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Leafmining insects have extraordinarily intimate relationships with their host plants and are therefore prime candidates for potential ecological speciation in sympatry, but how commonly this mode of speciation occurs in any group of life remains debated. Prior research on the pygmy moth (Nepticulidae) genus Ectoedemia using morphology, DNA barcoding, and multi-marker phylogenetic approaches left two unresolved species complexes, each with each four described species. In this study, we thoroughly sampled each complex across a range of host plants and localities across Europe. We used a double digest restriction-site associated DNA (ddRAD) sequencing approach to clarify species boundaries. In the E. rubivora complex, ddRAD data resolved all four species, contrary to morphological and COI data, which supports a potential scenario of host plant-driven speciation where the host plant specialization provides an ecological barrier to hybridization. However, we found no indication of host race formation within the oligophagous E. atricollis (Stainton). In the E. subbimaculella complex, SNP data only partly distinguishes between the parapatric E. subbimaculella (Haworth) and E. heringi (Toll), but with some statistical overlap, suggesting incomplete lineage sorting which may represent early phases of host-based ecological speciation, or admixture following a period of isolation.

Damage to plant communities imposed by insect herbivores generally decreases from low to high latitudes. This decrease is routinely attributed to declines in herbivore abundance and/or diversity, whereas latitudinal changes in per capita food consumption remain virtually unknown. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the lifetime food consumption by a herbivore individual decreases from low to high latitudes due to a temperature-driven decrease in metabolic expenses. From 2016 to 2019, we explored latitudinal changes in multiple characteristics of linear (gallery) mines made by larvae of the pygmy moth, Stigmella lapponica, in leaves of downy birch, Betula pubescens. The mined leaves were larger than intact leaves at the southern end of our latitudinal gradient (at 60°N) but smaller than intact leaves at its northern end (at 69°N), suggesting that female oviposition preference changes with latitude. No latitudinal changes were observed in larval size, mine length or area, and in per capita food consumption, but the larval feeding efficiency (quantified as the ratio between larval size and mine size) increased with latitude. Consequently, S. lapponica larvae consumed less foliar biomass at higher latitudes than at lower latitudes to reach the same size. Based on space-for-time substitution, we suggest that climate warming will increase metabolic expenses of insect herbivores with uncertain consequences for plant-herbivore interactions.

We record Antispilina ludwigi Hering, 1941 newly for France: Massif Central and Jura, Belgium: Ardennes and Switzerland: Jura and Alps, from many localities at middle elevations. All records were based on leafmines, often with larvae, in Snake-root, Bistorta officinalis Delarbre (Polygonaceae) and adults were reared from several localities. The species inhab its poor grasslands, moor habitats and heathland with relatively large hostplants. As the habitat is declining, and also other lepidopteran species feeding on this host are in decline, we expect that despite the new findings, this species is also declining and should preferably be monitored together with host specialist butterflies, such as Boloria eunomia (Esper, 1799) and Lycaena helle (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775). During the period that the mines are present, the species is easy to record, even after the larvae have left the mines. The species is redescribed and diagnosed.

The new genusAspilantagen. n.is described to harbour Nearctic heliozelid moths with reduced venation, previously placed inAntispilaHübner, 1825, with type speciesAntispila oinophyllavan Nieukerken & Wagner, 2012. The erection of this genus has become possible now that monophyly has been supported by a recent phylotranscriptomics analysis. Six species are combined in this genus:Aspilanta oinophylla(van Nieukerken & Wagner, 2012),comb. n.,A. hydrangaeella(Chambers, 1874),comb. n.,A. ampelopsifoliella(Chambers, 1874),comb. n.,A. voraginella(Braun, 1927),comb. n.,A. argentifera(Braun, 1927),comb. n.,A. viticordifoliella(Clemens, 1860),comb. n.and two candidate species are recognised. DNA barcode COI sequences of Malaise trapped specimens suggest a rich fauna ofAspilantain Central America. All are leafminers, with Vitaceae as main host family, and single species feeding respectively on Hydrangeaceae and Myricaceae. The species are briefly diagnosed, and data on biology, DNA barcodes and distribution are provided. To place the genus in context, a review of heliozelid morphology and phylogeny is presented and a key to Nearctic genera is given. The genus is confined to North and Central America, possibly also occurring in South America.Aspilanta oinophyllais also an invasive species on grapevine in Italy. The genus is sister toCoptodiscaWalsingham, 1895. Another species is removed fromAntispila:Heliozela eugeniella(Busck, 1900),comb. n., feeding onEugenia(Myrtaceae), from Florida.

The purpose of this application, under Article 23.9.3 of the Code, is to suppress the little-used senior family-group name Epigraphiidae Guenée, 1845, in order to conserve the well-known family group name Depressariidae Meyrick, 1883 (both in Lepidoptera). Both the name Epigraphiidae and its derivatives have been seldom used, with about eleven known uses since 1900, in contrast to its junior synonym Depressariidae.

Gracillariidae is the most taxonomically diverse cosmopolitan leaf-mining moth family, consisting of nearly 2000 named species in 105 described genera, classified into eight extant subfamilies. The majority of gracillariid species are internal plant feeders as larvae, creating mines and galls in plant tissue. Despite their diversity and ecological adaptations, their phylogenetic relationships, especially among subfamilies, remain uncertain. Genomic data (83 taxa, 589 loci) were integrated with Sanger data (130 taxa, 22 loci), to reconstruct a phylogeny of Gracillariidae. Based on analyses of both datasets combined and analyzed separately, monophyly of Gracillariidae and all its subfamilies, monophyly of the clade "LAMPO" (subfamilies: Lithocolletinae, Acrocercopinae, Marmarinae, Phyllocnistinae, and Oecophyllembiinae) and relationships of its subclade "AMO" (subfamilies: Acrocercopinae, Marmarinae, and Oecophyllembiinae) were strongly supported. A sister-group relationship of Ornixolinae to the remainder of the family, and a monophyletic leaf roller lineage (Callicercops Vari + Parornichinae) + Gracillariinae, as sister to the "LAMPO" clade were supported by the most likely tree. Dating analyses indicate a mid-Cretaceous (105.3 Ma) origin of the family, followed by a rapid diversification into the nine subfamilies predating the Cretaceous-Palaeogene extinction. We hypothesize that advanced larval behaviours, such as making keeled or tentiform blotch mines, rolling leaves and galling, allowed gracillariids to better avoid larval parasitoids allowing them to further diversify. Finally, we stabilize the classification by formally re-establishing the subfamily ranks of Marmarinae stat.rev., Oecophyllembiinae stat.rev. and Parornichinae stat.rev., and erect a new subfamily, Callicercopinae Li, Ohshima and Kawahara to accommodate the enigmatic genus Callicercops.

