Discordance between biological and genetic traits highlights complex evolutionary history in the False Apollo, Archon apollinus (Herbst, 1798) (Lepidoptera, Papilionidae, Parnassiinae)

The population structure within Archon apollinus (Herbst, 1798) across its range has been investigated using mtDNA COI sequences alongside five other gene regions for select samples in order to strengthen the phylogenetic backbone. Results strongly indicated the presence of two highly divergent lineages within this species: One confined to Western Turkey, Northeast Greece as well as the East Aegean islands (A. apollinus), and another in central Anatolia and the Levant. Accordingly, we recognize the Levantine lineage as a distinct species, A. bellargus Staudinger, [1892], stat. nov. Phenotypic differences between adults from western Turkey/Greece and the Levant, partly divergent flight times and significant morphological and ethological differences in caterpillars and pupae support these findings. While our central Anatolian samples were unambiguously part of the Levantine clade (A. bellargus), the life history data placed these populations closer to those in western Turkey (A. apollinus). The cause and consequences of this discordance are discussed.