Rod Eastwood

TL;DR: This study overturns prior notions of the taxon's evolutionary history, as many long-recognized subfamilies and tribes are para- or polyphyletic, and provides a much-needed backbone for a revised classification of butterflies and for future comparative studies including genome evolution and ecology.

TL;DR: The most parsimonious biogeographic hypothesis suggests a southern origin of the Troidini in remnant Gondwana sometime after the rifting and final separation of Africa in the Late Cretaceous, and at least four relatively recent dispersal/extinction events are needed to reconcile anomalies in distribution.

TL;DR: Nested analysis of molecular variance showed that biogeography, host plant, and ant associate all contribute significantly in explaining variation in butterfly genetic diversity, but these variables are not independent of one another.

TL;DR: Genetic markers confirmed earlier estimates, based on morphology, that the Old World swallowtail butterfly Papilio demoleus had originated in Southeast Asia, where the species is known to be a citrus pest.

TL;DR: Successful amplification of short overlapping fragments of DNA from museum specimens confirms their utility for phylogenetic analysis when the availability of fresh tissue is limited and minimal genetic variation detected in allopatric species exhibiting divergent morphology suggests that phenotypic variability has been driven by strong environmental selective pressures.