The Neotropics harbour the most diverse flora and fauna on Earth. The Andes are a major centre of diversification and source of diversity for adjacent areas in plants and vertebrates, but studies on insects remain scarce, even though they constitute the largest fraction of terrestrial biodiversity. Here, we combine molecular and morphological characters to generate a dated phylogeny of the butterfly genus Pteronymia (Nymphalidae: Danainae), which we use to infer spatial, elevational and temporal diversification patterns. We first propose six taxonomic changes that raise the generic species total to 53, making Pteronymia the most diverse genus of the tribe Ithomiini. Our biogeographic reconstruction shows that Pteronymia originated in the Northern Andes, where it diversified extensively. Some lineages colonized lowlands and adjacent montane areas, but diversification in those areas remained scarce. The recent colonization of lowland areas was reflected by an increase in the rate of evolution of species’ elevational ranges towards present. By contrast, speciation rate decelerated with time, with no extinction. The geological history of the Andes and adjacent regions have likely contributed to Pteronymia diversification by providing compartmentalized habitats and an array of biotic and abiotic conditions, and by limiting dispersal between some areas while promoting interchange across others.

The Neotropical region is the most biodiverse on Earth, in a large part due to the highly diverse tropical Andean biota. The Andes are a potentially important driver of diversification within the mountains and for neighboring regions. We compared the role of the Andes in diversification among three subtribes of Ithomiini butterflies endemic to the Neotropics, Dircennina, Oleriina, and Godyridina. The diversification patterns of Godyridina have been studied previously. Here, we generate the first time‐calibrated phylogeny for the largest ithomiine subtribe, Dircennina, and we reanalyze a published phylogeny of Oleriina to test different biogeographic scenarios involving the Andes within an identical framework. We found common diversification patterns across the three subtribes, as well as major differences. In Dircennina and Oleriina, our results reveal a congruent pattern of diversification related to the Andes with an Andean origin, which contrasts with the Amazonian origin and multiple Andean colonizations of Godyridina. In each of the three subtribes, a clade diversified in the Northern Andes at a faster rate. Diversification within Amazonia occurred in Oleriina and Godyridina, while virtually no speciation occurred in Dircennina in this region. Dircennina was therefore characterized by higher diversification rates within the Andes compared to non‐Andean regions, while in Oleriina and Godyridina, we found no difference between these regions. Our results and discussion highlight the importance of comparative approaches in biogeographic studies.

La deforestación alrededor de grandes concentraciones urbanas usualmente crea un paisaje fragmentadocon reducidas áreas naturales. El estudio de la biodiversidad en estos remanentes provee herramientas útiles para eldiseño de estrategias de conservación que permiten maximizar la persistencia de la diversidad local y favorecen suconectividad. Inventarios focalizados en grupos taxonómicos particulares, han sido propuestos como un mecanismoútil que permite una aproximación al conocimiento del estado de la biodiversidad en un área determinada, siendo lasmariposas uno de los grupos taxonómicos más empleados para este tipo de estudios. En el presente trabajo se estudióla diversidad y composición de la comunidad de mariposas del bosque de niebla de la reserva El Romeral ubicadaal suroccidente de la ciudad de Medellín, en el valle de Aburrá, Colombia. Se registraron 75 especies de 5 familiasde mariposas, un número mayor que las registradas en bosques similares asociados a zonas periurbanas. Además, ElRomeral sólo comparte un 50% de las especies con la principal área forestal periurbana ubicada al oriente del valle,indicando que cada uno de los remanentes de bosque circundantes a la ciudad puede tener una composición única deespecies, siendo complementarias y útiles para la conservación a nivel regional