Bath White / Eastern Bath White

[Sylvie_h]

I took this picture of a Bath White in Bulgaria. However Tolman specifies that in Eastern Europe, the Bath White is replaced by the Eastern Bath White. Both species are alike but they are biochemically distinct. Can anybody explain what this means? Or does anybody know anything about this?
Thanks
Sylvie

Eastern Bath White

[Padfield]

Biochemical divergence implies genetic isolation, even if morphological differences are not apparent. Genetic isolation in populations geographically close to each other, or even continuous or overlapping with each other, implies some non-geographical mating barrier and is prima facie evidence of speciation. The new Leraut book in fact adds morphology to this, claiming the genitalia of the male in particular are distinct - Leraut even says that with experience it is possible to distinguish between the two species without making a microscopic preparation (but not without killing the butterflies). He seems to have taken his research to collections all over Europe and his results show the distribution of the species to be more north/south than east/west (daplidice south, edusa north); but it seems quite complex (his maps have both species flying in parts of the Balkans but mostly daplidice in Bulgaria) and I think this is all a work in progress - like evolution itself. Kudrna states that the taxa readily interbreed in areas of overlap.

Guy

[Sylvie_h]

Thank you Guy for the information and explanation. Personally I am not ready to kill a butterfly to find out which ssp it belongs to. I am quite happy to stick P. Daplidice on the picture above.
Thanks again,
Sylvie