Beneath Wing Color: Natural History, Genitalia, and Barcodes Sustain Species Identification in the Geometrid Genus Acronyctodes (Ennominae)
Beneath Wing Color: Natural History, Genitalia, and Barcodes Sustain Species Identification in the Geometrid Genus Acronyctodes (Ennominae)
Andrea Granillo-Hernández,Tanner A. Matson,Marysol Trujano Ortega,Ivonne J. Garzón‐Orduña
TLDR
The genus Acronyctodes Edwards is reexamined following caterpillar rearing and natural history observations, examination of genitalia, and DNA (COI) barcode analyses, and analysis of 128 COI barcodes reveals that three can be reliably distinguished with this fragment.
Abstract
ABSTRACT. The genus Acronyctodes Edwards is reexamined following caterpillar rearing and natural history observations, examination of genitalia, and DNA (COI) barcode analyses. Adults, caterpillars, and genitalia of known Mexican Acronyctodes are described and illustrated, and detailed distribution maps primarily derived from iNaturalist data are presented. Acronyctodes eximia (Hoffman & Vázquez) syn. n. is synonymized with A. cautama (Schaus), following a thorough examination of adult morphology, life history data, and DNA barcode analyses. The analysis of 128 COI barcodes, 18 of these representing unique haplotypes from five of the six described species, reveals that three can be reliably distinguished with this fragment. DNA barcodes support two species groups previously suggested by morphology: A. leonilaria + A. mexicanaria and A. cautama + A. colorata. New host plant records demonstrate Acronyctodes species are oligophagous and the study of distributional records reveal A. mexicanaria is sympatric to both A. cautama and A. leonilaria in parts of their ranges.