This brings to mind the situation with Pyrgus communis and P. albescens. These
two very similar species were differentiated by Burns (2000) mostly on the
basis of a non-obvious difference in the male genitalia. However, an attempt
by Fordyce et al. (2008) to differentiate the two by DNA sequencing failed.
I’m not sure if anyone has ever looked into Pyrgus hostplant use and
distribution as a possible explanation for the morphological difference.
~ Doug
From: kjchilds (Redacted sender "kjchilds" for DMARC)
Sent: Sunday, February 07, 2016 3:04 PM
To: tn-butterflies@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [TN-Butterflies] Re: Discussion
Here's the source.
http://molbiol.ru/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t104216-300.html
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From: kjchilds <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: TN Butterflies <tn-butterflies@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, February 7, 2016 1:35 PM
Subject: [TN-Butterflies] Discussion
There's an interesting discussion going on in the Mothing group on Facebook
and the most interesting part is a reference to a study on some of the
Polyommatus species of blues found in Russia. The same species of butterfly
raised from caterpillars on different foods and in different conditions not
only looked different and were different sizes but also had differences in the
size and shape of their genitalia. DNA tests showed that there were fewer
species than originally thought.
If you're on Facebook, the details can be found in this thread.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/137219092972521/permalink/1202404213120665/
