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Biological specimens belonging to the Notodontidae (Lepidoptera) moth family deposited in the "Luis María Murillo" National Taxonomic Collection of Insects (NTCI) in Cundinamarca, Colombia were studied. A total of 202 specimens, 50 species, 33 genera, and seven subfamilies were found. Of these, two species are endemic, and 20 species are reported for the first time in Colombia. The Heterocampinae subfamily and the genus Hemiceras had the highest number of species, with 19 and 10 species respectively. Additionally, six new host plants are reported for the family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is growing evidence that nocturnal moths are important pollinators of agricultural crops. However, the contribution of these pollinators to the production of crops remains largely unknown. We explored the pollination input nocturnal insects provide to self-fertile varieties of peaches and muscadine grapes. Our goal was to determine if these fruit varieties need little or no input from insect pollinators, as previously believed, or if pollination is provided by the oft-ignored nocturnal-insect pollinators. Moths were anecdotally observed to be the dominant floral visitor in peaches, diurnal or nocturnal. No floral visitors were recorded in muscadine grapes. We found that the fruit set of self-fertile varieties of both fruits was not significantly increased by any pollinator group, suggesting that pollination contribution provided by insects was unnecessary. Interestingly, we observed both common moth visitors to consistently vibrate their wings during floral visits. This behavior is known to increase body temperature in moths for flight, but this is the first time the vibration behavior has been associated with floral visitation. While the examined fruit varieties received no benefit from insect pollination, important observations highlight our lack of understanding concerning nocturnal pollination and require focused research to elucidate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Butterflies and moths are insects that constitute the order Lepidoptera (lepidopterans). Most of the lepidopteran species are phytophagous, and they are economically important (pests in agriculture and stored products; silk producers; biological control agents; aesthetic value), and ecological (pollinators; trophic chain; indicators of environmental quality). Nevertheless, several butterfly and moth species can also cause discomfort or harm to humans and animals (lepidopterism, erucism, scoleciasis), with severe and even fatal cases. Thus, an annotated bibliographic review is presented about the relevance of lepidopterans for human and animal health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an annotated checklist of the species of Bombycidae, Saturniidae and Sphingidae collected in the Utría National Natural Park, Chocó, Colombia. We used mercury light trap for 31 days in four different habitats. We found 35 species: 19 Saturniidae, 15 Sphingidae and 1 Bombycidae. Eighteen species are recorded for the first time in the department of Chocó. These include the Chocó endemic Syssphinx chocoensis, the first specimen of Manduca dalica dalica, in a Colombian collection, and the fifth instar of Isognathus scyron. Our results agree with the lunar phobia hypothesis. This work is the first approach to the diversity of these families in the Utría National Park. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study we identified a number of moth (Lepidoptera) species that are potential targets for the sterile insect technique (SIT), and we assessed the feasibility of using stable isotope signatures as markers to distinguish mass-reared from wild moth species. Large natural differences in the isotopic signatures of commercially available sugars render them novel markers for mass-reared insects. Sugar beet ( Beta vulgaris L.; Caryophyllales: Amaranthaceae), a C3 plant, has a stable isotopic signature (a measure of the ratio of the stable isotopes 13C:12C) of around -27‰ relative to Vienna Pee Dee Belemnite (VPDB; the international C isotope standard for the stable isotopes, 13C and 12C), and sugarcane ( Saccharum spp.; Poales: Poaceae), a C4 plant, has an isotopic signature of around -11‰. Thus by means of such a distinct isotope ratio in the sugar in the diet, mass-reared insects can be easily distinguished from wild insects with a high degree of certainty. It was shown that the method could be extended using a multiple isotope approach, with 15N or a full suite of C, N, S and O isotopes. Intrinsic isotope marking of mass-reared moths proved to be an accurate means of distinguishing wild from mass-reared populations, based on isotopic differences between the wild host plant species and the diets used in mass-rearing, which where possible, had been manipulated to contain the isotopically divergent sugar type. This intrinsic labeling using stable isotopes could be useful in the assessment of the quality of mass-reared moths, because a stable isotope is a marker that does not affect the insect in any detrimental manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measurement of natural stable isotope signatures of insects has proven to be a useful method in determining their natal origin, feeding strategies and mating behavior, and has spawned a new discipline of insect isotope forensics. However the complexity of measuring isotope signatures using elemental analysis-isotope ratio mass-spectrometry (EA-IRMS) has encountered significant technical barriers, which together with