This lab studies butterfly diversity patterns in time and space, as well as their evolutionary causes. Its end goal is to answer longstanding questions regarding the limits between species, chromosomal evolution and the link between phylogeography and ecology. When did a group of butterflies colonise the New World and what route did they follow? How did parasitism evolve from a friendly association between species? Are there species that we cannot visually distinguish? Can a butterfly cross the Sahara desert? These are a few examples of the questions addressed by the Butterfly Diversity & Evolution lab.

Lab website: Butterfly Diversity & Evolution Lab

Roger Vila Ujaldón

Vila Ujaldón, Roger
CSIC Tenured Scientist
Butterfly Diversity and Evolution Lab

Valéria Carvalho Marques

Carvalho Marques, Valéria
Predoctoral Researcher
Butterfly diversity and evolution

Cecilia Corbella Felip

Corbella Felip, Cecilia
Laboratory Technician
Butterfly Diversity & Evolution Lab

Mattia Menchetti

Menchetti , Mattia
Predoctoral Researcher-INPhINIT " La Caixa "
Butterfly Diversity and Evolution

Enrico Schifani

Schifani , Enrico
Visiting Predoctoral Researcher
Butterfly Diversity and Evolution Lab

Loukia Spilani

Spilani , Loukia
Predoctoral Researcher
Butterfly diversity and evolution

Mutanen M, Kivelä SM, Vos RA, Doorenweerd C, Ratnasingham S, Hausmann A, Huemer P, Dincă V, van Nieukerken EJ, Lopez-Vaamonde C, Vila R, Aarvik L, Decaëns T, Efetov KA, Hebert PD, Johnsen A, Karsholt O, Pentinsaari M, Rougerie R, Segerer A, Tarmann G, Zahiri R, Godfray HC. 2016. Species-level para- and polyphyly in DNA barcode gene trees: Strong operational bias in European Lepidoptera. Systematic Biology, 65(6):1024-1040. DOI:10.1093/sysbio/syw044

Kaminski LA, Iserhard CA, Freitas AVL. 2016. Thisbe silvestre sp. nov. (Lepidoptera: Riodinidae): A new myrmecophilous butterfly from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Austral Entomology, 55(2):138-146. DOI:10.1111/aen.12159

Hernández-Roldán JL, Dapporto L, Dincă V, Vicente JC, Hornett EA, Šíchová J, Lukhtanov VA, Talavera G, Vila R. 2016. Integrative analyses unveil speciation linked to host plant shift in Spialia butterflies. Molecular ecology, 25(17):4267-4284. DOI:10.1111/mec.13756

Gutiérrez D, Vila R, Wilson RJ. 2016. Asymmetric constraints on limits to species ranges influence consumer-resource richness over an environmental gradient. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 25(12):1477-1488. DOI:10.1111/geb.12510

Dapporto L, Stefanini I, Rivero D, Polsinelli M, Capretti P, De Marchi P, Viola R, Turillazzi S, Cavalieri D. 2016. Social wasp intestines host the local phenotypic variability of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains. Yeast, 33(7):277-287. DOI:10.1002/yea.3173

Adamowicz SJ, Chain FJ, Clare EL, Deiner K, Dincă V, Elías-Gutiérrez M, Hausmann A, Hogg ID, Kekkonen M, Lijtmaer DA, Naaum A, Steinke D, Valdez-Moreno M, Van der Bank M, Wilson JJ, Xu J. 2016. From Barcodes to Biomes: Special Issues from the 6th International Barcode of Life Conference. Genome, 59(9):v-ix. DOI:10.1139/gen-2016-0159

Vodə R, Dapporto L, Dincə V, Vila R. 2015. Why do cryptic species tend not to co-occur? A case study on two cryptic pairs of butterflies. PLoS ONE, 10(2):1-18. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0117802

Vodă R, Dapporto L, Dincă V, Vila R. 2015. Cryptic matters: Overlooked species generate most butterfly beta-diversity. Ecography, 38(4):405-409. DOI:10.1111/ecog.00762

Talavera G, Espadaler X, Vila R. 2015. Discovered just before extinction? The first endemic ant from the Balearic Islands (Lasius balearicus sp. nov.) is endangered by climate change. Journal of Biogeography, 42(3):589-601. DOI:10.1111/jbi.12438

Šíchová J, Voleníková A, Dincă V, Nguyen P, Vila R, Sahara K, Marec F. 2015. Dynamic karyotype evolution and unique sex determination systems in Leptidea wood white butterflies Speciation and evolutionary genetics. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 15(1):1-16. DOI:10.1186/s12862-015-0375-4

