New butterfly taxa and findings from genomic analyses
Research article published in Taxon Rep Int Lepid Surv (2025)
Abstract
Continuing our genomics-driven exploration of butterfly taxonomy, we integrate phylogenetic trees from all protein-coding genes with existing taxonomic and phenotypic knowledge and uncover further insights into butterfly systematics. As a result, one subgenus, 44 species, and 11 subspecies are proposed as new (type species in original combinations or type localities are listed in parentheses): Porphaurea Grishin, subgen. n. (Phoenicops porphyropis Meyrick & Lower, 1902) of Chaetocneme C. Felder, 1860 in Hesperiidae Latreille, 1809; Dione (Agraulis) lamasi Grishin, sp. n. (Peru: Cuzco) in Nymphalidae Rafinesque, 1815; Lasaia (Lasaia) chiapis Grishin, sp. n. (Mexico: Chiapas), Lasaia (Lasaia) occalla Grishin, sp. n. (Mexico: Oaxaca), Lasaia (Lochris) oilenor Grishin, sp. n. (Belize), Lasaia (Lochris) oilepanor Grishin, sp. n. (Panama: Colón), Lasaia (Lochris) oilemarca Grishin, sp. n. (Peru: Cajamarca), and Emesis (Tenedia) peripore Grishin, sp. n. (Trinidad) in Riodinidae Grote, 1895 (1827); and Burara danata Grishin, sp. n. (China: central Fujian), Burara lawana Grishin, sp. n. (Philippines: Palawan), Bungalotis quadra Grishin, sp. n. (Panama: Chiriquí), Bungalotis barbalotis Grishin, sp. n. (Peru: Loreto), Cecropterus (Murgaria) eryssus Grishin, sp. n. (Ecuador: Sucumbíos), Cephise panuspe Grishin, sp. n. (Panama: Panamá), Noctuana haematoesta Grishin, sp. n. (Colombia: Valle del Cauca), Noctuana statonama Grishin, sp. n. (Panama: Chiriquí), Diaeus piura Grishin, sp. n. (Peru: Piura), Zopyrion (Zopyrion) cruise Grishin, sp. n. (Mexico: Veracruz), Chaetocneme triuna Grishin, sp. n. (Papua New Guinea: Oro), Chaetocneme brazza Grishin, sp. n. (Indonesia: West Papua), Ge pina Grishin, sp. n. (Philippines: Mindanao), Parnara guda Grishin, sp. n. (India: West Bengal), Parnara sulawesa Grishin, sp. n. (Indonesia: South Sulawesi), Tisias panamyna Grishin, sp. n. (Panama: Panamá), Xeniades (Tixe) lora Grishin, sp. n. (Peru: Loreto), Oligoria (Oligoria) costaria Grishin, sp. n. (Costa Rica: Alajuela), Oligoria (Oligoria) bahia Grishin, sp. n. (Brazil: Bahia), Alychna ventanilla Grishin, sp. n. (Ecuador: Napo), Thoon cuadius Grishin, sp. n. (Ecuador: Napo), Viridina viridella Grishin, sp. n. (Peru: Cuzco), Tricrista lingulata Grishin, sp. n. (Brazil: Rondônia), Tricrista taxolla Grishin, sp. n. (Peru: Madre de Dios), Vettius fuscapicalis Grishin, sp. n. (Ecuador: Napo), Mnasitheus oaxaceus Grishin, sp. n. (Mexico: Oaxaca), Tarmia bolivia Grishin, sp. n. (Bolivia: La Paz), Artines tines Grishin, sp. n. (French Guiana), Calpodes salma Grishin, sp. n. (Panama: Colón), Calpodes anabara Grishin, sp. n. (Brazil: Rio de Janeiro), Talides megamaca Grishin, sp. n. (Mexico: Veracruz), Perichares guatine Grishin, sp. n. (Guatemala), Perichares solamancha Grishin, sp. n. (Peru: Cuzco), Perichares indivisa Grishin, sp. n. (Bolivia: La Paz), Perichares amaletes Grishin, sp. n. (Peru: Madre de Dios), Perichares aura Grishin, sp. n. (Peru: Cuzco), Lycas gabriel Grishin, sp. n. (Peru: Madre de Dios). Burara danata himavata Grishin, ssp. n. (Nepal), Burara gomata burmana Grishin, ssp. n. (Myanmar: Sagaing Region), Burara gomata namata Grishin, ssp. n. (China: Hong Kong), Burara lorquini vichitra