If you’ve been keeping up with these blog posts and logging butterfly sightings on iNaturalist, you may have noticed a recent update: when you upload a photo of Deudorix antalus (the Brown Playboy), the app now recognizes it as Capys antalus. Normally, Capys is linked with Protea Butterflies, such as Capys alpheus, the Orange-banded Protea.

So, what’s the story behind this change? Let me try to explain. Scientists worldwide continually review the nomenclature (names) and taxonomy (classification based on shared features) of all living things. In the past, traits like wing shape, markings, and genitalia structure were key to butterfly classification. Now, advances in DNA analysis—both nuclear and mitochondrial – have revolutionized our understanding, revealing connections between species that aren’t always physically obvious. For example, the Pioneer Caper White, once known as Belenois aurota, has been split into two distinct species, with our regional one now called Belenois syrinx.

These discoveries typically rely on complex statistical methods that are beyond the scope of this post. They also help us trace the evolutionary lineage of butterflies – determining which species descended from the same common ancestor as others.

In this particular case, scientists suspected for some time that the genera Capys and Deudorix were closely related. Both belong to the same tribe (Deudorigini) within the subfamily Theclinae, part of the family Lycaenidae. Despite distinct differences in adult butterflies, their larvae – which primarily feed on seeds from host plants – share significant traits, as do the eggs and pupae.