Heliozelidae are a cosmopolitan family of small, day-flying moths, and include some pest species of commercial crops. Overall, the family is poorly known and lacks a well-resolved phylogeny. Previous molecular and taxonomic work has revealed rich undescribed diversity within the family, particularly in Australia; however, the relationships amongst the major clades or genera were not resolved. We sequenced the transcriptomes of 39 taxa, representing all major genera of Heliozelidae, and seven outgroups representing most other Adeloidea families and the putative sister superfamily, Andesianoidea. The resulting phylogeny, based on the coding sequences of up to 1049 nuclear genes, provides a robust hypothesis for the generic relationships within Heliozelidae. On the basis of this analysis, the genus Plesiozela, previously proposed as sister group to all other Heliozelidae, is excluded from the family and formally transferred to Incurvariidae. By incorporating fossil and secondary time calibrations into our phylogeny, we estimated that Heliozelidae ancestors first appeared at the beginning of the Late Cretaceous, approximately 95 Ma. We propose an ancestral biogeographical range hypothesis of the family, based on a combination of our transcriptome data and a previous multigene study including over 100 species. Our ancestral range modelling results suggest that Heliozelidae are likely to have originated in the Australian region, with subsequent range expansions to the rest of the world.

CosmopterixfeminellaSinev, 1988, previously known from the East Palearctic, Primorskiy Territory in Russia and Japan has been collected at light in Europe. In northern Italy 58 females were collected in two localities in the province Asti, two in Alessandria, three in Udine, and in one locality in Pordenone.Cosmopterixfeminellais most likely parthenogenetic as only females are known. The caterpillars are leafminers on grasses. The species is redescribed and illustrated. DNA barcodes are provided and compared with other European species.CosmopterixfeminaeKuroko, 2015 is synonymised withC.feminella. The species was probably accidentally introduced into Italy.

Seventy-three species of Lepidoptera described from France since 2000, particularly by Jacques Nel and Thierry Varenne, are re-assessed from largely unpublished molecular data. We tried to obtain DNA barcode sequences from 62 holotypes, supplemented by paratypes of eight species and on one case by non-type material, whereas one previously synonymized species was not sequenced. Altogether we obtained 78 DNA barcode sequences for 65 nominal taxa while sequencing failed for six holotypes. An integrative analysis from molecular data and morphology supports the validity of the majority of species but also resulted in the re-assessment of several taxa. The following 13 new synonymies are established: Stigmella cyrneorolandi Nel & Varenne, 2013 syn. nov. of Stigmella rolandi van Nieukerken, 1990; Stigmella thibaulti Varenne & Nel, 2019 syn. nov. of Stigmella nivenburgensis (Preissecker, 1942) (Nepticulidae); Nemapogon peslieri Varenne & Nel, 2017 syn. nov. of Nemapogon inexpectata Varenne & Nel, 2017 (Tineidae); Phyllonorycter acericorsica Varenne & Nel, 2015 syn. nov. of Phyllonorycter ochreojunctella (Klimesch, 1942) (Gracillariidae); Ancylis paraobtusana Varenne, Nel, & Peslier, 2020 syn. nov. of Ancylis comptana (Frölich, 1828) (Tortricidae); Celypha paludicolella Varenne & Nel, 2017 syn. nov. of Celypha doubledayana (Barrett, 1872) (Tortricidae); Cydia oxytropidana Nel & Varenne, 2016 syn. nov. of Cydia oxytropidis (Martini, 1912) (Tortricidae); Sorhagenia orocorsa Varenne & Nel, 2016 syn. nov. of Sorhagenia janiszewskae Riedl, 1962 (Cosmopterigidae); Chionodes cerdanica Peslier, Nel & Varenne, 2020 syn. nov. of Chionodes distinctella (Zeller, 1839) (Gelechiidae); Elachista bidentata Varenne & Nel, 2019 syn. nov. of Elachista orstadii Palm, 1943; Elachista karsticola Varenne & Nel, 2018 syn. nov. of Elachista maculosella Chrétien, 1896 (Elachistidae); Scythris chablaisensis Delmas, 2018 syn. nov. of Scythris laminella ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) (Scythrididae); Epermenia pumila (Buvat & Nel, 2000) syn. nov. of Epermenia profugella (Stainton, 1856) (Epermeniidae). Finally, the status of some taxa still remains unclear due to the lack of DNA barcodes of closely related species and the absence of convincing diagnostic characters in morphology.

Alloclita canariensis Koster & Junnilainen sp. nov. is described from the Canary Islands Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Tenerife. Two specimens from Gran Canaria were previously misidentified as A. francoeuriae Walsingham, 1905, a North African species. We record A. francoeuriae also as new for the Canary Islands, from Fuerteventura. The potential hostplants of A. canariensis are Asteriscus species (Asteraceae). DNA barcodes of both species are provided and compared with five other Alloclita species. The related Alloclita subitariella (Riedl, 1993), only known from the holotype from Saudi Arabia, is redescribed. These three species are placed in the new Alloclita francoeuriae group.

StigmellamultispicataRocienė & Stonis, 2014, previously known from the single male holotype from Primorye, Russia, is reported as a new invasive species mining leaves of Siberian elm,UlmuspumilaL., in eastern North America. Both adults and leafmines have been reported from many sites as unidentified Nepticulidae since 2010. Crucial for the identification was a match of the DNA barcode of a single larva collected onUlmuspumilain Beijing with adults from North America. The single larva constitutes a new record for China.Stigmellamultispicatais closely related to the EuropeanS.ulmivora(Fologne, 1860), feeding likewise onUlmus, but differs in details of external morphology and genitalia, particularly in the female, whereS.multispicatahas a remarkable elongated narrow ovipositor, suitable for oviposition in underside hairy leaf vein axils, where all mines start. In North AmericaS.multispicatais the onlyUlmus-feeding nepticulid with green larvae. Currently the species is known from USA: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Canada: Ontario and Québec. In Sagaponack, on Long Island, New York, larvae have been reported to occur en masse on Siberian elms from at least two sites. The current distribution could be reconstructed thanks also to many online photographs from observation websites. The species is redescribed, with the first descriptions of female, larva, and leafmine, and compared withS.ulmivora, which is fully redescribed. The two native North American nepticulidUlmusleafminers,S.apicialbella(Chambers, 1873) andEctoedemiaulmella(Braun, 1912), are diagnosed and new provincial and state records are provided. A key to linear mines onUlmusin North America is provided. We suspect that trade of live plants through nurseries played a role in the sudden spread of this invasive species.

