Longitude differentiation of the hypoarctic butterfly fauna (Lepidoptera, Papilionoidea)

Abstract

The article analyzes the longitude-sector differentiation of the hypoarctic butterfly fauna. The authors estimate the species richness of the Papilionoidea superfamily in the hypoarctic zone for 120-130 native species. The richness of native species in the butterfly faunas of particular geographical sectors is about twice as less and relatively stable in the circumpolar perspective from Fennoscandia to Labrador. But, the species composition, geographical and landscape-zonal structure of regional butterfly faunas undergo serious changes. The Beringian species complex is highly specific and consists mainly of montane and arctic-montane species whose distribution is limited by the East Asian and West American sectors. The distribution analysis of species allowed us to conclude that the hypoarctic butterfly fauna is very heterogeneous. The zoogeographic unity of the Hypoarctic is not clearly manifested on the example of butterflies.