Oliveira KN, Coley PD, Kursar TA, Kaminski LA, Moreira MZ, Campos RI. 2015. The effect of symbiotic ant colonies on plant growth: A test using an Azteca-Cecropia system. PLoS ONE, 10(3):1-13. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0120351

Kaminski LA, Dell’Erba R, Barbosa EP, Freitas AVL. 2015. New distribution records and notes on the habitat of Magneuptychia flavofascia Zacca & Siewert, 2014 (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). Check List, 11(4). DOI:10.15560/11.4.1692

Kaliszewska ZA, Lohman DJ, Sommer K, Adelson G, Rand DB, Mathew J, Talavera G, Pierce NE. 2015. When caterpillars attack: Biogeography and life history evolution of the Miletinae (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae). Evolution, 69(3):571-588. DOI:10.1111/evo.12599

Gonçalves-Souza T, Araújo MS, Barbosa EP, Lopes SM, Kaminski LA, Shimizu GH, Santos AJ, Romero GQ. 2015. Fine-scale Beta-diversity Patterns Across Multiple Arthropod Taxa Over a Neotropical Latitudinal Gradient. Biotropica, 47(5):588-594. DOI:10.1111/btp.12242

Espeland M, Hall JP, DeVries PJ, Lees DC, Cornwall M, Hsu YF, Wu LW, Campbell DL, Talavera G, Vila R, Salzman S, Ruehr S, Lohman DJ, Pierce NE. 2015. Ancient Neotropical origin and recent recolonisation: Phylogeny, biogeography and diversification of the Riodinidae (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 93:296-306. DOI:10.1016/j.ympev.2015.08.006

Dincă V, Montagud S, Talavera G, Hernández-Roldán J, Munguira ML, García-Barros E, Hebert PD, Vila R. 2015. DNA barcode reference library for Iberian butterflies enables a continental-scale preview of potential cryptic diversity. Scientific Reports, 5(January):1-12. DOI:10.1038/srep12395

Marín MA, Álvarez CF, Giraldo CE, Pyrcz TW, Uribe SI, Vila R. 2014. Mariposas en un bosque de niebla andino periurbano en el valle de Aburrá, Colombia. Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad, 85(1):200-208. DOI:10.7550/rmb.36605

Hernández-Roldán JL, Bofill R, Dapporto L, Munguira ML, Vila R. 2014. Morphological and chemical analysis of male scent organs in the butterfly genus Pyrgus (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae). Organisms Diversity and Evolution, 14(3):269-278. DOI:10.1007/s13127-014-0170-x

Dapporto L, Voda R, Dinca V, Vila R. 2014. Comparing population patterns for genetic and morphological markers with uneven sample sizes: An example for the butterfly Maniola jurtina. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 5(8):834-843. DOI:10.1111/2041-210X.12220

Dapporto L, Fattorini S, Voda R, Dinca V, Vila R. 2014. Biogeography of western Mediterranean butterflies: Combining turnover and nestedness components of faunal dissimilarity. Journal of Biogeography, 41(9):1639-1650. DOI:10.1111/jbi.12315

Cavalleri A, Kaminski LA. 2014. Two new ectoparasitic species of Aulacothrips Hood, 1952 (Thysanoptera: Heterothripidae) associated with ant-tended treehoppers (Hemiptera). Systematic Parasitology, 89(3):271-278. DOI:10.1007/s11230-014-9526-z

Talavera G, Lukhtanov VA, Rieppel L, Pierce NE, Vila R. 2013. In the shadow of phylogenetic uncertainty: The recent diversification of Lysandra butterflies through chromosomal change. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 69(3):469-478. DOI:10.1016/j.ympev.2013.08.004

Talavera G, Lukhtanov VA, Pierce NE, Vila R. 2013. Establishing criteria for higher-level classification using molecular data: The systematics of Polyommatus blue butterflies (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae). Cladistics, 29(2):166-192. DOI:10.1111/j.1096-0031.2012.00421.x

Sañudo-Restrepo CP, Dincâ V, Talavera G, Vila R. 2013. Biogeography and systematics of Aricia butterflies (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 66(1):369-379. DOI:10.1016/j.ympev.2012.10.010

Giraldo CE, Willmott KR, Vila R, Uribe SI. 2013. Ithomiini Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) of Antioquia, Colombia. Neotropical Entomology, 42(2):146-157. DOI:10.1007/s13744-012-0102-4

