DNA-Based Discrimination of Subspecies of Swallowtail Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilioninae) from Taiwan
Useful reference and source of barcodes.
Wei-Chih Tsao and Wen-Bin Yeh (2008) DNA-based discrimination of subspecies of swallowtail butterflies
(Lepidoptera: Papilioninae) from Taiwan. Zoological Studies 47(5): 633-643. Partial sequences of the
mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene of 89 individuals of 34 papilionid species from Taiwan, Hong
Kong, and China were determined and compared. The uncorrected nucleotide divergence of COI increased
with taxonomic distance: that among individuals within a species was 0%-4.7%, that among species of a given
genus was 1.7%-11.6%, and that among genera in the same family was 6.7%-17%. In general, a low level of
divergence of the COI sequence was observed among subspecies. Yet, the COI sequence divergence among
subspecies of Byasa alcinous, Papilio demoleus, Pap. helenus, Pap. nephelus, and Pazala eurous, which
exceeded 2.1%, was much greater than the average divergence observed for all 34 species. A phylogenetic
analysis grouped together members of the same species or genus with high bootstrap values. The phylogenetic
tree revealed a lineage of Chilasa and Agehana followed by Papilio, a close affinity between Byasa and
Atrophaneura, and a clade comprised of Graphium, Lamproptera, Paranticopsis, Pathysa, and Pazala.
Sequence variations and phylogenetic analysis results of papilionid COI genes showed that subspecies of B.
alcinous, Pap. demoleus, Pap. helenus, Pap. nephelus, and Paz. eurous from different geographic regions and
with wings of slightly different color intensities and spot patterns should probably constitute more than 1 species.
Current undifferentiated COI data also suggested that some subspecies of Pap. bianor, Pap. demoleus, Pap.
memnon, Pap. nephelus, Pap. paris, Pap. polytes, and Pap. protenor might therefore not to be completely
isolated from each other or only recently dispersed. http://zoolstud.sinica.edu.tw/Journals/47.5/633.pdf