Antispila treitschkiella (Fischer von Röslerstamm, 1843) and A. petryi Martini, 1899, sp. rev. were regarded as synonymous since 1978, but are shown to be two clearly separated species with different hostplants, life histories, DNA barcodes and morphology. Antispila treitschkiella feeds on Cornus mas L., is bivoltine, and has, by following its ornamentally planted host, greatly expanded its range in north-western Europe. In contrast A. petryi feeds on the widespread native C. sanguinea L., is univoltine, and is one of only two Antispila species previously resident in the British Isles, the Netherlands and northern Europe. Consequently, the increase in abundance of A. treitschkiella in the Netherlands since the early 1990s and in Great Britain in recent years must be regarded as part of a recent expansion into north-western Europe, whereas the native A. petryi is hardly expanding and less abundant. In Britain, detailed surveys of parks and living collections confirmed the monophagy of these two species. A search of British herbarium samples provided no evidence for an earlier date of establishment. Information on recognition of all stages, including DNA barcodes, and distribution is provided, and these two species are compared with the third European Cornus L. leafminer, A. metallella (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775).

Heliozelidae are a widespread, evolutionarily early diverging family of small, day-flying monotrysian moths, for which a comprehensive phylogeny is lacking. We generated the first molecular phylogeny of the family using DNA sequences of two mitochondrial genes (COI and COII) and two nuclear genes (H3 and 28S) from 130 Heliozelidae specimens, including eight of the twelve known genera: Antispila, Antispilina, Coptodisca, Heliozela, Holocacista, Hoplophanes, Pseliastis, and Tyriozela. Our results provide strong support for five major Heliozelidae clades: (i) a large widespread clade containing the leaf-mining genera Antispilina, Coptodisca and Holocacista and some species of Antispila, (ii) a clade containing most of the described Antispila, (iii) a clade containing the leaf-mining genus Heliozela and the monotypic genus Tyriozela, (iv) an Australian clade containing Pseliastis and (v) an Australian clade containing Hoplophanes. Each clade includes several new species and potentially new genera. Collectively, our data uncover a rich and undescribed diversity that appears to be especially prevalent in Australia. Our work highlights the need for a major taxonomic revision of the family and for generating a robust molecular phylogeny using multi-gene approaches in order to resolve the relationships among clades.

Classic morphological studies of the oldest, so-called nonditrysian lineages of Lepidoptera yielded a well-resolved phylogeny, supported by the stepwise origin of the traits characterizing the clade Ditrysia, which contains over 98% of extant lepidopterans. Subsequent polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based molecular studies have robustly supported many aspects of the morphological hypothesis and strongly contradicted others, while leaving some relationships unsettled. Here we bring the greatly expanded gene sampling of RNA-Seq to bear on nonditrysian phylogeny, especially those aspects that were not conclusively resolved by the combination of morphology and previous PCR-based multi-gene studies. We analysed up to 2212 genes in each of 28 species representing all 12 superfamilies and 15 of 21 families of nonditrysians, plus trichopteran outgroups and representative Ditrysia. Our maximum likelihood phylogeny estimates used both nonsynonymous changes only (degen1 coding) and all nucleotides (nt123) partitioned by codon position, recovering a novel hypothesis for early glossatan relationships that is the most strongly supported to date. We find strong support for Micropterigidae alone as the sister group to all other Lepidoptera, in agreement with morphology and early molecular evidence, but in contrast to recent PCR-based studies. Also very strongly supported are the previously recognized clades Angiospermivora, Heteroneura, Eulepidoptera and Euheteroneura. Finally, we find strong support for paraphyly of the southern hemisphere family Palaephatidae, with the South American genus Palaephatus Butler forming the previously undetermined sister group to Ditrysia. The remaining palaephatids, Australian and South American, form the sister group to Tischeriidae.

International audience; In a recent paper in ZooKeys, Wiemers et al. (2018) provided an updated list of European butterfly names. In this list the authors follow gender agreement for species names, when interpreted as adjectival in derivation, in contrast to the common practice among most lepidopterists. Here we comment on this aspect of the paper, and voice our concern that this reversal does not benefit the stability of Lepidoptera names and is, indeed, inimical to their stability.Modern zoological science needs the communities of taxonomists and users to agree on the names that are used to communicate information about the taxa we study and cherish. In this age, such collegiate acceptance is more important than ever, given that the number of users of scientific names has increased enormously. Agreement is particularly important when considering the numerous online databases, observation sites, Wikipedia, etc. Several global and local initiatives over the last several decades have begun to compile authoritative lists of taxonomic names to serve the community and build towards a greater stability, including Species 2000 / Catalogue of Life (Roskov et al. 2018; Roskov et al. 2019), Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF Secretariat 2019) and Fauna Europaea (de Jong et al. 2014; Fauna Europaea 2017).Unfortunately, the current (and likely future) funding situation for most of these projects is poor, to say the least, and populating these databases relies heavily on a diminishing number of taxonomists, who rarely receive recognition for their work. The Fauna Europaea database, which is of special importance as Europe’s main zoological taxonomic index, has suffered particularly, being an EU-supported project that was only funded by the European Commission between 2000 and 2004. Subsequently, updating was carried out at the Zoological Museum of Amsterdam (de Jong et al. 2014), first under the umbrella of the PESI project (PESI 2011; de Jong et al. 2015), then later without funding, until the Amsterdam museum was merged with Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden in 2011. Since then, the Fauna Europaea database has been run by the Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institute for Research on Evolution and Biodiversity, Berlin, Germany. Recently, however, updating has come to a stand-still, very much to the frustration both of taxonomists who wish to update their lists and of users who need an up-to-date and authoritative nomenclature.Given these circumstances, we enthusiastically applaud the initiative that several specialists of European butterflies have taken separately to publish an update for butterflies (superfamily Papilionoidea) in an open access journal, to produce a new list for the use of the scientific community (Wiemers et al. 2018).

