The biodiversity of the Albertine Rift

Biodiversity priority areas together should represent the biodiversity of the region they are situated in. To achieve this, biodiversity has to be measured, biodiversity goals have to be set and methods for implementing those goals have to be applied. Each of these steps is discussed. Because it is impossible to measure all of biodiversity, biodiversity surrogates have to be used. Examples are taxa sub-sets, species assemblages and environmental domains. Each of these has different strengths and weaknesses, which are described and evaluated. In real-world priority setting, some combination of these is usually employed. While a desirable goal might be to sample all of biodiversity from genotypes to ecosystems, an achievable goal is to represent, at some agreed level, each of the biodiversity features chosen as surrogates. Explicit systematic procedures for implementing such a goal are described. These procedures use complementarity, a measure of the contribution each area in a region makes to the conservation goal, to estimate irreplaceability and flexibility, measures of the extent to which areas can be substituted for one another in order to take competing land uses into account. Persistence and vulnerability, which also play an important role in the priority setting process, are discussed briefly.

Representing biodiversity: data and procedures for identifying priority areas for conservation.

Swallowtail butterflies are recognized as model organisms in ecology, evolutionary biology, genetics, and con- servation biology but present numerous unresolved phylogenetic problems. We inferred phylogenetic relationships for 51 of about 205 species of the genus Papilio (sensu lato) from 3.3-Kilobase (kb) sequences of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA (2.3 kb of cytochrome oxidases I and II and 1.0 kb of elongation factor 1α). Congruent phylogenetic trees were recovered within Papilio from analyses of combined data using maximum likelihood, Bayesian analysis, and maximum parsimony bootstrap consensus. Several disagreements with the traditional classification of Papilio were found. Five major previously hypothesized subdivisions within Papilio were well supported: Heraclides, Pterourus, Chilasa, Papilio (sensu stricto), and Elep- pone. Further studies are required to clarify relationships within traditional "Princeps," which was paraphyletic. Several biologically interesting characteristics of Papilio appear to have polyphyletic origins, including mimetic adults, larval host associations, and larval morphology. Early diversification within Papilio is estimated at 55-65 million years ago based on a combination of biogeographic time constraints rather than fossils. This divergence time suggests that Papilio has slower apparent substitution rates than do Drosophila and fig-pollinating wasps and/or divergences corrected using best-fit substi- tution models are still being consistently underestimated. The amount of sequence divergence between Papilio subdivisions is equivalent to divergences between genera in other tribes of the Papilionidae, and between genera of moths of the noctuid subfamily Heliothinae. (Character evolution; fossils; mimicry; molecular systematics; swallowtail butterflies; substitution rates.)

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Molecular phylogeny, historical biogeography, and divergence time estimates for swallowtail butterflies of the genus Papilio (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae)

Molecular phylogeny and systematics of the Pieridae (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea): higher classification and biogeography

We propose a revised higher classification for the genera of Hesperiidae (skipper butterflies) of the world. We have augmented our published DNA data matrix with 49 morphological characters in order to infer relationships for taxa not sampled in the molecular study. We use the results of a combined analysis to identify morphological synapomorphies of the suprageneric clades of Hesperiidae, and to hypothesize a phylogenetic classification of the world’s genera of Hesperiidae, the first of its kind for this diverse group. Monophyly of the family Hesperiidae is strongly supported, as are some of the traditionally recognized subfamilies. The results presented here largely corroborate those of our molecular study, but differ in several details. The Australian endemic Euschemon rafflesia is given subfamily status, as is Eudaminae. We recognize seven subfamilies of Hesperiidae: Coeliadinae, Euschemoninae (confirmed status), Eudaminae (new status), Pyrginae, Heteropterinae (confirmed status), Trapezitinae and Hesperiinae. We treat Pyrrhopygini, Tagiadini, Celaenorrhinini, Carcharodini, Achlyodidini, Erynnini and Pyrgini as tribes of Pyrginae. Circumscriptions of Achlyodidini and Pyrgini require further elucidation. Tribes of Hesperiinae include Aeromachini, Baorini, Taractrocerini, Thymelicini, Calpodini (reinstated status), Anthoptini (new tribe), Moncini and Hesperiini. The tribal placement of many Old World hesperiine genera remains ambiguous.

Revised classification of the family Hesperiidae (Lepidoptera: Hesperioidea) based on combined molecular and morphological data

Intended for biologists with an interest in Africa and African butterflies, this book serves as a comprehensive catalogue to the entire butterfly fauna of the Afrotropical region. It covers 3593 species in 300 genera - about 20% of the world butterfly fauna; and contains all genus-group, species-group and infrasubspecific names applied to the Afrotropical butterfly fauna, a total of about 14,000 names. Bibliographic reference provided for all genus, species and infrasubspecific names, as are the type species designation for all genus-group names. The sequence of families, subfamilies, tribes and genera reflects current knowledge of classification. Information of distribution, habitats and known larval hostplants provided for all species. A comprehensive introduction includes sections on general behaviour, biogeography and early stage biology, together with a gazetteer and list of regional works. Features include: 300 photographs which illustrate one representative species for each genus; and a comprehensive cbibliography. The text is fully indexed.

P. R. Ackery

Papers

Carcasson's African Butterflies: An Annotated Catalogue of the Papilionoidea and Hesperioidea of the Afrotropical Region