Increased Suitability of Poleward Climate for a Tropical Butterfly (Euripus nyctelius) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) Accompanies its Successful Range Expansion.

ABSTRACT: Distribution shifts are a common response in butterflies to a warming climate. Hong Kong has documented records of several new butterfly species in recent decades, comprising a high proportion of tropical species, some of which have successfully established. In this study, we examined possible drivers for the establishment of Euripus nyctelius Doubleday (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) by studying its thermal physiology and modeling current climate and future distributions projected by species distribution modeling (SDM). We found that E. nyctelius adults have a significantly higher critical thermal minimum than its local temperate relative, Hestina assimilis Linnaeus (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae), suggesting a possible physiological constraint that may have been lifted with recent warming. SDMs pr

SUBMITTER: Au TF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6839647 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature