Taxonomy and Distribution of the Tribe Heliconiini (Nymphalidae: Nymphalinae) in Sarawak

Nurfarida Anum, Zainaddin (2022) Taxonomy and Distribution of the Tribe Heliconiini (Nymphalidae: Nymphalinae) in Sarawak. [Final Year Project Report] (Unpublished)

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Abstract

The phylogeny of the family Nymphalidae has been controversial and it is widely argued by many authors. Surprisingly, however, the phylogeny of the tribe Heliconiini is still poorly understood, particularly in the region of Sarawak where it is one of the biodiversity hot spots for its rich biodiversity and ecosystems. Here, a preliminary phylogenetic framework using adult morphological data for the tribe Heliconiini in Sarawak was constructed. A total of 13 species from six genera were included in this study and character states were taken from previous literature. A strict consensus analysis was conducted using PAUP* 4.0 software. Results revealed the position of Cethosia as a distantly related taxon to all the other genera, and the genera Cirrochroa, Cupha, Terinos, Phalanta and Vindula appeared as a monophyletic group. However, the relationships between and within these genera are not resolved in this study as there was the presence of polytomies. Therefore, further systematic and evolutionary studies are certainly warranted. In particular, propose that future studies should consider additional adult and larval morphological character data and a combined analysis of both morphological and molecular characters. Additionally, a geographical distribution mapping for future conservation purposes and a species description for each species to aid future identification process was provided.

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