"Nymphalis vaualbum" taxonomy

[Soren Nylin]

Hi there on the list,

Together with collegues I have been working for a long time on the
phylogeny of Nymphalini, as you have heard over the years. We are now soon
ready to submit the paper, and let me take this opportunity to sincerely
thank everyone who has contributed somehow or another! I lost one version
of the manuscript in a computer crash, and I may have lost some names of
people who should be mentioned in the acknowledgements in the process,  I
hope not...

But onto my specific questions for the list:

We are now convinced that available evidence does not support inclusion of
"vaualbum" (the correct name may be l-album) in Nymphalis, since this
species or species group is more closely related to Polygonia (in the
strict sense) according to both morphology and DNA. The similarity to
Nymphalis is ancestral. The species has in fact been named "Polygonia
l-album" for a long time by European and Japanese authors, but lately the
use of "Nymphalis vaualbum" has been adopted by both, as well as by Americans.

Even more closely related to the strict Polygonia is "Kaniska canace" or
"Polygonia canace", an Asian species which superficially looks very
different from either of the above (being black and blue or green dorsally)
and larvae eat monecyteledon plants (!), but these differences are only
unique for the species (autapomorphies) and do not bear on phylogenetic
relationships. On the underside and inside, and when considering immature
stages or DNA it is clearly very closely related to Polygonia, albeit
equally clearly outside of the "proper" Polygonias.

Nymphalis and Polygonia in the wide sense are sister taxa, which explains
why a species at the base of the Polygonia branch can be very similar to a
"proper" Nymphalis. Aglais urticae and milberti are well outside of these
species and cannot be included in Nymphalis, as is often proposed. Inachis
io is also outside.

1) I would like your opinions on whether we should propose including both
vaualbum/l-album and canace in Polygonia or whether we should propose using
Kaniska for canace and a genus of its own for vaualbum/l-album. Both are
correct cladistically.
In favour of the former speaks: fewer generic names (Kaniska and the new
genus would have only one species each, as currently recognized) and the
fact that this carries the information that they belong on the Polygonia
branch. It is also a usage which has previously been adopted.
In favour of the latter scheme speaks recognition of the fact that
Polygonia excluding these two species is a very "good" genus with many
species, which are held together by a large number of uniquely derived
traits (synapomorphies), whereas Kaniska certainly is very distinct from
these species in appearence and habits. And if Kaniska is given a genus
then so must "vaualbum", so as not to make Polygonia paraphyletic....
It's a matter of taste, so I ask yours!

2) Can anyone more familiar with the rules than I am decide if there is an
available genus for "vaualbum"?  Scudder placed the species in Eugonia
Hubner, which is not used now that I know of, but the type species for this
genus is polychloros which of course remains in Nymphalis and is also the
type for this genus. The firsts description may have been under the genus
Phalaena, but this is one of the old genera which was used for everything..
What are the rules regarding generic names?

3) Similarly, should we suggest vaualbum or l-album? The former is older
(Dennis & Schiffermuller 1775) but published without description, the
latter is from Esper 1780 who described the species. Authors like Stichel
1911 (in Seitz vol 1) and Seitz 1914 thought the latter should be used, but
recently vaualbum has popped up again.

Questions, questions... Here's your chance to have opinions! 

Best regards

Soren






 
Soren Nylin
Lecturer/Associate Professor of Animal Ecology

http://www.zoologi.su.se/research/ecology.html

Coordinator of graduate courses in Ecology, Ethology and Evolution

http://www.zoologi.su.se/education/PhD-BIOLOGY/biohome.html

Department of Zoology
Stockholm University
S-106 91 Stockholm
SWEDEN

Soren.Nylin at zoologi.su.se
Tel +46-8-164033	Fax 167715