costs, have hindered the advancement and wide spread adoption of this potentially useful approach. In the last decade simpler technologies to measure stable isotope ratios in samples based on laser spectroscopy have been developed. We foresee that these instruments will fuel the advancement and adoption of insect isotope forensics into pest management programs because they are easy to use, more affordable, and complement existing marking tools. However prior to the adoption of these new technologies it is necessary to test their fitness for purpose and explore their limitations. In this paper we set out to test the suitability of using combustion module-cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CM-CRDS) for measuring isotope ratios in an entomological context, covering marking of insects, mating behavior and dietary assessment. We carried out a series of experiments to compare the isotope measurements made with the CM-CRDS with the traditional method of EA-IRMS. Initially we compared measurements of carbon isotope values of a variety of common diet components used in insect rearing, which covered a wide range of carbon isotope values. There was good agreement in the isotope values obtained, using the CM-CRDS and the EA-IRMS with similar accuracy and precision. Secondly we compared the 2 methods to measure carbon isotope values of the common cutworm, Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) samples, and again there was good agreement in the values obtained. Thirdly we tested whether the CM-CRDS could be used to determine the paternity of spermataphores, based on the differential isotope signatures of the paternal and maternal moths, as a result of differences in their rearing diets. The CM-CRDS proved to be fit for the purpose of measuring isotope values in the spermataphores of common cutworm and suggested that the CM-CRDS technology would be suitable for these isotope based mating studies in moths if the spermatophores were of sufficient mass. Finally we explored a number of the issues surrounding CM-CRDS and isotope technologies in general, e.g., logistical considerations, economics of operation, sample size, etc. We conclude that CM-CRDS is a suitable instrument for measuring stable isotope carbon signatures in moths, and most probably other sufficiently large insects and that CM-CRDS could be easily used in both operational and research contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The geometric morphometric has become an useful tool to discriminate against species of different groups. Specifically in insects, the form of the wings can be used for the identification from these organisms to species level. In this work the form of the contour of the wing of six hawkmoths species was characterized using geometric morphometric and the capacity this way was evaluated to identify these species. We take 9, 8, 9, 8 and 17 pictures of the wings of Agrius cingulata, Cocytius duponchel, Manduca rustica, Protambulix strigilis, Pachylia ficus and Pseudosphinx tetrio respectively. The contour of the wings was described using from the Elliptic Coefficients of Fourier for 30 harmonic. The standardized matrix and the descriptors were reduced with an analysis of principal components and with the autovalues they were carried out analysis of discriminant function to analyze the possibility to use the form of the wing to differentiate species. Finally a net neural was designed starting from the autovalues. Four species can be identifying by means of the analysis discriminant function and the neural network. These results can be due, partly to that the sample size was limited. It is possible that an increase of sampling efford and re-training the neural network, will result in a better discrimination percentage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The injuries caused by butterflies are known as lepidopterism and erucism depending on each case.The Lepidoptera families with the most public health importance in Colombia are Megalopygidae, Arctiidae, and Saturniidae and in this last one, the Hemileucinae subfamily presents the most serious cases with severe hemorrhagic syndromes, mainly because of caterpillars from the Lonomia genus. The larvae contain enzymes which act on different components; Lonomia aquelonus (Saturniidae) acts on the hemostatic system causing hemorrhage that can cause death. Accidents by Lonomia aquelonus (Saturniidae) deserve special attention since they have been the cause of numerous cases of erucism in southern Colombia, some of them fatal. An increased number of Lonomia cases have been observed in Colombia in recent years but the under-registration continues to be very high and the knowledge about the topic is meager; in general the population groups mostly affected by eurcism are young people between 15 and 45 years old, mainly farmworkers. Because of the potential risk this represents, added to the. general lack of knowledge about the pathology produced by poisons Lepidoptera in humans and specially about the natural history of the species causing poisoning and the ecoepidiomogical aspects, this article intends to contextualze the impact of these poisonous animals on the Colombian population health through concept assessment and presenting theoretical foundations that contribute to this issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gorgona is a continental island at the Pacific coast of Colombia. For 26 years it was a prison but in 1986 it was declared a National Park, and the land was left aside for natural succession. This study presents a list of its