Data from: Genomic and ecological divergence support recognition of a new species of endangered Satyrium butterfly (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae)

We describe a highly isolated population of hairstreak butterfly from
Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, Canada, previously recognized as
the Half-moon Hairstreak (Satyrium semiluna), as a new species, Satyrium
curiosolus sp. nov. We propose “Curiously Isolated Hairstreak” as the
common name due to its disjunct and unusual distribution. Previous
whole-genome analyses revealed S. curiosolus has extremely low genomic
diversity and is highly divergent from the nearest S. semiluna populations
in British Columbia and Montana, more than 400 km distant. Further
analysis suggests prolonged inbreeding and isolation for up to ~40,000
years BP. Ecological niche modeling indicated that S. curiosolus occupies
environmental conditions that are distinct from S. semiluna, suggesting
niche divergence driven by long-term geographical and ecological
separation. While host plant and ant associations have not been
definitively resolved, they likely differ between S. curiosolus and S.
semiluna. As part of this description, we provide whole-genome consensus
sequences for each individual of the type series and identify 21,985
single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are divergently fixed between
S. curiosolus and S. semiluna, including 117 unlinked SNPs distributed
across the genome as putative diagnostic markers. Previously listed as
endangered in Canada as the Waterton population of S. semiluna, S.
curiosolus should retain this conservation status due to its extreme
isolation, small population size, and flatlined genomic diversity. We
propose species recognition as a testable hypothesis under the General
Lineage Concept, and recommend further research to explore the taxonomy,
ecological relationships, and conservation of the greater species complex,
including S. semiluna and S. fuliginosa.