Grishin, ssp. n. (unknown, likely in or around the Philippines), Cecropterus (Murgaria) chales estales Grishin, ssp. n. (USA: Texas, Starr Co.), Pholisora mejicanus yuesanus Grishin, ssp. n. (USA: Colorado, El Paso Co.), Celotes sabinus verdinus Grishin, ssp. n. (USA: Arizona, Yavapai Co.), Ephyriades brunnea sansalva Grishin, ssp. n. (Bahamas: San Salvador Island), Ephyriades brunnea turcaica Grishin, ssp. n. (Turks & Caicos Islands), Ephyriades arcas norleewa Grishin, ssp. n. (Anguilla), and Calpodes hewitsoni supernalis Grishin, ssp. n. (Mexico: Chiapas) in Hesperiidae. Metron fas Grishin, nom. nov. (Costa Rica: Heredia) is proposed as a new substitute name that replaces Metron fascia Grishin, 2025 preoccupied by Metron fascia Draudt, 1923. The following are valid species or subspecies (not subspecies or synonyms of taxa listed in parentheses): Burara lara (Leech, 1893), stat. nov., Burara vajra (Fruhstorfer, 1911), stat. nov., Burara lorquini (Mabille, 1876), stat. rest., and Burara radiosa (Plötz, 1885), stat. rest. (not Burara gomata (Moore, [1866])), Cecropterus (Murgaria) chales (Godman & Salvin, 1893), stat. rest. (not Cecropterus (Murgaria) doryssus (Swainson, 1831)), Noctuana bipuncta (Plötz, 1884), stat. rest. (not Noctuana lactifera (Butler & H. Druce, 1872)), Zopyrion (Timochreon) forta (Evans, 1953), stat. nov. and Zopyrion (Timochreon) tampa (Evans, 1953), stat. nov. (not Zopyrion (Timochreon) satyrus (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1867)), Parnara mangala (F. Moore, 1866), stat. rev. (not Parnara guttatus (Bremer & Grey, [1852])), Parnara philotas (de Nicéville, 1895), stat. rest., Parnara daendeli (Plötz, 1885), stat. rest., and Parnara bada nondoa (Plötz, 1886), stat. nov. (not Parnara bada bada (F. Moore, 1878)), Xeniades corna Evans, 1955, stat. nov. (not Xeniades (Xeniades) chalestra (Hewitson, 1866)), Oligoria (Oligoria) pindar (Schaus, 1913), stat. rest. (not Oligoria (Oligoria) lucifer (Hübner, [1829]), Perichares crotona (Hewitson, 1866), stat. rest. (not Perichares seneca (Latreille, [1824])), Perichares fulvimargo (Butler, 1873), stat. rest. and Perichares luscinia (Plötz, 1882), stat. rest. (not Perichares deceptus (Butler & H. Druce, 1872), Perichares philetes trinitad (Lucas, 1857), stat. rev. (not Perichares philetes philetes (Gmelin, [1790])), and Lycas boisduvalii (Ehrmann, 1909), stat. rest. (not Lycas godart (Latreille, [1824])). The following are new species-subspecies combination: Burara lorquini minda Chiba & Tsukiyama, 2009 (not Burara gomata (Moore, [1866])) and Parnara mangala ormuzd (Grum-Grshimailo, 1888) (not Parnara guttatus (Bremer & Grey, [1852])). The following are new synonyms: Parnara guttatus batta Evans, 1949, syn. nov. of Parnara mangala (F. Moore, 1866), stat. rev. and Parnara kuwanoi Seok, 1937, syn. nov. of Pelopidas sinensis (Mabille, 1877); and a new synonym placement, Eudamus electra Lintner, 1881, under Ephyriades brunnea floridensis E. Bell & W. P. Comstock, 1948, not Ephyriades brunnea brunnea (Herrich-Schäffer, 1865). Furthermore, we discuss and illustrate the following particulars: wing pattern differences between Cercyonis silvestris (W. H. Edwards, 1861) and Cercyonis sthenele (Boisduval, 1852) in the Sierra-Cascade ranges of California, USA; Dione (Agraulis) galapagensis (W. Holland, 1890) as a species-level taxon