Two centuries later, on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, a Florida Museum of Natural History researcher was attracted to a group of insects he calls “Darwin’s butterflies,” because of their similarly high degree of diversity derived from a common ancestor. But it wasn’t until 20 years after beginning his research on the genus Calisto as a University of Florida Ph.D. student that Andrei Sourakov found the missing link for understanding how the group should be classified.

Calisto confusa is named for its tendency to be confused with other butterfly species. Florida Museum lepidopterist Andrei Sourakov used DNA bar coding in a recent study to distinguish C. debarriera as a separate species, rather than a subspecies of C. confusa. © Photo by Andrei Sourakov

“DNA bar coding was the perfect tool to look at this genus because a lot of these species were separated based on only wing patterns, and it’s difficult to prove whether these differences correspond to species, or just represent variation,” said Sourakov, Florida Museum Lepidoptera collection coordinator. “DNA actually allows us to evaluate if and when the gene exchange occurred.”

In a study published Aug. 24, 2011, in Comparative Cytogenetics, Sourakov revised the genus Calisto to include 34 species and 17 subspecies, nine fewer species than previously established, providing better organization for the 54 known taxa. His results are based on his knowledge of morphology, ecology and genetics of these butterflies, and they accompany a strong warning not to abandon other methods of taxonomic classification.

“In general, a lot of people look at DNA sequencing as a substitute for taxonomy and it really doesn’t work this way,” Sourakov said. “One should really know the group they work on to understand what they are looking at – there might be errors in sequencing or in specimen identification, genetic introgressions and other unforeseen circumstances, and if a person isn’t familiar with the group, it can result in extremely erroneous conclusions. DNA is another dataset, like larval or adult morphology, not a substitute.”

The genus Calistoboasts the greatest diversity of butterflies native to the Caribbean, from individuals living in the lowland deserts to their immediate relatives in the mountains. The second-largest Caribbean Island, Hispaniola, formed when two land masses collided more than 50 million years ago, then separated from the archipelago about 25 million years ago. Previous theories suggested these geological occurrences explained the high diversity within the genus and its presence on Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and the

Calisto hysius has similar characteristics to Calisto batesi, but DNA bar coding confirmed each as a separate species. © Photo by Andrei Sourakov

Bahamas, but calculations from the study establish a younger evolutionary history than researchers previously expected.

“This study falsifies the hypothesis that ancient geological events of continental movement were main factors of diversification in this group,” said Vladimir Lukhtanov, leading research scientist at the Zoological Institute in St. Petersburg and professor at St. Petersburg State University in Russia. “Rather, Darwinian adaptive evolution triggered the rapid species formation in Calisto. I think this work is a great step to understanding the phenomenon of accelerated species evolution on oceanic islands.”

Hispaniola is humid and tropical, but its unique geography includes flooded grasslands, pine forests, savannas and five major mountain ranges. Before researching the island’s fauna, Sourakov studied the host plants of the butterflies to better understand their correlation with the evolution of the genus and how different niches were occupied.

While the different Calisto species look similar – small and brown with eyespots on the undersurface – the caterpillars develop to feed on diverse plants, from bamboos and canes to desert bunch grasses and their roots.

“Some of them have names like confusa, enigma, obscura for a reason – it’s because people have a very hard time identifying them,” Sourakov said. “They are described as a single genus based mostly on distribution, and studying their molecules can allow us to see the deeper differences in these butterflies.”

One species, Calisto pulchella, has had economic importance as a wide-ranging pest of sugarcane, and the DNA bar coding showed greater diversification than expected, supporting a previous separation into an additional species, Calisto darlingtoni.

“I knew that this butterfly fed on sugarcane, but I searched and searched and could never find the caterpillar,” Sourakov said. “Then finally it occurred to me to pull off the leaf, and there it was – feeding practically inside the stem! These butterflies are really adapted to their specific host plants, something I’d never have guessed by simply studying dead specimens in the collections.”

On Hispaniola, there are about 200 species of butterflies in more than 100 genera, and Calisto represents over 20 percent of the total, a phenomenon that is “quite remarkable,” Sourakov said.