Two heliozelid species, Antispila oinophylla van Nieukerken & Wagner and Holocacista rivillei (Stainton) severely infest Italian grapevines. The volatile pheromones from calling females were collected by solid phase micro extraction (SPME) and analyzed by gas chromatography with electroantennographic detection (GC-EAD). Two compounds from A. oinophylla females eliciting electrophysiological activity from the conspecific male antenna were identified as (Z)-5-tetradecenal and (Z)-7-tetradecenal by coupled gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis. SPME collections from H. rivillei produced no GC-EAD active compounds but analysis of fatty acyl moieties in the pheromone gland, demonstrated the presence of the putative pheromone biosynthetic precursors (Z)-5-dodecenoic acid and (Z)-7-tetradecenoic acid. Field trapping experiments in Italy confirmed that (Z)-5-tetradecenal and (Z)-7-tetradecenal are essential for the attraction of male A. oinophylla in a blend ratio of 15:100 respectively, whereas (Z)-5-dodecenal and (Z)-7-tetradecenal attract male H. rivillei in a blend ratio of 100:6.

We investigated the pollination of Habenaria tridactylites, an endemic orchid of the Canary Islands. The entirely green, widely open flowers have a long spur containing nectar. We carried out fieldwork, a molecular clock analysis, herbarium surveys, identified pollinators by both morphology and DNA barcoding, and measured the length of floral spurs and insect tongues using a combination of traditional and innovative micro‐CT scanning methods to 1) determine the pollinator of this orchid and 2) investigate correlations between local mean spur length and age, altitude and longitude of the island. Habenaria tridactylites was found to be pollinated on Tenerife by both small and intermediate sized moth species with variable tongue lengths and mostly belonging to Geometridae and to a lesser extent Crambidae, Erebidae, Noctuidae and Tortricidae. Of the sixteen moth species identified, nine are endemic to the Canary Islands or Macaronesia. The different local populations of H. tridactylites on the islands of Gran Canaria, El Hierro, La Gomera, La Palma and Tenerife with different ages and distances from mainland Africa, did not show a significant correlation of mean spur length and altitude, but did show a significant and positive linear correlation with longitude and the geological age of the island. The latter is congruent with the evolutionary arms race theory first proposed by Darwin, suggesting that flowers gradually evolve longer spurs and pollinators longer tongues.

Nepticulidae represent one of the early diverging Lepidoptera lineages, and the family currently comprises over 850 described species. The larvae of the vast majority of the species are leaf miners on Angiosperms and highly monophagous, which has led to persistent ideas on coevolution with their plant hosts. We present here a molecular phylogeny based on eight gene fragments from 355 species, representing 20 out of 22 extant Nepticulidae genera. Using two fossil calibration points, we performed molecular dating to place the origin of the family in the Early Cretaceous, before the main Angiosperm diversification. Based on our results we propose a new classification, abandoning all ranks between family and genus, as well as subgenera to allow for a stable classification. The position of Enteucha Meyrick within Nepticulidae remains somewhat ambiguous, and the species-rich cosmopolitan genus Stigmella Schrank, with nearly half of all described Nepticulidae, requires further study. Ectoedemia Busck, Zimmermannia Hering, Acalyptris Meyrick, Etainia Beirne, Parafomoria Borkowski, Muhabbetana Kocak & Kemal and Fomoria Beirne appear to have diversified in a relatively short evolutionary period, leading to short branches in the molecular phylogeny and unclear suprageneric relations. Otherwise support values throughout the phylogeny are mostly high and the species groups, genera and higher clades are discussed in respect of their supporting morphological and life-history characters. Wing venation characters are confirmed to be mostly reliable and relevant for Nepticulidae classification, but some other previously used characters require reinterpretation. The species groups of most genera are recovered, but only partly so in the large genus Stigmella. The molecular dating results are compared with existing knowledge on the timing of the Angiosperm radiation and reveal that the diversification of Nepticulidae could largely have been contemporaneous with their hosts, although some of the genera restricted to a single plant family appear to have begun to diversify before their hosts.

After finding distinct clades in a molecular phylogeny for Nepticulidae that could not be placed in any known genera and discovering clear apomorphic characters that define these clades, as well as a number of Neotropical species that could be placed in known genera but were undescribed, three new genera and nine new species are here described from the Neotropics: Stigmella gallicola van Nieukerken & Nishida, sp. n. reared from galls on Hampea appendiculata (Malvaceae) in Costa Rica, representing the first example of a gall making Stigmella; S. schinivora van Nieukerken, sp. n. reared from leafmines on Schinus terebinthifolia (Anacardiaceae) in Argentina, Misiones; S. costaricensis van Nieukerken & Nishida, sp. n. and S. intronia van Nieukerken & Nishida, sp. n. each from a single specimen collected the same night in Costa Rica, Parque Nacional Chirripó; S. molinensis van Nieukerken & Snyers, sp. n. reared from leafmines on Salix humboldtiana, Peru, Lima, the first Neotropical species of the Stigmella salicis group sensu stricto; Ozadelpha van Nieukerken, gen. n. with type species O. conostegiae van Nieukerken & Nishida, sp. n., reared from leafmines on Conostegia oerstediana (Melastomataceae) from Costa Rica; Neotrifurcula van Nieukerken, gen. n. with type species N. gielisorum van Nieukerken, sp. n. from Chile; Hesperolyra van Nieukerken, gen. n.. with type species Fomoria diskusi Puplesis & Robinson, 2000; Hesperolyra saopaulensis van Nieukerken, sp. n., reared from an unidentified Myrtaceae, Sao Paulo, Brasil; and Acalyptris janzeni van Nieukerken & Nishida, sp. n. from Costa Rica, Guanacaste. Five new combinations are made: Ozadelpha ovata (Puplesis & Robinson, 2000), comb. n. and Ozadelpha guajavae (Puplesis & Diškus, 2002), comb. n., Hesperolyra diskusi (Puplesis & Robinson, 2000), comb. n., Hesperolyra molybditis (Zeller, 1877), comb. n. and Hesperolyra repanda (Puplesis & Diškus, 2002), comb. n. Three specimens are briefly described, but left unnamed: Ozadelpha specimen EvN4680, Neotrifurcula specimen EvN4504 and Neotrifurcula specimen RH2.

The above mentioned article was originally scheduled for publication in the special issue on Ecology of Tundra Arthropods with guest editors Toke T. Høye . Lauren E. Culler. Erroneously, the article was published in Polar Biology, Volume 40, Issue 11, November, 2017. The publisher sincerely apologizes to the guest editors and the authors for the inconvenience caused.

