| Publication Type: | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication: | Submitted |
| Authors: | M. J. Medeiros, Gillespie R. G. |
| Keywords: | BIOGEOGRAPHY, dispersal, flightlessness, Gelechioidea, HAWAII, LEPIDOPTERA, Oecophoridae, Pacific Insects, Phylogeny, Phylogeography, Thyrocopa, Xyloryctidae |
| Abstract: | Although the ability to fly confers benefits to most insects, some taxa have become secondarily flightless. Insect flightlessness may be more likely to evolve in environments such as islands and other windswept and alpine areas, but this prediction has rarely been tested while controlling for phylogenetic effects. Here we present a phylogeny for the endemic Hawaiian Lepidoptera genus Thyrocopa, which has two flightless species that occur in alpine areas on Maui and Hawaii islands, and other volant species that live in below-alpine areas. We also explore patterns of inter-island colonization in Thyrocopa, and present the first Hawaiian study to sample a genus from nine islands. The phylogeny is composed of 63 individuals sequenced for portions of COI, EF1α, and wingless, for a total of 1964 base pairs.Results: Our results indicate that two independent invasions of alpine habitats with concomitant loss of flight have occurred in Thyrocopa. Conclusions: Loss of flight ability has evolved in a short period of geologic time in Thyrocopa, perhaps as a result of cold temperatures, high winds, and/or a lack of predation pressure. However, several other Thyrocopa species that live on small islands with consistently high winds, such as Necker and Nihoa islands, retain the ability to fly. |