“Names only exist in the minds of people, but in order to talk to each other, we have to have names and these names have to have meaning, and taxonomic revisions allow for that,” Sourakov said. “But, this paper is a little more to me than just a revision because it has so many implications for the evolutionary history of Calisto, and for understanding butterfly evolution in general, especially on tropical islands.”

The study was co-authored by Evgeny Zakharov of the Biodiversity Institute of Ontario at the University of Guelph.

Calisto obscura is part of the 20 percent of about 200 butterfly species found on Hispaniola that belong in the same genus. Sourakov’s recent study improved organization of the genus. © Photo by Andrei Sourakov

Calisto pulchella, pictured here in the Florida Museum collections, has economic importance as a wide-ranging pest of sugar cane on the island of Hispaniola. Sourakov described this caterpillar and immature stages of many other species of the genus for the first time in 1996. His recent research shows Calisto pulchella may actually be two separate species that were once found in different habitats, but now converge on the same introduced host plant – the sugar cane. © Photo by Andrei Sourakov

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Transform into a caterpillar and grow into a butterfly beginning Saturday at the Florida Museum of Natural History’s newest temporary exhibit, “Amazing Butterflies.”

In “Amazing Butterflies,” visitors experience the challenges of being a caterpillar as it morphs into a beautiful butterfly through a hands-on human maze. Along the way, they discover the ways caterpillars move, what they eat and how other creatures help them achieve their transformation.

“This exhibit is a wonderfully fun, family-friendly show and perfectly complements the experience of seeing live butterflies in our Butterfly Rainforest,” said Florida Museum exhibits director Darcie MacMahon.

Families can learn to crawl like a caterpillar by slipping into a set of caterpillar legs and using teamwork and locomotion to sprint for the finish line. Visitors will discover why carpenter ants in Panama defend metalmark caterpillars from parasitic wasps and other predators, and feed a caterpillar its lunch through team games and contests.

Kids can practice flapping giant butterfly wings, avoiding spider webs that lurk around every turn, find a butterfly mate by creating a wacky dance and learn how butterflies select a specific plant on which to lay their eggs.

“We’ve also created a souvenir garden card that kids can stamp at each station, then color in our Discovery Room which opens June 22,” MacMahon said.

After learning about butterflies inside the museum, visitors can experience the fun of real butterflies in the Butterfly Rainforest, a 6,400-square-foot screened outdoor enclosure with hundreds of butterflies from around the world, subtropical and tropical plants, and soothing waterfalls.

Every Saturday and Sunday, weather permitting, Rainforest staff members release new butterflies at 2, 3, and 4 p.m. Inside the museum, the “Wall of Wings” displays more than 13,000 scanned and actual butterfly and moth species, and visitors may observe scientists preparing specimens for the collections.

With the opening of “Amazing Butterflies” the museum is also kicking off its first Pollinator Photo Contest in conjunction with the fourth annual ButterflyFest Oct. 24-25. Photographers are encouraged to submit their best photos of bats, bees, butterflies and other pollinators for the chance to win cash and museum prizes. The contest is open to ages 10 and up. Entries will be accepted Aug. 15 – Sept. 1 at the Florida Museum, in the University of Florida Cultural Plaza at Southwest 34th St. and Hull Road, and at The Gainesville Sun, 2700 SW 13th St., Gainesville.

See www.flmnh.ufl.edu/butterflyfest for more information on the contest. ButterflyFest features family fun including gardening and photography workshops, behind-the-scenes tours, children’s activities, tagged Monarch releases, food and more.

“Amazing Butterflies” was created by the Natural History Museum in London in collaboration with Minotaur Mazes. Admission to the exhibit is $7.50 for adults ($6.50 Fla. residents), $6 for seniors and students, and $5.50 for children ages 3-12. Admission to the Butterfly Rainforest is $9.50 for adults ($8 Fla. residents), $7 for seniors and $5 for children ages 3-12. Combo rate tickets are available for admission to both exhibits. Members are admitted free to “Amazing Butterflies.” For more information call 352-846-2000 or visit www.flmnh.ufl.edu/amazingbutterflies/.