Within the insect order Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies), the so-called nonditrysian superfamilies are mostly species-poor but highly divergent, offering numerous synapomorphies and strong morphological evidence for deep divergences. Uncertainties remain, however, and tests of the widely accepted morphological framework using other evidence are desirable. The goal of this paper is to test previous hypotheses of nonditrysian phylogeny against a data set consisting of 61 nonditrysian species plus 20 representative Ditrysia and eight outgroups (Trichoptera), nearly all sequenced for 19 nuclear genes (up to 14700bp total). We compare our results in detail with those from previous studies of nonditrysians, and review the morphological evidence for and against each grouping The major conclusions are as follows. (i) There is very strong support for Lepidoptera minus Micropterigidae and Agathiphagidae, here termed Angiospermivora, but no definitive resolution of the position of Agathiphagidae, although support is strongest for alliance with Micropterigidae, consistent with another recent molecular study. (ii) There is very strong support for Glossata, which excludes Heterobathmiidae, but weak support for relationships among major homoneurous clades. Eriocraniidae diverge first, corroborating the morphological clade Coelolepida, but the morphological clades Myoglossata and Neolepidoptera are never monophyletic in the molecular trees; both are contradicted by strong support for Lophocoronoidea+Hepialoidea, the latter here including Mnesarchaeoidea syn.n. (iii) The surprising grouping of Acanthopteroctetidae+Neopseustidae, although weakly supported here, is consistent with another recent molecular study. (iv) Heteroneura is very strongly supported, as is a basal split of this clade into Nepticuloidea+Eulepidoptera. Relationships within Nepticuloidea accord closely with recent studies based on fewer genes but many more taxa. (v) Eulepidoptera are split into a very strongly supported clade consisting of Tischeriidae+Palaephatidae+Ditrysia, here termed Euheteroneura, and a moderately supported clade uniting Andesianidae with Adeloidea. (vi) Relationships within Adeloidea are strongly resolved and Tridentaformidae fam.n. is described for the heretofore problematic genus Tridentaforma Davis, which is strongly supported in an isolated position within the clade. (vii) Within Euheteroneura, the molecular evidence is conflicting with respect to the sister group to Ditrysia, but strongly supports paraphyly of Palaephatidae. We decline to change the classification, however, because of strong morphological evidence supporting palaephatid monophyly. (viii) We review the life histories and larval feeding habits of all nonditrysian families and assess the implications of our results for hypotheses about early lepidopteran phytophagy. The first host record for Neopseustidae, which needs confirmation, suggests that larvae of this family may be parasitoids. (Less)

We report the first identification of a sex pheromone in a heliozelid moth, Holocacista capensis van Nieukerken & Geertsema. This leafminer recently infested grapevine in South Africa. Compared to solvent extraction of pheromone glands, solid phase microextraction (SPME) proved to be highly effective for collection of the pheromone from calling females. The volatiles collected by SPME were analyzed by gas chromatography with electroantennographic detection (GC/EAD). Three compounds eliciting electrophysiological activity from the male antenna were identified as (Z)-5-tetradecenal, (Z)-7-tetradecenal, and (Z)-9-hexadecenal by coupled gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS). GC/MS analysis of dimethyldisulphide (DMDS) derivatives of fatty acyl moieties in pheromone gland extracts confirmed the presence of the corresponding putative pheromone precursors with double bonds in the same position and with Z geometry. Field trapping experiments in a South African vineyard confirmed that both (Z)-5-tetradecenal and (Z)-7-tetradecenal are essential for the attraction of male H. capensis, whereas addition of (Z)-9-hexadecenal to the blend did not affect the attractiveness. The composition of the pheromone is discussed in relation to the phylogeny of this family of moths.

Stigmella tatrica sp. n. is described from moths taken in the alpine zone of the Tatra Mountains in Slovakia. The new species is similar to several other montane species of Stigmella Schrank, 1802 in the S. aurella (Fabricius, 1775) group in external characters and male genitalia; its closest relative is S. dryadella (O. Hofmann, 1868). It is indistinguishable from S. tormentillella (Herrich-Schäffer, 1860) by the colour and pattern elements of the forewing; however, it differs in the male genitalia in the shape and number of cornuti, in the female genitalia by long apophyses with protruding ovipositor, and by COI barcodes. Immature stages are unknown, but Dryas octopetala L. (Rosaceae) is the possible hostplant. The long ovipositor suggests an unusual, possibly hidden place for oviposition. The male and female adults and genitalia of both sexes are figured and photographs of the habitat are provided.

Chronic, low intensity herbivory by invertebrates, termed background herbivory, has been understudied in tundra, yet its impacts are likely to increase in a warmer Arctic. The magnitude of these changes is however hard to predict as we know little about the drivers of current levels of invertebrate herbivory in tundra. We assessed the intensity of invertebrate herbivory on a common tundra plant, the dwarf birch (Betula glandulosa-nana complex), and investigated its relationship to latitude and climate across the tundra biome. Leaf damage by defoliating, mining and gall-forming invertebrates was measured in samples collected from 192 sites at 56 locations. Our results indicate that invertebrate herbivory is nearly ubiquitous across the tundra biome but occurs at low intensity. On average, invertebrates damaged 11.2% of the leaves and removed 1.4% of total leaf area. The damage was mainly caused by external leaf feeders, and most damaged leaves were only slightly affected (12% leaf area lost). Foliar damage was consistently positively correlated with mid-summer (July) temperature and, to a lesser extent, precipitation in the year of data collection, irrespective of latitude. Our models predict that, on average, foliar losses to invertebrates on dwarf birch are likely to increase by 6–7% over the current levels with a 1 °C increase in summer temperatures. Our results show that invertebrate herbivory on dwarf birch is small in magnitude but given its prevalence and dependence on climatic variables, background invertebrate herbivory should be included in predictions of climate change impacts on tundra ecosystems. This study is a joint contribution of the Herbivory Network (http://herbivory.biology.ualberta.ca) and the Network for Arthropods of the Tundra (NeAT; https://tundraarthropods.wordpress.com/). Dwarf birch distribution maps were kindly provided by Kyle Joly. Sample collection during 2014 was facilitated by INTERACT (http://www.eu-interact.org/). ICB was supported by a postdoctoral fellowship funded by the Icelandic Research Fund (Rannsóknasjóður, grant nr 152468-051) and AXA Research Fund (15-AXA-PDOC-307); MtB and EK were supported by the Nordic Centre of Excellence TUNDRA, funded by the Norden Top-Level Research Initiative ‘‘Effect Studies and Adaptation to Climate Change’’; EMS and KAB were supported by COAT (Climate-ecological Observatory of the Arctic Tundra); AB was supported by MOBILITY PLUS (1072/MOB/2013/0) and the Polish-American Fulbright Commission; CGB was supported by IUT 20-28, EcolChang e Center of Excellence; BCF and TK were supported by the Academy of Finland (project 256991); MMPDH was supported by The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO-ALW, VIDI grant 864.09.014); DSH was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada; AH was supported by the Research Council of Norway (grant 244557/E50); JL was funded by the German Research Foundation DFG (project WI 2680/8-1); MM-F was supported by a NERC IRF fellowship NE/L011859/1; SN was supported by the Villum foundation’s Young Investigator Programme (VKR023456); JS was supported by Kempestiftelserna and the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO); AS and NS were supported by the grant of RFBR (project 16-44-890108), grant of UB of RAS (project 15-15-4-35) and IEC “Arctic” of Yamal Government Department of Science and Innovation; LES and PAW were supported by the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) grant NE/K000284/1; MVK and VZ were supported by the Academy of Finland (project 276671). Scopus

