Telegonus fulgerator
 | This article's factual accuracy is disputed. |
| Two-barred Flasher | |
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| Species: | A. fulgerator
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| Astraptes fulgerator | |
The Two-barred Flasher (Astraptes fulgerator), is a cryptic species complex in the spread-wing skipper butterfly genus Astraptes. It ranges all over the Americas, from the southern USA to northern Argentina.
This butterfly has been subject of a pioneering DNA barcoding study[1] and its taxonomy is being reexamined as a result of this investigation.
A. fulgerator's adults all look quite alike, but the caterpillars and pupae show a wide range of colors and patterns, and the caterpillars also vary in food preference. Therefore, it was long suspected that the butterflies referred to as Astraptes fulgerator indeed comprised more than just a single species. The COI DNA sequence data indicated that a number of populations are reproductively isolated, making them distinct species.
While the exact number of taxa involved is disputed - some of the "species" detected by the DNA study apparently being nothing more than individual variations or morphs[citation needed] -, it still appears fairly likely that more than one species is indeed involved.
References
- ^ Herbert et al. 2004, PNAS vol. 101, p. 14812-7 : "Ten species in one: DNA barcoding reveals cryptic species in the semitropical skipper butterfly Astraptes fulgerator"
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