Phylogeographic patterns of widespread butterflies in the Old World tropics

I examined phylogeographic patterns in six species of widespread butterflies distributed across the Indo-Australian Archipelago. Danaus chrysippus, Lampides boeticus, and Melanitis leda are also distributed in the African region, but African and Malagasy populations of these species were never genetically distinct from Asian populations. In contrast, M. leda and Graphium sarpedon showed a distinct genetic discontinuity between Sumatra and Java, which are thought to have been connected by a land bridge within the past 11,000 years. Wallace’s line seemed to be a significant dispersal barrier for only one species. The lack of consistent patterns across taxa reflects the complex geological history of the region.