The lesser wanderer butterfly, Danaus petilia (Stoll 1790) stat. rev. (Lepidoptera: Danainae), reinstated as a species

Abstract

The lesser wanderer butterfly, Danaus (Anosia) chrysippus petilia (Stoll) (Lepidoptera: Danainae), has been treated as a subspecies for the last 100 years. New mitochondrial DNA sequence data for D. petilia, in conjunction with allozyme, structural, morphometric and pattern characters, constitute a compelling case for its specific rank. The holotype of D. petilia has never been located and, as the type location is uncertain, a neotype is designated. Fresh material was collected and examined for this project. Danaus petilia and D. chrysippus have been separated at Lydekker's Line for an estimated 1.1 million years, and they remain interfertile. However, as an allopatric taxon, diagnosable from D. chrysippus, D. petilia merits specific status under the phylogenetic species concept. The following pairs of D. chrysippus subspecies are considered to be synonyms, the first member of each pair having priority: chrysippus + aegyptius (subspecies), klugii + infumata (hybrid phenotypes) and orientis +liboria (subspecies).