The life histories of Cerathosia tricolor Smith and Cydosia aurivitta Grote & Robinson are briefly described and their larvae figured. Data from seven gene regions (>5,500 base pairs) as well as larval morphology suggest both moths are misclassified in Eustrotiinae and Cydosiinae, respectively: Cerathosia Smith is transferred to Stiriinae, Cydosia Duncan [& Westwood] is transferred to Metoponiinae, and Cydosiinae is reduced to a tribe within Metoponiinae.

Recent surveys in The Bahamas recorded four species of Archipini. Of these, Argyrotaenia flavoreticulana Austin & Dombroskie, sp. n. is described and illustrated, while A. amatana (Dyar), A. kimballi Obraztsov, and Clepsis peritana (Clemens) are reported from The Bahamas for the first time. Because of the difficulty of identifying the latter three species, they are re-described and figured. A key to the Archipini of The Bahamas is included.

A new Mesosemia species is described as Mesosemia pakaraima Fratello based on its distinctive wing pattern and isolation on two tepuis in the Pantepui region of Guyana.

Helicoverpa armigera Hübner (Noctuidae) is a common crop pest causing extensive loss of crop yields despite several efforts and diverse measures taken. As utilization of synthetic pesticides in the fields have caused ecological disturbances and lethal effects on humans and organisms; present studies explore Thevetia neriifolia (Apocynaceae), a widely used ornamental plant, against H. armigera as an alternate control measure. The study investigates the dietary effects of hexane and methanol extracts of T. neriifolia stems (HSE, MSE) on the activity of midgut enzymes of H. armigera, the alterations in which could hamper its growth and development. Different concentrations of the stem extracts, ranging from 0.001% to 0.02%, were incorporated in the diet of early IV instars of H. armigera. Effect of each extract was assessed by estimating the activity of four midgut enzymes; alanine aminotransaminase (ALT), aspartate aminotransaminase (AST), acid phosphatase (ACP) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) of cotton boll worm. Investigations showed that dietary stem extracts resulted in significant and dose-dependent reduced activity of all the enzymes. The percent inhibition of the enzymatic activity was higher with dietary MSE of T. neriifolia as compared to the hexane stem extract. Also, the enzyme inhibition effects of extracts were more pronounced on phosphatases in comparison to transaminases. Larval feeding with T. neriifolia MSE diminished ALT activity by 26.95% to 49.79% and AST activity by 11.02% to 56.53%, whereas the ACP and ALP activity decreased by 44.65% to 87.61% and 21.97% to 85.97%, respectively. On the other hand, HSE inhibited ALT activity by 29.43% to 41.67% and AST activity by just 2.72% to 47.08%. However, a respective reduction of 14.58% to 78.44% and 32.73% to 78.07% was noticed in ACP and ALP activity with dietary HSE. The GC-MS analysis of the stem hexane and methanol extracts of T. neriifolia reveals the presence of 39 and 30 phyto-chemicals, respectively. Investigations showed the possible use of T. neriifolia extracts as a growth regulatory agent against H. armigera. Identification and isolation of bioactive compounds require further investigations.

The common buckeye, Junonia coenia (Hübner), is a North American nymphalid that shows seasonal wing color plasticity. Throughout much of its range the ventral hindwings are tan in the spring and summer and dark red in autumn. Although this species has long been used as a model to study the physiology and genetics of plasticity, the function of its seasonal color variation is still largely unknown. Here we investigate the effect of buckeye wing color on wing and body temperature and ask to what extent seasonal plasticity is associated with behavioral differences. By using real time infrared imaging of different seasonal morphs from a laboratory colony of North Carolina J. coenia, we observed that red autumnal butterflies warm up faster and reach higher final temperatures than tan summer butterflies. Furthermore, behavioral trials at field sites revealed that red butterflies are less physically active than tan butterflies. Based on our findings, we propose that the dark red wing coloration of autumn morphs could be useful for helping individuals reach higher body temperatures faster while basking on colder days. We also speculate that lower activity levels of autumnal butterflies may help conserve energy.

Five species of aquatic crambid moths of the genus Petrophila were discovered in Oak Creek, Arizona. The biology and immatures stages of P. avernalis, P. longipennis, P. anna, and P. cornvillia are described for the first time. The biology of the fifth species, P. jaliscalis, had been previously described. Long-term studies identified environmental factors that influence their distribution and abundance. Species richness is related to complexity of the aquatic habitat while abundance is related to environmental parameters and behavior. The negative impact of one natural and one human-made disruption to the aquatic environments were monitored and Petrophila larvae were found to be excellent indicators of both the disruption and subsequent recovery of the habitat.

A moth and trace fossil have both been named as Phycodes. The senior homonym is a well-known trace fossil, PhycodesRichter, 1850. The relatively obscure junior homonym, PhycodesGuenée, 1852, is given the replacement name Phykodesn. gen.

Eclosion, the molt from pupae to adult stage, occurs at specific times of the day in many holometabolous insects. In this study, we explored the daily pattern of eclosion and the extent to which it varies both within and among six species of nymphalid butterflies. Our broad goal was not only to document the variation in eclosion times, but also to evaluate, through comparative analysis, predictions from several potential adaptive explanations for when during the day eclosions occur. For all species, we reared individuals to pupation, and, at the beginning of the pupal stage, placed the pupae in a greenhouse and recorded their eclosions with a video camera. From these recordings, we obtained for each pupa the time of day at which eclosion occurred. All six species exhibited eclosion distributions that were significantly clustered in the hours around and immediately after sunrise. Only females of the Monarch butterfly showed a non-clustered pattern of eclosion times. There were no sexual differences in eclosion times for any species. The data on interspecific differences in the daily pattern of eclosion do not fit predictions from the known interspecific differences in the daily timing of mating. The data do not fit the prediction that elevated avian predation in the morning will favor eclosion at other times during the day.