Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89552, USA.
Biol Lett. 2011 Jun 23;7(3):399-402. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2010.1077. Epub 2010 Dec 22.
The Karner blue butterfly (KBB), Lycaeides melissa samuelis, is a federally protected taxon whose relationship to the Melissa blue, Lycaeides melissa, has been a point of contention during the 66 years since the KBB was first described. Using a large population-genomic dataset and a model of population divergence with migration, we investigated the relationship between the KBB and L. melissa, as well as the relationship between L. melissa and a third taxon, Lycaeides idas. We report that gene flow between the KBB and L. melissa is low, and comparable to gene flow between L. melissa and L. idas. Considering this population-genetic evidence, we conclude that the KBB is a unique evolutionary lineage that should be recognized as Lycaeides samuelis.
卡纳蓝蝶（KBB），Lycaeides melissa samuelis，是一种受联邦保护的物种，自 66 年前首次被描述以来，其与 Melissa 蓝蝶（Lycaeides melissa）的关系一直是争议的焦点。本研究使用大型种群基因组数据集和带有迁移的种群分歧模型，调查了 KBB 与 L. melissa 之间的关系，以及 L. melissa 与第三种生物 Lycaeides idas 之间的关系。我们报告说，KBB 和 L. melissa 之间的基因流动很低，与 L. melissa 和 L. idas 之间的基因流动相当。考虑到这种种群遗传证据，我们得出结论，KBB 是一个独特的进化谱系，应被确认为 Lycaeides samuelis。
