North American admiral butterflies (Limenitis; Nymphalidae) represent a well-known monophyletic assemblage consisting of four species and numerous sub-species. This clade has been of general biological interest for more than 100 years, primarily within the context of the evolution of mimicry. Three species are involved in a mimetic relationship with three different models belonging to three different butterfly sub-families. The viceroy (Limenitis archippus) has garnered the most scientific attention in recent years, partly due to its re-classification as a Mullerian co-model with the queen and monarch butterflies. Many hypotheses have been proposed about the evolutionary relationships within and between species in this assemblage; however, a comprehensive molecular treatment of the evolutionary relationships had not been preformed. A mitochondrial (COI and COII) and nuclear (EF-1a) molecular phylogeny of North American admirals refutes the long-standing hypothesis about the identity of the most basal North American Limenitis. The viceroy appears to be the most ancestral of the North American species contrary to previous speculation. Most interestingly, the non-mimetic white-banded admiral (Limenitis arthemis arthemis) is derived from the mimetic red-spotted purple (Limenitis arthemis astyanax). A loss of Batesian mimicry is not predicted by the theoretical literature. This scenario is possibly attributable to a recent range expansion of L. arthemis into a geographic area where the model species (the pipevine swallowtail, Battus philenor) does not occur.
Species 1: Lepidoptera Nymphalidae Limenitis archippus (Viceroy butterfly)
Species 2: Lepidoptera Nymphalidae Limenitis arthemis (Red-spotted purple butterfly, White admiral butterfly)
Species 3: Lepidoptera Papilionidae Battus philenor (Pipevine swallowtail butterfly)
Keywords: Batesian mimicry
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