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Source: Darcie MacMahon, 352-273-2053, dmacmahon@flmnh.ufl.edu
Writer: Kelly Donovan
Media contact: Paul Ramey, 352-273-2054, pramey@flmnh.ufl.edu

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — University of Florida entomology doctoral student Emily Saarinen has received the international Canon National Parks Science Scholars scholarship, an $80,000 three-year award for her research on endangered Miami blue butterflies. Saarinen is one of eight students from the Americas to receive the award, designed to support training for the next generation of conservation scientists. The program is sponsored by Canon U.S.A. Inc., the U.S. National Park Service and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Saarinen works in UF’s Florida Museum of Natural History McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity and the department of entomology and nematology in the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. She is co-advised by Jaret Daniels and Jacqueline Miller.

Her research on the endangered Miami blue butterfly in south Florida explores how inbreeding affects endangered populations, and she was awarded the scholarship based on two years of foundational research. The scholarship will fund the completion of her project, which integrates ecology and genetics—a fusion that is important for the future of conservation, Saarinen said.

“My research looks at the genetic variability of the Miami blue butterfly,” Saarinen said. “Some of the research questions are: Why did this once-common species suddenly plummet? Did genetics have an influence? If they are severely inbred, what are the effects on the last population of butterflies?”

To answer these questions, Saarinen is examining “molecular markers”—or regions within the Miami blue butterfly genome—that are inherently variable in a healthy and genetically diverse population. These regions of the genome change with each generation, adding to the inherent genetic variability of the species. However, if the butterflies are inbred due to an extremely small population size, they will have a higher frequency of regions that are similar to their relatives—rather than different—and to other individuals, which indicates a loss of genetic diversity. Losing this inherent genetic variation between generations equates to a loss of ecological flexibility to adapt to changing habitat and environments.

“It’s that genetic variability that is the fuel for evolution and change,” Saarinen said.

The Miami blue butterfly was once abundant throughout 16 coastal counties in south Florida. Only one population remains in the wild, located in Bahia Honda Key State Park. Lepidopterists—researchers who study butterflies and moths—have succeeded in rearing a stable population of Miami blues at the McGuire Center in Gainesville. The program has produced more than 25,000 captive-bred butterflies, and Saarinen and other UF researchers are releasing some of them as caterpillars in Biscayne National Park near Miami to try and re-establish a colony of Miami blues.

Saarinen’s project proposes examining the genetic variability of the Miami blue within the wild, as well as within the reintroduced and the captive-bred populations. She will compare these populations to each other and to the historic butterfly population by taking genetic samples from Florida Museum specimens dating to the turn of the century. The Florida Museum collection contains about 300 Miami blue specimens.

“Having all those different groups to compare gives us an idea of how inbreeding affects the fitness of the organisms and what that looks like genetically, if they are inbred,” Saarinen said. It is unusual within the field of wildlife conservation to have such diverse populations from which to draw samples for genetic comparisons, Saarinen said.

To sample the living populations, she removes a two-by-two millimeter bit of the wing, from which she extracts genetic material in the lab. Losing this piece of wing material does not harm the butterflies.

“I’ve seen individuals I’ve just taken a sample from, and 10 minutes later they’ve found a mate,” Saarinen said. “So it’s not adversely affecting their behavior.” From museum samples, she removes a leg.

“This is a wonderful project because I get to spend time in two places that I love: working in the field and then working in the lab,” Saarinen said. “This research gives us a really nice look at how genetics and ecology work together in conservation.” Saarinen said she has received support from many different groups and people.

“I have gotten immeasurable support from the entomology and nematology department, chaired by John Capinera, as well as support from IFAS,” Saarinen said. “I owe a lot to Ricardo Zambrano of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Sue Perry and Elsa Alvear from the National Park Service. This project will be a success because of the multi-agency participation.”

The Canon National Parks Science Scholars Program was established in 1997 to develop the next generation of scientists working in the fields of conservation, environmental science and national park management. The program annually awards eight scholarships to Ph.D. students conducting research critical to conserving national parks in the Americas.

