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Se describen la morfología externa y la biología de los estadios inmaduros de Spodoptera dolichos (Fabricius, 1974), (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Las larvas fueron colectadas en Ipomoea triloba L. (Convolvulaceae), lo cual constituye un nuevo registro de planta hospedera. Se ofrecen fotografías de los huevos, los siete estadios larvales y la pupa. Se describe e ilustra la morfología cefálica y la quetotaxia del primer estadio. Los resultados se comparan con los aspectos conocidos de otros estadios inmaduros de Spodoptera.

Se estudió el material de polillas de la familia Notodontidae (Lepidoptera) depositado en la Colección Taxonómica Nacional de Insectos “Luis María Murillo” (CTNI). Se encontraron 202 especímenes pertenecientes a 50 especies, 33 géneros y siete subfamilias. Dos de las especies son endémicas de Colombia y 20 se registran por primera vez para el país. La subfamilia Heterocampinae y el género Hemiceras presentaron el mayor número de especies, con 19 y 10 especies, respectivamente. Adicionalmente, se reportan seis nuevas plantas hospederas para la familia en el país.

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]

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.

Gorgona es una isla ubicada en la costa Pacífica de Colombia. Durante 26 años fue una prisión, pero desde 1986 fue declarada Parque Nacional Natural, y desde entonces se encuentra en un proceso de sucesión natural. En este estudio se presenta una lista de los lepidópteros de isla Gorgona y se analizan algunos de los ecológicos que podrían promover la biodiversidad in situ de este grupo taxonómico. Se recolectaron mariposas y polillas durante tres viajes realizados entre octubre de 2010 y mayo de 2011. Las observaciones de las mariposas se realizaron a lo largo de los principales senderos de la isla. Se instalaron trampas cebadas con fruta, pescado y pollo descompuestos, durante tres días en cada zona de trabajo (dos tipos cebos por sitio) como también capturas con redes de entomológicas entre las 09:00h y 18:00h. En el muestreo de las polillas se utilizaron trampas de luz blanca y luz negra en zonas abiertas, la luz se reflejó sobre una pantalla blanca para maximizar la atracción. Además, se realizaron revisiones diarias en los alrededores de las luces artificiales del poblado. Se registró la cobertura del dosel del bosque en cada punto de muestreo. En total, se identificaron 52 especies pertenecientes a siete familias, de las cuales 31 de mariposa y 11 de polillas fueron nuevos registros para la isla. El Cerro Trinidad y el Sendero de la Chonta fueron los sitios de muestreo con mayor riqueza de especies (22 y 20, respectivamente). La riqueza de especies de mariposas no disminuyó con la reducción de la cobertura del dosel. Heliconious sara y Aeria eurimedia fueron las especies dominantes en número, pero su distribución no se superpuso. Tres especies fueron las más ampliamente distribuidas en la isla: H. sara (11 siitios, 166 individuos), Calycopis cerata (10 sitios y 71 individuos) y Ae . eurimedia (9 sitios y 72 individuos). Se reporta Catoblepia xanthicles occidentalis después de 87 años. La mayoría de las curvas de acumulación de especies no fueron asintóticas lo que sugiere que la diversidad de la isla es más alta de lo esperado. Este estudio contribuyó a incrementar en más del doble el listado de especies de mariposas reportadas para isla Gorgona y contiene los primeros registros de Polillas para esta localidad.

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 article discusses a study on the lepidoptera larvae and taxocenoses that can be found on Dalechampii oak in the Malé Karpaty Mountains in Central Europe. It states that a structured analysis was used to look into the number of species living in the oak trees. It discovers that species abundance increases in May while the variety and number achieves high values from April to June.

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]

Los insectos nocivos se agrupan en varias familias en donde entre ellos tienen características similares; en este articulo se desarrollaran cada una y se hará una pequeña definición con lo más importante.