We present an interactive key that is available online through any web browser without the need to install any additional software, making it an easily accessible tool for the larger public. The key can be found at http://identify.naturalis.nl/lithocolletinae. The key includes all 86 North-West European Lithocolletinae, a subfamily of smaller moths (“micro-moths”) that is commonly not treated in field guides. The user can input data on several external morphological character systems in addition to distribution, host plant and even characteristics of the larval feeding traces to reach an identification. We expect that this will enable more people to contribute with reliable observation data on this group of moths and alleviate the workload of taxonomic specialists, allowing them to focus on other new keys or taxonomic work.

The purpose of this application, under Articles 55.3.1 and 78.2.3 of the Code, is to resolve the homonymy between the family-group names Rivulini Grote, 1895 in Lepidoptera and Rivulini Myers, 1925 in Pisces. It is proposed that the stem of the generic name Rivula Guenee in Duponchel, 1845 be emended to Rivula -, so as to change the spelling of the moth family-group name, currently as the subfamily Rivulainae, while leaving the fish family-group name unaltered. https://doi.org/10.21805/bzn.v76.a006

Latitudinal patterns in biotic interactions, including herbivory, have been widely debated during the past years. In particular, recent meta-analysis questioned the hypothesis that herbivory increases from the poles towards the equator. Our study was designed to verify this hypothesis by exploring latitudinal patterns in abundance and diversity of birch-feeding insect herbivores belonging to the leafminer guild in northern Europe, from 59° to 69°N. We collected branches from five mature trees of two birch species (Betula pendula and B. pubescens) at each study site (ten sites for each of five latitudinal gradients) twice per season (in early and late summer of 2008–2011) and attributed all mines found on leaves of these branches to a certain taxon of insects. Latitudinal patterns were quantified by calculating Spearman rank correlation coefficients between both abundance and diversity of leafmining taxa and latitudes of sampling sites. In general, both abundance and diversity of leafminers significantly decreased with latitude. However, we discovered pronounced variation in patterns of latitudinal changes among study years and leafminer taxa. Variation among study years was best explained by mean temperatures in July at the northern ends of our gradients. During cold years, abundance of leafminers significantly decreased with latitude, while during warm years the abundance was either independent of latitude or even increased towards the pole. In the northern boreal forests (66° to 69°N), herbivores demonstrated larger changes in densities in response to temperature variations than in the boreo-nemoral forests (59° to 62°N). Our data suggest that climate warming will result in a stronger increase in herbivory at higher latitudes than at lower latitudes.

The Bupleurum feeding species of Trifurcula (Glaucolepis) Braun, 1917 are revised. Five species are recognised: T. bupleurella (Chrétien, 1907), T. sanctibenedicti Klimesch, 1979, T. megaphallus van Nieukerken, Z. Laštůvka & A. Laštůvka sp. n. feeding on Bupleurum gibraltarium in southern Spain, T. chretieni Z. Laštůvka, A. Laštůvka & van Nieukerken sp. n. feeding on Bupleurum rigidum in southern France, Spain and Portugal, and T. siciliae Z. Laštůvka, A. Laštůvka & van Nieukerken sp. n. feeding on B. fruticosum in Sicily. The group is restricted to southwestern Europe and northern Africa, the area where most shrubby Bupleurum species occur. A NJ and Bayesian analysis of DNA barcodes of four out of five species suggest a single origin of Bupleurum feeding in the subgenus Glaucolepis.

