MORPHOMETRIC STUDY ON THE GENITALIA OF SIBLING SPECIES MELITAEA PHOEBE AND M. TELONA (LEPIDOPTERA: NYMPHALIDAE)

Taxonomy and phylogeny of the diverse nymphalid genus Melitaea was often considered during
the last decade. Melitaea phoebe (Knapweed Fritillary) and M. telona has been considered
as conspecific until the last few years. Morphometric characters of genital structures were analysed
by traditional morphometric method. Significant but slightly overlapping differences
were found in both sexes. In male genitalia we observed that M. telona can be characterised by
a more notched saccus, and more symmetric processi posteriore than M. phoebe. In females,
Melitaea phoebe has more circle shaped, while M. telona has more elliptic shaped posterior
lamella. The furca is usually smaller in M. phoebe. M. phoebe ornata specimens from the
South Ural, Russia, were clustered together with M. telona in the analyses.