Molecular systematics and phylogeny of the 'Marbled Whites' (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae, Satyrinae, Melanargia Meigen)

We investigated genetic divergence and phylogenetic relationships amongst all known species of Palaearctic butterflies of the genus Melanargia using sequence information from three genes [mitochondrial cox1 barcode region (658 bp), ribosomal 16S rRNA (c. 518 bp), and nuclear wg (404 bp)]. Results show a lack of DNA divergence among several poorly characterized taxa, as well as deep divergences within and between others. We corroborated the molecular information with morphological and genitalic characters as well as with geographic data. We revise the taxonomy of Melanargia, and propose a new systematic scheme for the group. We revive some previous synonymies (M. lucasi meadwaldoi stat. rev., M. ines fathme stat. rev., M. ines jahandiezi stat. rev., M. meridionalis tapaishanensis stat. rev.), revise the status of some subspecies into species (M. transcaspica stat. nov., M. lucida stat. nov., M. wiskotti stat. nov.) and of several species into subspecies of other taxa (M. evartianae sadjadii stat. nov., M. larissa hylata stat. nov., M. larissa grumi stat. nov., M. larissa syriaca stat. nov., M. larissa titea stat. nov., M. lugens montana stat. nov., M. epimede ganymedes stat. nov.), revise the status of subspecies and transfer them to other species (M. larissa lorestanensis stat. nov., M. larissa iranica stat. nov., M. larissa karabagi stat. rev., M. larissa kocaki stat. nov., M. transcaspica eberti stat. nov.), and propose new synonymies (M. larissa titea = M. titea standfussi syn. nov. = M. titea titania syn. nov., M. leda leda = M. leda yunnana syn. nov., M. lugens lugens = M. lugens ahyoui syn. nov., M. lugens hengshanensis = M. lugens hoenei syn. nov., M. halimede halimede = M. halimede gratiani syn. nov., M. asiatica asiatica = M. asiatica dejeani syn. nov., = M. asiatica elisa syn. nov., = M. asiatica sigberti syn. nov.).