confirmed by genomic sequencing; female paratypes of recently described Hesperiidae species with strong sexual dimorphism not shown in the original descriptions; the third male of Cecropterus (Thorybes) viridissimus Grishin, 2023; all sequenced specimens of Urbanus (Urbanus) viterboana (Ehrmann, 1907) establishing this species as sister to Urbanus (Urbanus) dubius Steinhauser, 1981; Windia sonoria Grishin, 2025, and not Windia windi Freeman, 1969, recorded from the USA (Arizona, Cochise Co.); Zopyrion (Zopyrion) xerxes Grishin, 2025 as a species-level taxon confirmed by sequencing of additional specimens extending its range from Honduras to include El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica; a second specimen of Gorgythion cerrada Grishin, 2025; a possible paralectotype of Antigonus ruptifasciata Plötz, 1884, also from Jamaica as deduced by genomic comparison; the holotype of Pamphila philino Möschler, 1879; a female of Oligoria (Cobaloides) unica (de Jong, 1983) from French Guiana; and a male of Lychnuchus (Enosis) valle Grishin, 2023 from Ecuador. We provide an updated list of the subtribe Euremina Grote, 1898 that comprises five genera (rather than one) and five additional subgenera. Finally, lectotypes are designated for eight taxa: Helias haematospila C. Felder & R. Felder, 1867 (Venezuela), Tagiades editus Plötz, 1885 (Indonesia: Maluku Province, Dobo), Hesperia kolantus Plötz, 1885 (India), Hesperia daendeli Plötz, 1885 (Indonesia: West Java, Jakarta), Celaenorhinus [sic] lucifer Hübner, [1829] (Suriname), Cobalus pindar Schaus, 1913 (Costa Rica: Limón), Proteides hyas Mabille, 1891 (Colombia: Valle del Cauca), and Hesperia luscinia Plötz, 1882 (Brazil: Santa Catarina, Blumenau), and a neotype is designated for Thymele triton Boisduval, 1832 (Papua New Guinea: northern half). The lectotype designation and phenotypic analysis indicate that the correct name for the South Texas species of Oligoria (Oligoria) Scudder, 1872 is O. (O.) pindar stat. rest., and that O. (O.) percosius (Godman, 1900) should consequently be excluded from the U.S. fauna.
Abstract sourced from PubMed (NCBI) for the cited record. See the original publication for the authoritative version.
Summary
Continuing our genomics-driven exploration of butterfly taxonomy, we integrate phylogenetic trees from all protein-coding genes with existing taxonomic and phenotypic knowledge and uncover further insights into butterfly systematics.
Why This Matters for Hirudotherapy
This genomic study describes new butterfly taxa and phylogenetic findings by integrating protein-coding gene trees with existing phenotypic knowledge. The author proposes one new subgenus, 44 new species, and 11 new subspecies of butterflies, primarily within the Hesperiidae and Nymphalidae families. Despite the historical presence of the word "Leech" in some taxonomic nomenclature cited as author names (e.g., Leech, 1893), this research has absolutely no connection to hirudotherapy. The article is entirely focused on Lepidoptera taxonomy and systematics, offering no relevant information regarding leech biology, secretomes, anticoagulant properties, or any medical applications.
Citation
New butterfly taxa and findings from genomic analyses.
Zhang J et al. · Taxon Rep Int Lepid Surv, 2025
Added to ASH library: May 27, 2026 · Site last updated: June 18, 2026