“Emily’s project illustrates the power of genetics to aid species conservation, and in so doing help preserve the ecological integrity of national parks,” said Gary Machlis, director of the Canon National Parks Science Scholars Program and Canon Professor of Conservation at the University of Idaho.

For more information:

Canon National Parks Science Scholars Web site:
http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~gmachlis/director.html

Emily Saarinen—E-mail: eheff@ufl.edu; Phone: (352) 846-2000, ext. 242

Gary Machlis—Director of Canon National Parks Science Scholars Program; E-mail: gmachlis@uidaho.edu; Phone: (208) 885-7129

Media Contact: Paul Ramey,  (352) 846-2000,  pramey@ufl.edu
Writer: DeLene Beeland

“Bats & Butterflies: A Celebration of Pollinators” is being held during Museum Nights, a collaboration among University of Florida Student Government, the Florida Museum of Natural History and the Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art in which both museums are open from 5-10 p.m. on Thursday evenings.

Funded by UF Student Government, Museum Nights strives to increase student and community visitation at the UF Cultural Plaza, located near the intersection of Southwest 34th Street and Hull Road. It serves as an entertainment alternative for Thursday nights in Gainesville and offers individuals who are too busy during the day the opportunity to visit the museums in the evening. For more information and a complete schedule, visit the UF Student Government web site, www.sg.ufl.edu.

Media contact: Paul Ramey, (352) 846-2000, pramey@ufl.edu
Writer: Emily Banks

The class will explore the Butterfly Rainforest, which features hundreds of free-flying native and exotic butterflies and moths. Participants will compare butterflies and moths and explore their life cycles and adaptations. Students also have the chance to learn to identify common Florida butterflies and how to attract these butterflies to their own gardens.

The cost of the four-week session is $60 for Florida Museum members and $72 for non-members, plus a $4 lab fee. Pre-registration is required by March 27. For more information, call (352) 846-2000, ext. 277 or visit http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/education/home_school.htm.

Media contact: Paul Ramey, (352) 846-2000, pramey@ufl.edu
Writer: Emily Banks

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Museum of Natural History will offer a training session for volunteers interested in working with butterflies at the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity from 8:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. Dec. 10.

Both adult and junior volunteers, ages 13-17, are needed for various volunteer opportunities. A light breakfast will be provided at the session, but participants must bring their own lunch. No prior experience or special skills are necessary to participate. For more information or to R.S.V.P., contact Tori Derr, (352) 846-2000, ext. 206. Please R.S.V.P. by Dec. 8.

Media Contact: Paul Ramey, (352) 846-2000, pramey@ufl.edu
Writer: Emily Banks

Contact:
Paul Ramey, Dir. of Marketing and Public Relations
Florida Museum of Natural History
(352) 846-2000, ext. 218, pramey@ufl.edu
Writer: Lauren Williams

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Museum of Natural History will offer a training session for volunteers interested in working with butterflies at the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity from 1 – 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 11. Both adult and junior volunteers, ages 13-17, are needed for various volunteer opportunities. No prior experience or special skills are necessary to participate. For more information or to RSVP, contact Tori Derr, (352) 846-2000, ext. 206. Please RSVP by Sept. 9.

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The Florida Museum of Natural History is Florida’s state natural history museum, dedicated to understanding, preserving and interpreting biological diversity and cultural heritage. It is located near the intersection of Southwest 34th Street and Hull Road in the University of Florida Cultural Plaza in Gainesville. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. The Florida Museum is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Butterfly Rainforest admission is $7.50 for adults and $4.50 for children ages 3-12. For more information, including directions and parking information, call (352) 846-2000, or visit the museum online, www.flmnh.ufl.edu.

Both adult and junior volunteers, ages 13-17, are needed for various volunteer opportunities. A light breakfast will be provided at the session, but participants must bring their own lunch. No prior experience or special skills are necessary to participate. For more information, call (352) 846-2000, ext. 210.

Contact: Paul Ramey, (352) 846-2000, pramey@ufl.edu
Writer: Kristin Ede