Dincă V, Wiklund C, Lukhtanov VA, Kodandaramaiah U, Norén K, Dapporto L, Wahlberg N, Vila R, Friberg M. 2013 Reproductive isolation and patterns of genetic differentiation in a cryptic butterfly species complex. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 26(10):2095-2106. DOI:10.1111/jeb.12211

Dinca V, Runquist M, Nilsson M, Vila R. 2013. Dispersal, fragmentation, and isolation shape the phylogeography of the European lineages of Polyommatus (Agrodiaetus) ripartii (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 109(4):817-829. DOI:10.1111/bij.12096

Dapporto L, Ramazzotti M, Fattorini S, Talavera G, Vila R, Dennis RLH. 2013. Recluster: An unbiased clustering procedure for beta-diversity turnover. Ecography, 36(10):1070-1075. DOI:10.1111/j.1600-0587.2013.00444.x

Carnicer J, Stefanescu C, Vila R, Dincǎ V, Font X, Peñuelas J. 2013. A unified framework for diversity gradients: The adaptive trait continuum. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 22(1):6-18. DOI:10.1111/j.1466-8238.2012.00762.x

Talavera, G.; Lukhtanov, V.A.; Pierce, N.E.; Vila, R.  2012. Establishing criteria for higher level taxonomic classification using molecular data: an example with blue butterflies (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae). Cladistics 1-27. doi: 10.1111/j.1096-0031. (2012).00421.x.

Hernández-Roldán JL, Munguira ML, Wagner W, Vila R. 2012. Comparative Analysis and Taxonomic Use of the Morphology of Immature Stages and Natural History Traits in European Species of Pyrgus Hübner (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae, Pyrginae). Zootaxa, 71(3470):1-71. DOI:10.11646/zootaxa.3470.1.1. 

Dapporto L, Bruschini C, Dincǎ V, Vila R, Dennis RLH. 2012. Identifying zones of phenetic compression in West Mediterranean butterflies (Satyrinae): Refugia, invasion and hybridization. Diversity and Distributions, 18(11):1066-1076. DOI:10.1111/j.1472-4642.2012.00903.x

Vila R, Bell CD, Macniven R, Goldman-Huertas B, Ree RH, Marshall CR, Bálint Z, Johnson K, Benyamini D, Pierce NE. 2011. Phylogeny and palaeoecology of polyommatus blue butterflies show beringia was a climate-regulated gateway to the new world. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 278(1719):2737-2744. DOI:10.1098/rspb.2010.2213

Ugelvig L V., Vila R, Pierce NE, Nash DR. 2011. A phylogenetic revision of the Glaucopsyche section (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae), with special focus on the Phengaris-Maculinea clade. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 61(1):237-243. DOI:10.1016/j.ympev.2011.05.016

Lukhtanov VA, Dinc V, Talavera G, Vila R. 2011. Unprecedented within-species chromosome number cline in the Wood White butterfly Leptidea sinapis and its significance for karyotype evolution and speciation. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 11(1). DOI:10.1186/1471-2148-11-109

Hernández-Roldán JL, Múrria C, Romo H, Talavera G, Zakharov E, Hebert PDN, Vila R. 2011. Tracing the origin of disjunct distributions: A case of biogeographical convergence in Pyrgus butterflies. Journal of Biogeography. 2011;38(10):2006-2020. DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2699.2011.02547.x

Dincă V, Zakharov E V., Hebert PDN, Vila R. 2011. Complete DNA barcode reference library for a country’s butterfly fauna reveals high performance for temperate Europe. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 278(1704):347-355. DOI:10.1098/rspb.2010.1089

Dincǎ V, Lukhtanov VA, Talavera G, Vila R. 2011. Unexpected layers of cryptic diversity in wood white Leptidea butterflies. Nature Communications, 2(1). DOI:10.1038/ncomms1329

Dincǎ V, Dapporto L, Vila R. 2011. A combined genetic-morphometric analysis unravels the complex biogeographical history of Polyommatus icarus and Polyommatus celina common blue butterflies. Molecular Ecology, 20(18):3921-3935. DOI:10.1111/j.1365-294X.2011.05223.x

Dapporto L, Schmitt T, Vila R, Scalercio S, Biermann H, Dincǎ V, Gayubo SF, González JA, Lo Cascio P, Dennis RLH. 2011. Phylogenetic island disequilibrium: Evidence for ongoing long-term population dynamics in two Mediterranean butterflies. Journal of Biogeography, 38(5):854-867. DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2699.2010.02452.x

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