Butterflies and grasses: Evolutionary history of the subfamily Satyrinae
Department of Zoology
2007
Thesis
77
Stockholm University
Stockholm, Sweden
Los Amigos;butterflies;invertebrates;animals;taxonomy;systematics
I present an overview of the evolutionary history of Satyrinae butterflies. By using Bayesian and cladistic methods, I develop a phylogenetic hypothesis as a basis for studying the evolutionary history of the group. After estimating ages of origin and diversiï¬cation for clades of interest, I show evidence for an adaptive radiation of a highly species-rich group of grass feeders in Satyrinae —the tribe Satyrini— which explains the high diversity of this group. The timing of diversiï¬cation for Satyrini butterflies coincided with the spread of grasses throughout the globe, which was followed by spread of butterflies and colonization of new emerging habitats made available by the change in global climate during the Oligocene that facilitated the spread of grasses.