Dynamic Checklist of the Western Palearctic butterflies
(Lepidoptera, Papilionoidea) Hyperlinked to Systematics, Genetics and Distribution Papilionoidea Rationale
For decades, the genus Allancastria has been used to designate several species of the tribe Zerynthiini, which share a distinctive and characteristic habitus and genital structure. With the advent of genetic studies on butterflies, researchers (Nazari & Sperling 2007; Nazari et al. 2007) realised that, while Allancastria remains a homogeneous group, it is relatively close to Zerynthia. As a result, they decided to relegate Allancastria to a subgeneric rank: Zerynthia (Allancastria).
Conclusion
For the sake of stability and considering the distinct differences in their genital structure, the genus Allancastria has been retained in the checklist.
References
Nazari V. & Sperling F. 2007. Mitochondrial DNA divergence and phylogeography in western Palaearctic Parnassiinae (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae): How many species are there? – Insect Systematics & Evolution, 38(2), 121–138. doi.org/10.1163/187631207788783996
Nazari V., Zakharov E. & Sperling F. 2007. Phylogeny, historical biogeography, and taxonomic ranking of Parnassiinae (Lepidoptera, Papilionidae) based on morphology and seven genes. – Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 42(1): 131–156. doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2006.06.022
Archives of Western Palearctic Lepidoptera Editors-in-Chief: Michel Taymans & Sylvain Cuvelier
