038968645

VL - 97

SP - 1031

EP - 1047

JO - Entomological Review

JF - Entomological Review

SN - 0013-8738

IS - 8

ER -