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A comprehensive phylogeny of north European Geometridae is reconstructed using a two‐step analytical pipeline. First, a phylogenomic backbone tree was inferred using a 117‐species subset of geometrid moths and a 35‐species set of outgroup taxa from eight other macroheteroceran families. The data matrix totalled 209,499 bp from 648 protein‐coding loci obtained using anchored hybrid enrichment technique for sequencing. This backbone was used for constructing a larger phylogeny of Geometridae based on up to 11 'traditional' protein‐coding genes which were obtained for all 376 species of north European geometrids, complemented by 98 species from taxonomic key groups of Geometridae from other parts of the world. Our results largely corroborate earlier findings about higher classification of Geometridae, but new evidence nevertheless allows us to suggest several changes to the taxonomy. Lampropterygini Õunap & Nedumpally tribus nova and Pelurgini Õunap & Nedumpally tribus nova (both Larentiinae) are described. Epirranthini are regarded as a junior subjective synonym of Rumiini syn. n. Triphosini and Macariini are shown to be paraphyletic within their current limits. Costaconvexa Agenjo is transferred from Xanthorhoini to Epirrhoini new tribe association, Artiora Meyrick from Ennomini incertae sedis to Boarmiini new tribe association, Selenia Hübner from Ennominae incertae sedis to Epionini new tribe association and Epirranthis Hübner from Epirranthini to Rumiini new tribe association. Ochyria Hübner stat. rev. is revived from synonym of Xanthorhoe Hübner as a valid genus and Epelis Hulst stat. rev. and Speranza Curtis stat. rev. from synonyms of Macaria Curtis as valid genera, leading to the following new or revised combinations: Ochyria quadrifasiata (Clerck) rev. comb., Epelis carbonaria (Clerck) comb. n., Speranza fusca (Thunberg) comb. n., Speranza artesiaria (Denis & Schiffermüller) rev. comb., Speranza brunneata (Thunberg) rev. comb., Speranza wauaria (Linnaeus) rev. comb., Speranza loricaria (Eversmann) rev. comb.Perizoma saxicola Tikhonov rev. comb. is transferred back to its original genus from Gagitodes Warren. Hydrelia Hübner, Xanthorhoe and Heliomata Grote & Robinson are shown to be paraphyletic within their current limits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural enemies play a key role in population dynamics of insects and exert significant selective pressures on various traits of these animals. Although there is a wealth of empirical and theoretical research on predators and parasitoids, the ecological role of pathogens (other than viruses) remains less understood. Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF), encompassing over 1000 known species from 11 phyla, have primarily been studied in the context of biocontrol in agroecosystems, while their role in natural ecosystems is poorly known. In this paper, we synthesize case studies reporting the prevalence of EPF infections in field populations of insects. We examine differences in this variable among major host taxa and those of the pathogens. From 79 case studies that met our selection criteria, we retrieved data on 122 species of fungi infecting 104 insect species. The meta‐analytic median prevalence of fungal infections was 8.2%; even if likely inflated by publication bias, this suggests that EPF‐induced mortality levels are lower than those attributable to predators and parasitoids. We found no substantial differences in fungal prevalence among major insect taxa and only a moderate difference among fungal orders, with Neozygitales showing the highest prevalence and Eurotiales the lowest. Our analysis revealed no significant differences in overall EPF prevalence between tropical and temperate studies, although different fungal taxa showed different geographical patterns. In temperate areas, there is some evidence of increasing infection prevalence toward the end of the growing season. Although quantitative data on the effect of EPF on insect populations are still scarce, evidence is consistent with the emerging generalization that insect populations commonly harbor species‐rich assemblages of pathogenic fungi, but infections rarely reach epidemic levels. Further studies on multi‐species assemblages of EPF associated with natural insect populations are needed to better understand the ecological role of fungal infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dry body mass (DBM) is perhaps the most biologically informative variable describing body size in invertebrates. Unfortunately, obtaining species-specific indices of DBM is problematic because body mass inevitably changes during the course of the life of an individual. Here, we present a phylogenetically informed analysis of allometric relationships between body size and various linear measurements in the moth family Geometridae, which relies on DBM recorded at a fixed time point of adult life. We demonstrate that all measurements of wing size predict DBM with reasonable accuracy, with the distance between the most distal ends of the two forewings in traditionally mounted moths showing the best performance. Abdomen width provides independent morphometric information and can be used as a proxy of body plan, i.e. a measurement of shape that is not dependent on size. Incorporating abdomen width into the regression models considerably increases their predictive ability. We also show that the allometric relationships are reasonably consistent between the two sexes, between monophyletic clades of Geometridae and between the two geographical regions involved in the study (northern Europe and equatorial Africa). The derived equations thus appear to be general enough to be applied in various studies, from comparative phylogenetic analyses to applied projects monitoring insect biomass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]