Molecular phylogeny, systematics and generic classification of the butterfly subfamily Trapezitinae (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea: Hesperiidae)

Abstract

Trapezitinae skippers are restricted to Australia and New Guinea. Despite decades of taxonomic work, their systematics and phylogeny remain little understood. To resolve the composition of genera and determine their evolutionary relationships, we inferred a comprehensive multilocus molecular phylogeny of Trapezitinae. Our results recover a monophyletic Trapezitinae as sister to Barcinae, with a poorly resolved backbone possibly indicating an early rapid radiation. We recover two main clades comprising all currently described genera, including the previously contentious Prada Evans, 1949 but excluding Tiacellia Evans, 1949. Several genera are recovered as paraphyletic or polyphyletic, rendering the classification of Trapezitinae incompatible with the new phylogeny. Therefore, we synonymize Motasingha Watson, 1893 syn. nov. and Oreisplanus Waterhouse & Lyell, 1914 syn. nov. with Hesperilla Hewitson, 1868 and Neohesperilla Waterhouse & Lyell, 1914 syn. nov. with Toxidia Mabille, 1891. To reflect the placement of Anisynta dominula outside of Anisynta, we describe the new genus Atkinsia Braby & Toussaint gen. nov., which includes the sole species Atkinsia dominula (Plötz, 1884) comb. nov. Two species of Toxidia and two species of Signeta Waterhouse & Lyell, 1914 are placed into Timoconia Strand, 1909, yielding four new combinations: Timoconia melania (Waterhouse, 1903) comb. nov., Timoconia peron (Latreille, 1824) comb. nov., Timoconia flammeata (Butler, 1882) comb. nov. and Timoconia tymbophora (Meyrick & Lower, 1902) comb. nov. Thus, SignetaWaterhouse & Lyell, 1914 syn. nov. is now regarded as a junior synonym of Timoconia. Overall, our phylogeny has provided the basis for 20 nomenclatural changes at the species and subspecies level, including 14 new combinations.