Neil Rosser, Fernando Seixas, Lucie M Queste, Bruna Cama, Ronald Mori-Pezo, Dmytro Kryvokhyzha, Michaela Nelson, Rachel Waite-Hudson, Matt Goringe, Mauro Costa, Marianne Elias, Clarisse Mendes Eleres de Figueiredo, André Victor Lucci Freitas, Mathieu Joron, Krzysztof Kozak, Gerardo Lamas, Ananda R P Martins, W Owen McMillan, Jonathan Ready, Nicol Rueda-Muñoz, Camilo Salazar, Patricio Salazar, Stefan Schulz, Leila T Shirai, Karina L Silva-Brandão, James Mallet, Kanchon K Dasmahapatra
Hybridization allows adaptations to be shared among lineages and may trigger the evolution of new species1,2 . However, convincing examples of homoploid hybrid speciation remain rare because it is challenging to demonstrate that hybridization was crucial in generating reproductive isolation3 . Here we combine population genomic analysis with quantitative trait locus mapping of species-specific traits to examine a case of hybrid speciation in Heliconius butterflies. We show that Heliconius elevatus is a hybrid species that is sympatric with both parents and has persisted as an independently evolving lineage for at least 180,000 years...
April 17, 2024: Nature