P. glaucus and P. canadensis

[Daniel Glaeske, MD]

I rather thought the solution is Tyler (1994?) was rather elegant -- two 
new world machaon group species, machaon and polyxenes.  Machaon being 
the more northerly species, while polyxenes is likely south american.  
These two species are both yellow winged except where sympatric with the 
distasteful Battus philenor.  Hence, the eastern north american P. p. 
asterius and some populations of coloro/rudkini are black, as are 
"southeastern" populations of machaon (bairdii, joanae, brevicauda) 
while northern and western populations (oregonius, dodi, pikei, brucei, 
hudsonianus, and aliaska for machaon) and southern (central and south 
american ssp. of polyxenes, and zelicaon) were yellow-winged. 

This of course is just a conceptual framework for understanding the 
biogeography of these populations, the question of whether they are 
separate species or not I leave to the experts.  But I still think of 
joanae and brevicauda certainly more closely related to our dodi than 
polyxenes asterias. 

I still wonder if there may have been (or perhaps may still be) isolated 
populations of joanae-like black swallowtails in the eastern US that 
have been extirpated, disrupted, or overlooked because of the massive 
habitat destruction ( and the fact that polyxenes asterias adapted very 
well to these disturbed and urban environments). 

Daniel Glaeske,
St. Victor, SK


Kondla, Norbert FOR:EX wrote:

> Yes, for sure. There is nothing in the biological species concept as I
> understand it that prohibits some hybridization and exchange of genetic
> material in contact areas of mostly allopatric taxa.  If we used the
> criteria of any hybridization/genetic exchange as proof of conspecific
> status then we would need to treat L. lorquini and L. weydemeyerii as
> conspecific with L. arthemis. and worse yet we would need to throw Papilio
> zelicaon in the large 'machaon' species pot, and also throw P. rutulus in
> with canadensis etc etc. 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Chris J. Durden [mailto:drdn at mail.utexas.edu]
> Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2001 1:58 PM
> To: leps-l at lists.yale.edu
> Subject: RE: P. glaucus and P. canadensis
> 
> 
> 


 
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