On revised systematic status of Mycalesis suaveolens kagina Fruhstorfer, 1911, with notes on its immature biology and hostplant associations.

Mycalesis kagina Fruhstorfer, 1911 is separated from Mycalesis suaveolens Wood-Mason de Nicéville, 1883 to represent a species endemic to Taiwan based upon COI barcode divergence, morphological diagnosis of larva, and genitalia of both sexes. Both kagina and suaveolens are confirmed as members of the genus Mycalesis in Mycalesina. Immature morphology, biology, and hostplant associations for both species are given for the first time. Larvae of both species are recognized as specialists on Zingiberaceae, a plant family rarely used by satyrid butterflies.

Phylogeny and Historical Biogeography of Asian Pterourus Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae): A Case of Intercontinental Dispersal from North America to East Asia.

The phylogenetic status of the well-known Asian butterflies often known as Agehana (a species group, often treated as a genus or a subgenus, within Papilio sensu lato) has long remained unresolved. Only two species are included, and one of them especially, Papilio maraho, is not only rare but near-threatened, being monophagous on its vulnerable hostplant, Sassafras randaiense (Lauraceae). Although the natural history and population conservation of "Agehana" has received much attention, the biogeographic origin of this group still remains enigmatic. To clarify these two questions, a total of 86 species representatives within Papilionidae were sampled, and four genes (concatenated length 3842 bp) were used to reconstruct their phylogenetic relationships and historical scenarios. Surprisingly, "Agehana" fell within the American Papilio subgenus Pterourus and not as previously suggested, phylogenetically close to the Asian Papilio subgenus Chilasa. We therefore formally synonymize Agehana with Pterourus. Dating and biogeographic analysis allow us to infer an intercontinental dispersal of an American ancestor of Asian Pterourus in the early Miocene, which was coincident with historical paleo-land bridge connections, resulting in the present "East Asia-America" disjunction distribution. We emphasize that species exchange between East Asia and America seems to be a quite frequent occurrence in butterflies during the Oligocene to Miocene climatic optima.