Astraptes Fulgerator - Systematics

Systematics

Due to the diversity of caterpillar colors and food plants it was long suspected that the butterflies referred to as Astraptes fulgerator might be more than a single species. COI DNA sequence data indicates that a number of populations are in various stages of reproductive isolation, and the taxonomy of these butterflies will probably be revised accordingly. Initial results seem to confirm that in one study area, at least 3 species or previously unrecognized subspecies are involved. Given the species complex' large range, considerable more emergent species and subspecies seem to await discovery.