Genus Bibla Mabille, 1904

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• Bibla Mabille, 1904.

  Type species:

   Hesperia papyria Boisduval, 1832 by monotypy.

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

• Mabille, P. 1904. Lepidoptera Rhopalocera. Fam. Hesperidae. Genera Insectorum 17: 1-210, pls 1-4 (1903-1904)

Introduction

Braby and Zwick (2015) demonstrated that Taractrocera Butler, 1870 (type species: Hesperia maevius Fabricius, 1793) is polyphyletic, with T. papyria (Boisduval, 1832) being more closely related to Ocybadistes Heron, 1894 (type species: Ocybadistes walkeri Heron, 1894) and Suniana Evans, 1934 (type species: Pamphila lascivia Rosenstock, 1885), rather than to the other Australian Taractrocera spp. based on a combined analysis of a molecular dataset (mt COI and nuclear CAD, MDH, wingless). Inclusion of the two allopatric and phenotypically distinct subspecies of T. papyria confirmed the monophyly of this taxon, but its placement outside the remaining Australian species of Taractrocera suggested that T. papyria has been misplaced in Taractrocera, and it either belongs with Ocybadistes or Suniana, or belongs in a separate genus. Braby and Zwick (2015) suggested that formal changes to the current classification should not be made until the Oriental taxa of Taractrocera spp., including the type species of the genus (Taractrocera maevius (Fabricius, 1793)), are studied using molecular and morphological characters. Zhang et al. (2022) independently demonstrated that Taractrocera was polyphyletic based on a different molecular dataset, although only three species of Taractrocera were included in their study (T. maevius, T. dolon and T. papyria), with T. papyria emerging sister to a clade consisting of Suniana, Ocybadistes and Potanthus Scudder, 1872 (type species: Hesperia omaha Edwards, 1863). Based on this evidence, Zhang et al. (2022) reinstated the monotypic genus Bibla Mabille, 1904 (type species: Hesperia papyria Boisduval, 1832), previously treated as a junior synonym of Taractrocera by Waterhouse and Lyell (1914) and Evans (1949), and transferred T. papyria to it to restore the monophyly of Taractrocera, although they did not provide a diagnosis of Bibla and apparently were unaware of the earlier study by Braby and Zwick (2015). Braby (2000) noted that the valva of the male genitalia of Bibla papyria (Boisduval, 1832) is undivided and rounded apically, similar to that of Ocybadistes and Suniana, whereas in Taractrocera it is indented or divided apically.

Distribution

States

Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia

IBRA and IMCRA regions

IBRA

ACT, NSW, Qld, SA, Tas, Vic, WA: Australian Alps (AA), Avon Wheatbelt (AW), Brigalow Belt North (BBN), Brigalow Belt South (BBS), Ben Lomond (BEL), Broken Hill Complex (BHC), Central Mackay Coast (CMC), Cobar Peneplain (CP), Cape York Peninsula (CYP), Desert Uplands (DEU), Darling Riverine Plains (DRP), Einasleigh Uplands (EIU), Esperance Plains (ESP), Eyre Yorke Block (EYB), Flinders Lofty Block (FLB), Flinders (FLI), Gawler (GAW), Geraldton Sandplains (GS), Jarrah Forest (JF), Kanmantoo (KAN), King (KIN), Mallee (MAL), Murray Darling Depression (MDD), Mulga Lands (ML), Nandewar (NAN), Naracoorte Coastal Plain (NCP), New England Tablelands (NET), NSW North Coast (NNC), NSW South Western Slopes (NSS), Riverina (RIV), Sydney Basin (SB), South East Coastal Plain (SCP), South East Corner (SEC), South Eastern Highlands (SEH), South Eastern Queensland (SEQ), Swan Coastal Plain (SWA), Tasmanian Central Highlands (TCH), Tasmanian Northern Midlands (TNM), Tasmanian Northern Slopes (TNS), Tasmanian South East (TSE), Tasmanian Southern Ranges (TSR), Tasmanian West (TWE), Victorian Midlands (VM), Victorian Volcanic Plain (VVP), Warren (WAR), Wet Tropics (WT), Yalgoo (YAL)

Other Regions

Lord Howe Island terrestrial & freshwater

General References

Braby, M. F. & Zwick, A. 2015. Taxonomic revision of the Taractrocera ilia (Waterhouse) complex (Lepidoptera : Hesperiidae) from north-western Australia and mainland New Guinea based on morphological and molecular data. Invertebrate Systematics 29: 487-509

Evans, W.H. 1949. A Catalogue of the Hesperiidae from Europe, Asia and Australia in the British Museum (Natural History). London : British Museum xix 502 pp. 53 pls.

Waterhouse, G.A. & Lyell, G. 1914. The Butterflies of Australia: a monograph of the Australian Rhopalocera introducing a complete scheme of structural classification, and giving descriptions and illustrations of all the butterflies found in Australia, including a number now recorded for the first time. Sydney : Angus & Robertson 239 pp. 38 pls + 3 unnumbered colour pls. [Date published 25 July 1914]

Zhang, J., Cong, Q., Shen, J. & Grishin, N.V. 2022. Taxonomic changes suggested by the genomic analysis of Hesperiidae (Lepidoptera). Insect Mundi 921: 1-135 [Date published 25 February 2022]

History of changes