Se determinó la filogenia de Syncirsodes Butler, sobre la base de caracteres morfológicos. Las especies incluidas son: S. distictaria, S. hyadesi, S. primata y S. straminea. Se usaron 27 caracteres morfológicos de estructuras externas e internas de adultos, con énfasis en la genitalia de machos y hembras y en el metafurcaesterno. Se encontró un cladograma parsimonioso (longitud = 51, CI = 0,94; RI = 0,83). La hipótesis filogenética sugiere dos grupos de especies hermanas: S. distictaria + S. straminea y S. hyadesi + S. primata.

In this study, the phylogeny of species in the genus Syncirsodes Butler, based on morphological characters, was determined. Species included were: S. distictaria, S. hyadesi, S. primata, and S. straminea. Twenty-seven morphological characters of adult external and internal structures were used, with principal emphasis on male and female genitalia and metafurcasternum. A parsimonious cladogram (L = 51, CI = 0.94, RI = 0.83) was made. The phylogenetic hypothesis suggests two groups of sister species: S. distictaria + S. straminea and S. hyadesi + S. primata.

Urbanization of the Metropolitan region of Concepción (36°S) in the last decades has impacted on the ecological value of areas such as wetlands and lagoons. Here, we analyse the disturbance to biodiversity indicators in six urban wetlands. Three measures are proposed: a naturalness indicator and two Macrolepidoptera plant indicators of species richness. Multiple regression models were developed for the assessment of indicators. Results show that the wetlands with the lowest degree of human interference are located in a protected area and surrounded by a matrix of semi-natural landscapes, whereas the more disturbed wetlands are those closer to areas of urbanization. Results indicate that macrolepidopterans richness is more affected by the distance to roads, in contrast with the richness of plants, which is affected by housing density. We generated a tool for the assessment of urbanization effects in urban wetlands.

La urbanización en Concepción metropolitano (36°S) en las últimas décadas ha impactado áreas de valor ecológico, tales como humedales y lagunas. Aquí analizamos la perturbación de parámetros de biodiversidad en seis humedales urbanos, mediante la exploración y uso de indicadores. Se proponen tres indicadores: naturalidad y riqueza de macrolepidópteros y plantas, los que se evalúan mediante modelos de regresión múltiple. Los resultados indican que los humedales con menor grado de perturbación antrópica se encuentran ubicados dentro de una reserva protegida y rodeados de una matriz de paisaje seminatural; mientras que los más perturbados están más próximos a la urbanización. Además, la riqueza de macrolepidópteros se ve más afectada por la distancia a carreteras, en cambio la riqueza de plantas por la densidad de viviendas. Se genera una herramienta para la evaluación de efectos de la urbanización en humedales urbanos.

Latitudinal gradient effect on the wing geometry of Auca coctei (Guérin) (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae). When the environmental conditions change locally, the organisms and populations may also change in response to the selection pressure, so that the development of individuals may become affected in different degrees. There have been only a few studies in which the patterns of wing morphology variation have been looked into along a latitudinal gradient by means of geometric morphometrics. The aim of this work was to assess the morphologic differentiation of wing among butterfly populations of the species Auca coctei. For this purpose, 9 sampling locations were used which are representative of the distribution range of the butterfly and cover a wide latitudinal range in Chile. The wing morphology was studied in a total of 202 specimens of A. coctei (150 males and 52 females), based on digitization of 17 morphologic landmarks. The results show variation of wing shape in both sexes; however, for the centroid size there was significant variation only in females. Females show smaller centroid size at higher latitudes, therefore in this study the Bergmann reverse rule is confirmed for females of A. coctei. Our study extends morphologic projections with latitude, suggesting that wing variation is an environmental response from diverse origins and may influence different characteristics of the life history of a butterfly.