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AWPL 2025 |
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A dynamic checklist of the Western Palearctic butterflies hyperlinked to the original descriptions at species, genus and family level (Lepidoptera, Papilionoidea)
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Taymans Michel, Cuvelier Sylvain |
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Numerous synonymous checklists or catalogs have been published for various countries or a more or less extensive region. These generally include a detailed list of species, in the genus/species binary format, followed by the name of the author and the date of publication. There are often more or less significant discrepancies among checklists. These differences are sometimes due to typing errors during editing but more often, they are the result of the taxonomic views of the authors. In the absence of an unanimously accepted list, professional or amateur lepidopterists have no clear guidelines regarding which reference to use in their work. In this context, it seemed useful to establish an exhaustive list containing the complete taxonomic references of all butterfly (Papilionoidea) species from the Western Palearctic. This list is published as an internet webpage. This choice was dictated by the technical possibility to include links leading the reader with a simple click to pages related to the original description of the taxa. This will allow users to verify the components of the taxon and have direct access to the original text. Each species has been placed in the different levels of the zoological classification from order to subgenus, including superfamily, family, subfamily, tribe, subtribe and genus and including the author, the year, the original combination, the type locality, the reference of the original publication and the Internet link(s). This project thus completes three recently published lists, which lacked links to the original descriptions of species or type localities. These are: (i) an updated checklist for European butterflies (Wiemers et al. 2018) (ii) a new comprehensive trait database for Europeand and Maghreb butterflies, Papilionoidea. (Middleton-Welling et al. 2020) (iii) the Atlas of mitochondrial genetic diversity for Western Palearctic butterflies (Dapporto et al. 2022) which also deal with systematics. Despite the objective efforts to develop the most reliable list possible, one must be aware that certain choices linked to the taxon, the author's references, the year of publication or its place in the classification may be subject of debate and revision. The authors therefore hope that the list will trigger numerous constructive criticisms in order to produce a list that generates the highest possible consensus among the lepidopterist´s community and it is therefore a useful tool. On the other hand, in recent years a number of new species have been described, often as a result of in-depth phylogenetic studies, based on molecular analyses. And it is also very likely that the validity or status of certain species will be reviewed when the techniques and methods of investigation are refined. It is therefore planned that the website will be updated regularly according to feedback, comments and new scientific publications. |
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Status and conservation of genetic diversity in the disjunct populations of Pseudochazara tisiphone Brown, [1981], in Albania. |
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Cuvelier Sylvain, Marafi Mohammad AJ |
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Preserving broad genetic diversity is more crucial than ever in the face of the current biodiversity crisis, enabling species to adapt to changing conditions and habitats. Efforts to protect genetic diversity through frameworks like the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the EU Nature Restoration Law are gaining increasing attention. While these initiatives hold great promise, they are still in the early stages of practical implementation, and many challenges and questions remain to be addressed. Given that butterflies are commonly used as umbrella species for conservation, a comprehensive understanding of their species delimitation and evolutionary history is cucial for the successful preservation of their genetic diversity. The "grey zones" in the systematics of Lepidoptera, arising from differing species concepts, are assessed for their potential impact on new initiatives aimed at protecting important genetic diversity. How will limited urgency among policymakers for nature conservation evolve, especially in the context of scarce resources and the potential opportunity for exploiting a substantial hydrogen reservoir? To better understand the potential challenges, an analysis is conducted on Pseudochazara tisiphone Brown, [1981], a butterfly species with a limited and fragmented distribution in the Balkan Peninsula, focusing on Albania, a non-EU country. Considering the morphological variability of P. tisiphone, limited mtDNA data that does not allow species-level determination, the disjunct distribution, industrial threats in the Bulqizë area, and the need to support a positive conservation decision by policymakers, several challenges must be addressed. However, the disjunct population in Dibër County justifies the description of a new subspecies, Pseudochazara tisiphone dibra ssp. nov. (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). Comprehensive data from a larger genomic study of Balkan Pseudochazara populations are still needed to definitively resolve its taxonomic status. |
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