| Serie | Guide to the Butterflies of the Palearctic Region |
| Auteurs | Hideyuki Chiba, Hiroshi Tsukiyama, Gian Cristoforo Bozano |
| Taal | Engels |
| ISBN | 9788887989342 |
| Uitgever | Omnes Artes |
| Pagina's | 82 |
| Formaat | 297 x 210 mm |
| Bindwijze | Paperback |
| Afbeeldingen | Tekeningen, foto's, kaarten in z/w en kleur |
| Jaar van uitgave | 2025 |
Guide to the Butterflies of the Palearctic Region - Hesperiidae part II is the second in the 'Guide to the Butterflies of the Palearctic Region' series to cover the Hesperiidae, a family of inconspicuous but very interesting butterflies that has been studied by numerous lepidopterologists around the world for several years.
Hesperiidae part II, follows two years after the first volume of the series on the subject of this peculiar butterfly family. This new book covers the subfamily Trapezitinae, present in the Palearctic region only with two species, and the subfamily Hesperlinae (partim) that, on the contrary, is widely represented in the region.
Initial attempts to reconstruct the phylogeny of the family Hesperiidae based on molecular data in the late 2000s and early 2010s seem to have changed the taxonomic framework of the group drastically: e.g., Pyrrhopyginae was merged into Pyrginae and Megathyminae, or Megathymidae, into Hesperiinae, and Pyrginae was divided into several subfamilies. Current progress on the subject, however, revealed that the classic framework proposed by Brigadier W. H. Evans, at least in the subfamily level, is rather consistent with molecular data as indicated in the text of this volume. On the other hand, in the tribal level (Evans’ genus group), his classification has been reorganised into all the groups. Many molecular-based taxonomic groups have been proposed without morphologically recognisable characters.
Reverse taxonomy, which attempts to find morphological characters of molecularly defined groups, has just started, while molecular phylogenetic works are rapidly and increasingly progressing to cover all the members of the family. The authors expect that readers may well point out the inconsistencies in species boundaries, even within a particular genus. It is mainly due to the difference in the progress of molecular phylogeny.
About the 'Guide to the Butterflies of the Palearctic Region' series
This is a series about the butterflies of the whole Palearctic, from North Africa and Europe to China and Japan. Each volume of the series will cover 80-100 species with full colour illustrations, genitalia drawings, distribution, taxonomy, variations and diagnostic characters. Many well-known lepidopterists worldwide are contributing to this project, with the final result being a series of booklets with each one covering a subfamily, a tribe or a group of genera with a total of 50 to 100 species. It is anticipated that, when completed, this series will comprise over 30 volumes of work covering the Satyridae, Papilionidae, Pieridae, Nymphalidae, Lycaenidae, Hesperidae, and other families.
