Inter-island differentiation of Leptotes (Cyclyrius) webbianus (Brullé, 1839) in the Canary Islands (Spain), with description of two new subspecies from La Palma and Gran Canaria (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)

Abstract

Phenotypic and molecular genetic analyses of the Canary Islands’ endemic Leptotes (Cyclyrius) webbianus (Brullé, 1839) reveal new subspecies in La Palma and in Gran Canaria, both differentiated from the nominotypical subspecies found in Tenerife and La Gomera. On El Hierro, the current population turned out to be a recent reintroduction from Tenerife or La Gomera, whereas the original population reported more than a hundred years ago seems to have become extinct