Lepidoptera, compares it to a former study and discusses some ecological factors that could promote in situ biodiversity. Butterflies and moths were collected during three trips from October 2010 to May 2011. Butterfly observations were carried out along the main island paths. Baited traps using decomposed fruit, fish and chicken, were installed for three days at each zone (two kinds of bait per site) and sweep net catches were also made between 09:00h and 18:00h. For moths, black and white light traps were located in open areas. Town lights were also checked daily. Percent canopy cover was measured at each collection point. A total of 52 species belonging to seven families were found, of which 30 butterfly and 11 moth species are new records for the island. Cerro Trinidad and Sendero Chonta (22 and 20 species, respectively) were the richest places. Species richness did not decrease with canopy cover. Heliconious sara and Aeria eurimedia were the dominant species, but their distribution did not overlap. Three species were the most widely distributed in the island: H. sara (11 sites, 166 individuals), Calycopis cerata (10 sites, 71 individuals) and Ae. eurimedia (nine sites, 72 individuals). Catoblepia xanthicles occidentalis was found 87 years after the last report. Most species accumulation curves were not asymptotic suggesting that the diversity of the island is higher than expected. This study found twice as much the number of butterflies species reported for Gorgona and is the first record of moths for the island. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the northeastern United States, pitch pine ( Pinus rigida Mill.)–scrub oak (Quercus ilicifolia Wang.) communities are increasingly threatened by development and fire suppression, and prioritization of these habitats for conservation is of critical importance. As a basis for local conservation planning in a pitch pine–scrub oak community in southeastern Massachusetts, we developed logistic-regression models based on multiscale landscape and patch variables to predict hotspots of rare and declining bird and moth species. We compared predicted moth distributions with observed species-occurrence records to validate the models. We then quantified the amount of overlap between hotspots to assess the utility of rare birds and moths as indicator taxa. Species representation in hotspots and the current level of hotspot protection were also assessed. Predictive models included variables at all measured scales and resulted in average correct classification rates (optimal cut point) of 85.6% and 89.2% for bird and moth models, respectively. The majority of moth occurrence records were within 100 m of predicted habitat. Only 13% of all bird hotspots and 10% of all moth hotspots overlapped, and only a few small patches in and around Myles Standish State Forest were predicted to be hotspots for both taxa. There was no correlation between the bird and moth species-richness maps across all levels of richness (r =−0.03, p = 0.62). Species representation in hotspots was high, but most hotspots had limited or no protection. Given the lack of correspondence between bird and moth hotspots, our results suggest that use of species-richness indicators for conservation planning may be ineffective at local scales. Based on these results, we suggest that local-level conservation planning in pitch pine–scrub oak communities be based on multitaxa, multiscale approaches. En el noreste de Estados Unidos, las comunidades de pino (Pinus rigida Mill.)–encino (Quercus ilicifolia Wang.) están cada vez más amenazadas por el desarrollo y la supresión de fuego y la priorización de esos hábitats es de importancia crítica. Como una base para la planeación de conservación local de una comunidad de pino–encino en el sureste de Massachussets, desarrollamos modelos de regresión logística con base en variables a nivel de paisaje multiescala y de fragmento para predecir las áreas críticas para especies de aves y polillas raras y en declinación. Para validar los modelos comparamos las distribuciones esperadas de polillas con registros observados de la ocurrencia de especies. Posteriormente cuantificamos el traslape entre áreas críticas para evaluar la utilidad de aves y polillas raras como taxa indicadores. Los modelos predictivos incluyeron variables en todas las escalas consideradas y resultaron en tasas promedio de clasificación correcta (punto de corte óptimo) de 85.6% y 89.2% para modelos de aves y polillas, respectivamente. La mayoría de los registros de ocurrencia de polillas estuvo dentro de 100 m del hábitat predicho. Sólo hubo traslape en 13% del total de áreas críticas para aves y en 10% del total de áreas críticas para polillas, y se predijo que sólo unos cuantos fragmentos dentro y alrededor del Bosque Estatal Myles Standish serían áreas críticas para ambos taxones. En todos los niveles de riqueza (r =−0.03, p = 0.62), no hubo correlación entre los mapas de riqueza de especies de aves y polillas. La representación de especies en áreas críticas fue alta; sin embargo, la mayoría de las áreas críticas tenía protección limitada o carecía de ella. Dada la falta de correspondencia entre las áreas críticas para aves y polillas, nuestros resultados sugieren que el uso de indicadores de riqueza de especies para la planeación de conservación puede ser inefectivo en escalas locales. Con base en estos resultados, sugerimos que la planeación de conservación a escala local en comunidades de pino–encino se base en métodos que consideren taxones y escalas múltiples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]