Causes of Old world tropical diversity patterns: the Rajah, Emperor, Forest Queen and Nawab nymphalid butterflies (Charaxes)

• Applicant: Dr. Michael Balke
• Subject Area: Systematics and Morphology (Zoology)
• Term: from 2014 to 2015
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 259328365

We will present the first comprehensive molecular phylogeny and systematic analyses of the emblematic Rajah, Emperor, Forest Queen and Nawab butterflies spanning their entire range from tropical Africa to the Australasian region, building on large existing datasets of Charaxes species (c. 150 of the c. 220-230 known species) and newly adding near-complete species level coverage for the SE / E Asian / Australasian Polyura group (c. 26 species). We will use this phylogenetic hypothesis to reconstruct the evolutionary history of an Old World tropical group and use state-of-the-art diversification rate analyses to explore their diversity patterns. Then we will focus on the Indomalayan/ Australasian archipelago for which we can -for the first time- use an almost complete species level coverage for Charaxes / Polyura butterflies and contrast their diversification rates across a wide and complex insular setting with that of the Afrotropical fauna, making inferences on what causes different diversity patterns across the Old World tropics. These data will be used for multi-taxon meta analyses at a later stage.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Participating Persons: Dr. Axel Hausmann; Jerome Moriniere