Phylogenetic Analysis: Character Matrix and A Phylogenetic Analysis of Species from Families Pieride and Lycaenidae

This study aims to explore the construction of character matrices and cladograms to provide a comprehensive overview of its methodologies and importance. The taxa and character were carefully selected with the study's objectives in mind. Five species of Lepidoptera, including Cupido minimus, Zizula hylax, Appias libythea, Lampides boeticus, and Zizeeria karsandra, as the ingroup for the cladogram construction. The outgroup selected is Cosmophasis lami, which was chosen because of its distinct characteristics that differentiate it from the ingroup. Based on whether the chosen qualities were present in each species, a character matrix was created. Using this matrix, a phylogenetic hypothesis is generated in the form of a cladogram that illustrates the evolutionary relationships among the selected taxa. The character matrix provided a systematic approach to coding the traits and organizing the data, allowing for a comprehensive representation of the characteristics shared by organisms with similar ancestry. The construction of the cladogram using rectangular branches enhanced the clarity of the evolutionary relationships and the evolution of traits over time.