Mopala Evans, 1937

Zhang, Jing, Cong, Qian, Shen, Jinhui, Song, Leina & Grishin, Nick V., 2023, Butterfly classification and species discovery using genomics, The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey 11 (3), pp. 1-94 : 78

Mopala Evans, 1937 is a subgenus of Leona Evans, 1937

The monotypic genus Mopala Evans, 1937 ( type species Ismene? orma Plötz, 1879 ), which stands out by the large white patch on ventral hindwing and otherwise unspotted wings, is genetically close to Leona Evans, 1937 ( type species Hesperia leonora Plötz, 1879 ) in our genomic trees ( Fig. 45, 46), while they both are distant from other genera that are their closest relatives. Male genitalia in both genera are similar in the shape of uncus and valva, and all these species could be accommodated within one genus. Because Mopala and Leona were described in the same work published on the same date, as the first revisers, we give priority to Leona due to it being a larger genus, and propose that Mopala Evans, 1937 stat. nov. is a subgenus of Leona Evans, 1937 .