A catalogue of all named Nepticulidae and Opostegidae is presented, including fossil species. The catalogue is simultaneously published online in the scratchpad http://nepticuloidea.info/ and in Catalogue of Life (http://www.catalogueoflife.org/col/details/database/id/172). We provide a historical overview of taxonomic research on Nepticuloidea and a brief ‘state of the art’. A DNA barcode dataset with 3205 barcodes is made public at the same time, providing DNA barcodes of ca. 779 species, of which 2563 are identified as belonging to 444 validly published species. We recognise 862 extant and 18 fossil species of Nepticulidae in 22 extant genera and the fossil form genus Stigmellites. We count 192 valid Opostegidae species in 7 genera, without fossils. We also list seven dubious Nepticulidae names that cannot be placed due to absent type material and poor descriptions, 18 unavailable names in Nepticulidae that cannot be placed and we also list the 33 names (including four fossils) that once were placed as Nepticulidae or Opostegidae but are now excluded. All synonyms and previous combinations are listed. The generic classification follows the Molecular phylogeny that is published almost simultaneously. Subfamilies and tribes are not recognised, Trifurculinae Scoble, 1983 is synonymised with Nepticulidae Stainton, 1854 and Opostegoidinae Kozlov, 1987 is synonymised with Opostegidae Meyrick, 1893. The status of Casanovula Hoare, 2013, Etainia Beirne, 1945, Fomoria Beirne, 1945, Glaucolepis Braun, 1917, Menurella Hoare, 2013, Muhabbetana Koçak & Kemal, 2007 and Zimmermannia Hering, 1940 is changed from subgenus to full genus, whereas two genera are considered synonyms again: Manoneura Davis, 1979, a synonym of Enteucha Meyrick, 1915 and Levarchama Beirne, 1945, a synonym of Trifurcula Zeller, 1848. We propose 87 new combinations in Nepticulidae and 10 in Opostegidae, largely due to the new classification, and re-examination of some species. We propose the following 37 new synonymies for species (35 in Nepticulidae, 2 in Opostegidae): Stigmella acerifoliella Dovnar-Zapolski, 1969 (unavailable, = Stigmella acerna Puplesis, 1988), Stigmella nakamurai Kemperman & Wilkinson, 1985 (= Stigmella palionisi Puplesis, 1984), Nepticula amseli Skala, 1941 (unavailable = Stigmella birgittae Gustafsson, 1985), Stigmella cathepostis Kemperman & Wilkinson, 1985 (= Stigmella microtheriella (Stainton, 1854)), Stigmella populnea Kemperman & Wilkinson, 1985 (= Stigmella nivenburgensis (Preissecker, 1942)), Nepticula obscurella Braun, 1912 (revised synonymy, = Stigmella myricafoliella (Busck, 1900)), Nepticula mandingella Gustafsson, 1972 (= Stigmella wollofella (Gustafsson, 1972)), Stigmella rosaefoliella pectocatena Wilkinson & Scoble, 1979 (= Stigmella centifoliella (Zeller, 1848)), Micropteryx pomivorella Packard, 1870 (= Stigmella oxyacanthella (Stainton, 1854)), Stigmella crataegivora Puplesis, 1985 (= Stigmella micromelis Puplesis, 1985), Stigmella scinanella Wilkinson & Scoble, 1979 (= Stigmella purpuratella (Braun, 1917)), Stigmella palmatae Puplesis, 1984 (= Stigmella filipendulae (Wocke, 1871)), Stigmella sesplicata Kemperman & Wilkinson, 1985 (= Stigmella lediella (Schleich, 1867)), Stigmella rhododendrifolia Dovnar-Zapolski & Tomilova, 1978 (unavailable, = Stigmella lediella (Schleich, 1867)), Stigmella oa Kemperman & Wilkinson, 1985 (= Stigmella spiculifera Kemperman & Wilkinson, 1985), Stigmella gracilipae Hirano, 2014 (= Stigmella monticulella Puplesis, 1984), Nepticula chaoniella Herrich-Schäffer, 1863 (= Stigmella samiatella (Zeller, 1839)), Bohemannia piotra Puplesis, 1984 (= Bohemannia pulverosella (Stainton, 1849)), Bohemannia nipponicella Hirano, 2010 (= Bohemannia manschurella Puplesis, 1984), Sinopticula sinica Yang, 1989 (= Glaucolepis oishiella (Matsumura, 1931)), Trifurcula collinella Nel, 2012 (= Glaucolepis magna (A. Laštuvka & Z. Laštuvka, 1997)), Obrussa tigrinella Puplesis, 1985 (= Etainia trifasciata (Matsumura, 1931)), Microcalyptris vittatus Puplesis, 1984 and Microcalyptris arenosus Falkovitsh, 1986 (both = Acalyptris falkovitshi (Puplesis, 1984)), Ectoedemia castaneae Busck, 1913, Ectoedemia heinrichi Busck, 1914 and Ectoedemia helenella Wilkinson, 1981 (all three = Zimmermannia bosquella (Chambers, 1878)), Ectoedemia chloranthis Meyrick, 1928 and Ectoedemia acanthella Wilkinson & Newton, 1981 (both = Zimmermannia grandisella (Chambers, 1880)), Ectoedemia coruscella Wilkinson, 1981 (= Zimmermannia mesoloba (Davis, 1978)), Ectoedemia piperella Wilkinson & Newton, 1981 and Ectoedemia reneella Wilkinson, 1981 (both = Zimmermannia obrutella (Zeller, 1873)), Ectoedemia similigena Puplesis, 1994 (= Ectoedemia turbidella (Zeller, 1848)), Ectoedemia andrella Wilkinson, 1981 (= Ectoedemia ulmella (Braun, 1912)), Nepticula canadensis Braun, 1917 (= Ectoedemia minimella (Zetterstedt, 1839)), Opostega rezniki Kozlov, 1985 (= Opostega cretatella Chrétien, 1915), Pseudopostega cyrneochalcopepla Nel & Varenne, 2012 (= Pseudopostega chalcopepla (Walsingham, 1908)). Stigmella caryaefoliella (Clemens, 1861) and Zimmermannia bosquella (Chambers, 1878) are taken out of synonymy and re-instated as full species. Lectotypes are designated for Trifurcula obrutella Zeller, 1873 and Nepticula grandisella Chambers, 1880.

