Patterns of the vertical distribution of butterflies (Lepidoptera: Hesperioidea, Papilionoidea) of Middle Asia

Abstract

Data and main patterns of the vertical distribution of butterflies in mountains of Middle Asia are presented and discussed. Butterflies have a belt type of vertical distribution in almost all mountain ranges of Middle Asia; mosaic vertical distribution is observed only for Terskey Ala-Too mountain ridge (the North Tien-Shan). The North Tian Shan pattern of the vertical distribution of butterflies is typical for Middle Asia generally, as well as for small areas of this region. Example of the genus Athamanthia Zhdanko, 1983 shows that the vertical distribution of extant taxa can be used for reconstructions of faunogenesis. The greatest diversity of this genus is registered in the North Tian Shan in mid-mountaine belt, and the most primitive species locally occur on coasts of Issyk-Kul Lake, in the Issyk-Kul Pleistocene refugium (A. eitschbergeri Lukhtanov, 1993 and A. issykkuli Zhdanko, 1990). Three evolutionary branches can be divided after the analysis of the wing pattern, the structure of male genitalia and the distribution of Athamanthia: the first one is associated with the expansion of butterflies in low-mountain habitats of Middle and Western Asia (west to Turkey); the second branch is assotiated with distribution in mid- and high mountain belts of Middle Asia (up to Hindukush); the third branch migrated in low mountains in Inner Middle Asia. The Inner TienShan and Alay connect speciation center of the genus with more southern territories of Central Asia through the Naryn refugium (acting as a secondary speciation center). Estimated time of the origin of the ancestral species of the genus is Miocene. Species of Athamanthia are xerophiles; therefore, we assume that the beginning of the wide spreading of ancestral forms was initiated at a time of intensive climate aridization in Central Asia (Late Miocene – Pliocene). The faunal similarity was determined using the Jaccard index. A comparison of the indices shows that the fauna of mountain regions of the Tian Shan (North, Internal, West) are similar to each other, but not similar to the fauna of the high mountain Central Tian Shan. The faunas of Lepidoptera of the Alay and Trans-Alay ranges are expectedly similar; the faunas of Gissar and Darvaz are similar to them and among themselves; the faunas of Hesperioidea и Papilionoidea of Eastern and Western Pamirs are dissimilar, although the similarity coefficient of these faunas is borderline. A preliminary division of faunistic regions on the basis of the fauna of butterflies of the Central Asian mountains is proposed: Grand Tian Shan, Central Tian Shan, Gissar-Alay, Western and Eastern Pamirs. Vertical endemicity inherent in mountain faunas is discussed. Both the geographical and vertical components of a range must be used in the arealogical analysis of mountain faunas

Keywords

• Lepidoptera
• Hesperioidea
• Papilionoidea
• butterflies
• vertical distribution
• Middle Asiatic mountains
• patterns