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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.

In het zoveelste warme jaar op rij werden twee nieuwe soorten Microlepidoptera voor Nederland gevonden: de trekkende pyralide Antigastra catalaunalis en Mompha jurassicella. Verder melden we hier de eerdere vondst van Coleophora boreella, tot nu toe alleen bekend uit Noord-Europa, en verwijzen we naar elders nieuw gepubliceerde vondsten van Schiffermuelleria schaefferella en Monochroa elongella. In september-oktober van 2006 werden veel bijzondere trekvlinders gevonden, naast hierboven genoemde soort ook de zeldzame Diplopseustis perieresalis, Diasemiopsis ramburialis en Spoladea recurvalis. Verder geven we hier 28 nieuwe gegevens voor de provincies, met name Gelderland en Zeeland.

In this thesis, I studied the diversification patterns of two groups of leaf mining Lepidoptera: Nepticulidae and Lithocolletinae (Gracillariidae). Both are found on all continents except Antarctica and are species-rich, but to different extents in different lineages and their centres of diversity are in different biogeographic regions, even though they predominantly feed on similar host plant families. The research I performed focused on comparing their species-level phylogenetic diversification patterns, based on a dataset that included the majority of their global diversity, to understand common factors that have driven their evolution.