Matunen, Marko et al., The proliferation of DNA data is revolutionizing all fields of systematic research. DNA barcode sequences, now available for millions of specimens and several hundred thousand species, are increasingly used in algorithmic species delimitations. This is complicated by occasional incongruences between species and gene genealogies, as indicated by situations where conspecific individuals do not form a monophyletic cluster in a gene tree. In two previous reviews, non-monophyly has been reported as being common in mitochondrial DNA gene trees. We developed a novel web service “Monophylizer” to detect non-monophyly in phylogenetic trees and used it to ascertain the incidence of species non-monophyly in COI (a.k.a. cox1) barcode sequence data from 4977 species and 41,583 specimens of European Lepidoptera, the largest data set of DNA barcodes analyzed from this regard. Particular attention was paid to accurate species identification to ensure data integrity. We investigated the effects of tree-building method, sampling effort, and other methodological issues, all of which can influence estimates of non-monophyly. We found a 12% incidence of non-monophyly, a value significantly lower than that observed in previous studies. Neighbor joining (NJ) and maximum likelihood (ML) methods yielded almost equal numbers of non-monophyletic species, but 24.1% of these cases of non-monophyly were only found by one of these methods. Non-monophyletic species tend to show either low genetic distances to their nearest neighbors or exceptionally high levels of intraspecific variability. Cases of polyphyly in COI trees arising as a result of deep intraspecific divergence are negligible, as the detected cases reflected misidentifications or methodological errors. Taking into consideration variation in sampling effort, we estimate that the true incidence of non-monophyly is ∼23%, but with operational factors still being included. Within the operational factors, we separately assessed the frequency of taxonomic limitations (presence of overlooked cryptic and oversplit species) and identification uncertainties. We observed that operational factors are potentially present in more than half (58.6%) of the detected cases of non-monophyly. Furthermore, we observed that in about 20% of non-monophyletic species and entangled species, the lineages involved are either allopatric or parapatric—conditions where species delimitation is inherently subjective and particularly dependent on the species concept that has been adopted. These observations suggest that species-level non-monophyly in COI gene trees is less common than previously supposed, with many cases reflecting misidentifications, the subjectivity of species delimitation or other operational factors., Most of the sequences used in this study were generated at the Biodiversity Institute of Ontario under the International Barcode of Life Project, funded by the Government of Canada through Genome Canada and the Ontario Genomics Institute. The generation of German data was funded by grants from the Bavarian State Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and the Arts (Barcoding Fauna Bavarica, BFB) and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (German Barcode of Life GBOL2: BMBF #01LI1101B). Molecular laboratory infrastructure and sequencing within the Nature of The Netherlands project was funded by a FES grant from the Dutch Ministry of Finance. The Finnish Barcode of Life project was funded by the Kone Foundation, the Finnish Cultural Foundation, and the University of Oulu. Support for this research was provided by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad [projects CGL2010-21226/BOS and CGL2013-48277-P to R.V.], by a Région Haute-Normandie post-doctoral fellowship [to R.R.], and by a Marie Curie International Outgoing Fellowship within the 7th European Community Framework Programme [project no. 625997 to V.D.]ă Sequencing of Norwegian material was supported by the Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, and the Norwegian Barcode of Life Network (NorBOL). Sequencing within the framework of the Lepidoptera of the Alps Campaign was supported by the Promotion of Educational Policies, University and Research Department of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano—South Tyrol with funds to the project “Genetic biodiversity archive -DNA barcoding of Lepidoptera of the central Alpine region (South, East and North Tyrol),” the Austrian Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economics with funds to ABOL (Austrian Barcode of Life), and by the regional institutions Tiroler Landesmuseen, inatura and Landesmuseum Kärnten. S.M.K. was funded by the international fellowship program at Stockholm University and Finnish Cultural Foundation. Sampling of Lepidoptera from Upper-Normandy (France) was supported by a grant by Conseil Régional de Haute-Normandie to Thibaud Decaëns, then member of the ECODIV laboratory at the University of Rouen.

We characterized evolutionary patterns of host plant use across about 2500 species of British Lepidoptera, using character optimization and independent phylogenetic contrasts among 95 operational taxa, and evaluated the extent to which caterpillars are monophagous, use woody host plants, and feed concealed. We also analyzed the use of different Angiosperm superorders and related these associations to other key variables. The Nepticulidae, Pterophoridae, and Gracillariidae allowed explicit comparisons between the British fauna and the Lepidoptera worldwide, which indicated that our broad categorizations for Britain are accurate predictors for the global fauna. The first (lower glossatan) radiation of the Lepidoptera started with monophagous, internal feeding on woody Eurosids I. Polyphagy on nonwoody Eurosids I evolved together with the ability to feed externally, but did initially not produce significant radiations. Exposed feeding became associated with radiations in the lower Ditrysia and Apoditrysia and remained correlated with more polyphagy, fewer woody host plants, and increasing use of other Angiosperm superorders. The macrolepidopteran radiation has frequent reversals to monophagy on woody Eurosids I, particularly in taxa that lost concealed feeding. We discuss the general implications of these results and address several key adaptations and constraints that have characterized the major transitions in lepidopteran life histories.

With phylogenetic knowledge of Lepidoptera rapidly increasing, catalysed by increasingly powerful molecular techniques, the demand for fossil calibration points to estimate an evolutionary timeframe for the order is becoming an increasingly pressing issue. The family Nepticulidae is a species rich, basal branch within the phylogeny of the Lepidoptera, characterized by larval leaf-mining habits, and thereby represents a potentially important lineage whose evolutionary history can be established more thoroughly with the potential use of fossil calibration points. Using our experience with extant global Nepticulidae, we discuss a list of characters that may be used to assign fossil leaf mines to Nepticulidae, and suggest useful methods for classifying relevant fossil material. We present a checklist of 79 records of Nepticulidae representing adult and leaf-mine fossils mentioned in literature, often with multiple exemplars constituting a single record. We provide our interpretation of these fossils. Two species now are included in the collective generic name Stigmellites: Stigmellites resupinata (Krassilov, 2008) comb. nov. (from Ophiheliconoma) and Stigmellites almeidae (Martins-Neto, 1989) comb. nov. (from Nepticula). Eleven records are for the first time attributed to Nepticulidae. After discarding several dubious records, including one possibly placing the family at a latest Jurassic position, we conclude that the oldest fossils likely attributable to Nepticulidae are several exemplars representing a variety of species from the Dakota Formation (USA). The relevant strata containing these earliest fossils are now dated at 102 Ma (million years ago) in age, corresponding to the latest Albian Stage of the Early Cretaceous. Integration of all records in the checklist shows that a continuous presence of nepticulid-like leaf mines preserved as compression-impression fossils and by amber entombment of adults have a fossil record extending to the latest Early Cretaceous.

BackgroundHost association patterns in Ectoedemia (Lepidoptera: Nepticulidae) are also encountered in other insect groups with intimate plant relationships, including a high degree of monophagy, a preference for ecologically dominant plant families (e.g. Fagaceae, Rosaceae, Salicaceae, and Betulaceae) and a tendency for related insect species to feed on related host plant species. The evolutionary processes underlying these patterns are only partly understood, we therefore assessed the role of allopatry and host plant family shifts in speciation within Ectoedemia.MethodologySix nuclear and mitochondrial DNA markers with a total aligned length of 3692 base pairs were used to infer phylogenetic relationships among 92 species belonging to the subgenus Ectoedemia of the genus Ectoedemia, representing a thorough taxon sampling with a global coverage. The results support monophyletic species groups that are congruent with published findings based on morphology. We used the obtained phylogeny to explore host plant family association and geographical distribution to investigate if host shifts and allopatry have been instrumental in the speciation of these leafmining insects.SignificanceWe found that, even though most species within species groups commonly feed on plants from one family, shifts to a distantly related host family have occasionally occurred throughout the phylogeny and such shifts are most commonly observed towards Betulaceae. The largest radiations have occurred within species groups that feed on Fagaceae, Rosaceae, and Salicaceae. Most species are restricted to one of the seven global biogeographic regions, but within species groups representatives are commonly found in different biogeographic regions. Although we find general patterns with regard to host use and biogeography, there are differences between clades that suggest that different drivers of speciation, and perhaps drivers that we did not examine, have shaped diversity patterns in different clades.