Melanargia

Abstract: We sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome of Melanargia asiatica (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae) The entire closed circular molecule is 15,142 bp long, containing 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes and a AT-rich region All protein-coding genes (PCGs) initiate with the typical start codons ATN, with the exception of cox1, which uses CGA instead Nine PCGs use the conventional stop codons (TAA) and the other four genes (cox1, cox2, nad4 and nad5) use a single T as the stop codon All tRNA genes display typical secondary cloverleaf structures, except for trnS1 (AGN), whose dihydrouridine (DHU) arm is replaced by a simple loop, as observed in all other lepidopterans The AT-rich region is 319 bp in length and contains some features characteristic of lepidopterans, such as the ATAGA motif followed by a 19-bp poly-T stretch and a microsatellite-like repeat of (TA)6T(TA) preceded by the ATTTA motif

Abstract: Species diversity and abundance of butterflies were investigated at three (3) locations; Ajebo, Ogun State, Odongunyan Farm Settlement, Ikorodu and Hortico Gardens, Ipaja, Lagos using sweep nets and transects method of sampling. Biodiversity indices were calculated using Shannon-Wiener, Margalef, Simpson’s and Equitability indices. A total of 1105 butterflies belonging to 11 genera and 4 families were identified from the 3 sampled sites. Butterflies belonging to the family Nymphalidae were the most abundant, accounting for 70.6% of the total butterflies collected in all locations and seasons. Four species Danaus chrysippus, Acraea serena, Melanargia galathea (Nymphalidae) and Eurema sp. (Pieridae) were found in the three sites. Acraea (200), Danaus (140), Melanargia (129) (all in the family Nymphalidae) were the most abundant butterfly genera found in the study sites. Ajebo had the least diversity of butterflies in all the two seasons, while Hortico Gardens, Ipaja had the highest. Odongunyan farm land was the most equitable (j = 1.09) of the three sampled sites. Keywords: diversity, butterflies, Nymphalidae, transects, sweep nets