Sains Malaysiana 45(10)(2016): 1413–1422

The Significance of Wing and Body Morphometry in Discriminating Six Species of Eurema Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) of Peninsular Malaysia

(Kepentingan Morfometri Sayap dan Badan dalam Membezakan Enam Spesies Rama-rama Eurema di Semenanjung Malaysia)

NOOR AZRIZAL-WAHID^1,2*, MOHD SOFIAN-AZIRUN¹ & MOHAMMED RIZMAN-IDID^1,3

¹Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia

²Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

³Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences, C308 IGS Building, University of Malaya

50603 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia

Diserahkan: 28 September 2015/Diterima: 25 Februari 2016

ABSTRACT

Six species of Eurema butterflies comprised of 261 adult individuals collected from various sampling sites in Peninsular Malaysia were identified. The morphometric measurement of the specimens was carried out by using seven characters measured from the wing and body regions. Morphometric analysis was determined through the multivariate analysis of Discriminant Function Analysis (DFA) and Cluster Analysis. The results of DFA showed that two out of seven characters utilized have the lowest values of Partial’s Wilks Lambda; basal length and hindwing length. These characters therefore are significant for the discrimination of the Eurema species. The classification matrix shows that both E. hecabe and E. blanda were completely discriminated by the characters set. Moreover, there was great overlaps occurred between the species groups when plotting a conical graph except for species E. blanda that formed homogenous group. Basal length was also suggested as the species-specific character for grouping the species E. blanda. In Cluster Analysis, E. hecabe tends to be closer to E. sari with the lowest value of agglomeration. The results from dendogram generated from average linkage also showed several relationship patterns among the six species.

Keywords: Discrimination; Eurema; morphometric; multivariate analysis

ABSTRAK

Enam spesies rama-rama Eurema telah dikenal pasti daripada 261 individu dewasa yang ditangkap dari pelbagai lokasi di Semenanjung Malaysia. Kajian morfometri telah dijalankan dengan menggunakan tujuh ukuran sifat daripada bahagian sayap dan badan. Analisis morfometri ditentukan berdasarkan analisis multivariat iaitu Analisis Diskriminasi Fungsi (DFA) dan Analisis Kelompok. Keputusan DFA merungkaikan dua daripada tujuh sifat yang digunakan mempunyai nilai Partial’s Wilks Lambda yang terendah; panjang basal dan panjang kepak belakang. Justeru, sifat ini bermanfaat untuk membezakan antara spesies Eurema. Klasifikasi matriks pula menunjukkan kedua-dua E. hecabe dan E. andersonii sepenuhnya didiskriminasikan oleh set sifat. Seterusnya, terdapat pertindihan yang ketara berlaku antara spesies dalam analisis pemboleh ubah konikal kecuali bagi spesies E. blanda yang dilihat membentuk kelompok homogen. Panjang basal juga dicadangkan sebagai spesies-khusus sifat untuk pengelasan spesies E. blanda. Analisis Kelompok pula menunjukkan E. hecabe lebih cenderung rapat dengan E. sari dan mempunyai nilai jadual aglomerasi yang terendah. Keputusan daripada dendogram juga menunjukkan beberapa corak hubungan antara enam spesies dalam kajian ini.

Kata kunci: Analisis multivariat; diskriminasi; Eurema; morfometri

RUJUKAN

Baylac, M., Villemant, C. & Simbolotti, G. 2003. Combining geometric morphometric with pattern recognition for the investigation of species complexes. Biological Journal of Linnean Society 80(1): 89-98.

Bickford, D., Lohman, D.J., Sohdi, N.S., Ng, P.K.L., Meier, R., Winker, K., Ingram, K. & Das, I. 2006. Cryptic species as a window on diversity and conservation. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 22: 148-155.

Collins, F.H. & Paskewitz, S.M. 1996. A review of the use of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) to differentiate among cryptic Anopheles species. Insect Molecular Biology 5:1-9.

Corbet, A.S. & Pendlebury, H.M. 1992. The Butterflies of the Malay Peninsula, 4th ed. Kuala Lumpur: Malayan Nature Society.

Daly, H.V. 1985. Insect morphometrics. Annual Review of Zoology 30: 415-438.

Heim, I. 2003. Synthetische Taxonomie zur Gattung Aplysina Nardo, 1834. Diploma Thesis. Fakultät für Bio- und Geowissenschaften. Universität Stuttgart, Stuttgart (Unpublished).

Hernández-Roldán, J.L. & Munguira, M.L. 2008. Multivariate analysis techniques in the study of the male genitalia of Pyrgus bellieri (Oberthür, 1910) and P. alveus (Hübner, 1803) (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae): Species discrimination and distribution in the Iberian Peninsula. Annales de la Societas Entomologique de France 44: 145-155.

Jeratthitikul, E., Lewvanich, A., Butcher, B.A. & Lekprayoon, C. 2009. A taxonomic study of the genus Eurema Hubner [1819] (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) in Thailand. The Natural History Journal of Chulalongkorn University 9: 1-20.

Orr, D. 2003. The constitution of nature. Conservation Biology 17: 1478-1484.

Prieto, C.G., Munguiram, M.L. & Romo, H. 2008. Morphometric analysis of genitalia and wing pattern elements in the genus Cupido (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae): Are Cupido minimus and C. carswelli different species? Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 56: 137-147.

Quike, D.L.J. 1993. Principles and Techniques of Contemporary Taxonomy (Tertiary Level Biology). 1st ed. Norwell: Kluwer Academic Publishers. p. 328.

Simões, P.C. & Quartau, J.A. 2009. Patterns of morphometric variation among species of the genus Cicada (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) in the Mediterranean area. European Journal of Entomology 106: 393-403.

Simonsen, T.J. 2006. Fritillary phylogeny, classification, and larval host plants: reconstructed mainly on the basis of male and female genitalic morphology (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Argynnini). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 89: 627-673.

Sneath, P.H.A. & Sokal, R.R. 1973. Numerical Taxonomy. San Francisco: Freeman.

Soladoye, M.O., Sonibare, M.A. & Chukwuma, E.C. 2010. Morphometric study of the genus Indigofera Linn. (Leguminocae-Papilionoideae) in South-Western Nigeria. International Journal of Botany 6: 343-350.

SPSS Inc. 1999. SPSS Base 10.0 Software Program. SPSS Inc., Chicago, Illnois, USA.

StatSoft, Inc. 2004. Electronic Statistics Textbook. Tulsa, USA.

Wakeham-Dawson, A., Jaksic, P., Holloway, J.D. & Dennis, R.L.H. 2004. Multivariate analysis of male genital structures in the Hipparchia semele-muelleri-delattini complex (Nymphalidae, Satyrinae) from the Balkans: how many taxa? Nota Lepidopterologica 27: 103-124.

Yata, O. 1989. A revision of the Old World species of the genus Eurema Hübner (Lepidoptera, Pieridae) I. Phylogeny and zoogeography of the subgenus Terias Swainson and description of the subgenus Eurema Hübner. Bulletin of the Kitakyushu Museum National History 9: 1-103.

*Pengarang untuk surat-menyurat; email: ajerijal@siswa.um.edu.my