First Phylogeny of Pseudolychnuris Reveals Its Polyphyly and a Staggering Case of Convergence at the Andean Paramos (Lampyridae: Lampyrini)

South America is likely the cradle of several New World firefly lineages but remains largely understudied. Despite several advances in firefly systematics in the Neotropical region, the Andean region has been largely unstudied for over a century. The Colombian Páramos are a critically threatened bio...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Insects (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2022-08, Vol.13 (8), p.697
Main Authors: Gisseth Ladino Peñuela, Angie, Botero, Juan Pablo, Lima da Silveira, Luiz Felipe
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Andean region
Andes
Biodiversity
Biodiversity hot spots
Convergence
Endemic plants
Endemic species
Fireflies
Flowers
Lampyridae
Mimicry
Morphology
Nectar
Photinini
Photinus
Phylogenetics
Phylogeny
Pollen
Pollinators
Rainforests
Similarity
Systematics
Taxonomic revision
Taxonomy
Trees
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Summary:South America is likely the cradle of several New World firefly lineages but remains largely understudied. Despite several advances in firefly systematics in the Neotropical region, the Andean region has been largely unstudied for over a century. The Colombian Páramos are a critically threatened biodiversity hotspot that houses several endemic species, including the firefly genus , with two species- and . Here, by analyzing the phylogenetic relationships of , we found that this genus is polyphyletic. and were found to be distantly related despite the striking similarity in outline and color pattern of males and females. We redescribe and its type species . Moreover, we revalidate Kirsch, 1865 to accommodate , also redescribed here. We provide updated distribution maps and report field observations for both monotypic genera. Since adults visit flowers and interact with pollen and nectar, and may be occasional pollinators of Andean-endemic plants, a phenomenon previously neglected. Our findings reveal an interesting case of convergence between and -probably associated with life in the Páramos-and shed light on character evolution in the Photinini lineage of fireflies.
ISSN:2075-4450
2075-4450
DOI:10.3390/insects13080697