The moth family Limacodidae is notable for its fascinating larval stages, but with the exception of a few important pest species, the natural history of these moths is still poorly known. The goal of this project was to investigate the natural history of moths in the family Limacodidae, as well as a species in the related family Megalopygidae, from the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area. The specific objectives of this study were to (ordered by life cycle from adult to larva): 1) summarize data on the flight times of the adult moths; 2) investigate the oviposition behavior of female moths, specifically their tendency to lay eggs in clusters; 3) document the phenology and host associations of locally-collected larvae; 4) develop an accurate means for assessing larval developmental stage; and 5) determine whether larval growth and cocoon weight predict lifetime fitness for females. In an adult flight dataset that spans ∼130 years, we found significant interspecific variation in flight periods collectively encompassing a season running from April through November. Several pairs of sympatric congeners differed significantly in median flight times suggesting temporal niche separation. We found that for two of the species we studied, Acharia stimulea and Euclea delphinii, females laid eggs in clusters, but females of the other species mostly laid eggs singly. We generally found limacodid larvae from early June through October and most limacodid species were found as larvae on at least eight different host plant species, which supports the presumption that most species are generalists. For A. stimulea and E. delphinii larvae, we developed a set of equations so that we may estimate larval mass given larval body length, which allows us to estimate a larva's developmental stage in the field. Lastly, we found that for both A. stimulea and E. delphinii, there was a positive relationship between a female's cocoon mass and the number of offspring she produced the following year; thus, for these two limacodid species, cocoon mass is a predictor of lifetime fitness for females. Here we present all of the natural history observations and data that we have collected and analyzed from a variety of sources.

Neptini reliably recorded from the Western Himalaya are listed. A new subspecies, Neptis clinia praedicta ssp. n. and two new combinations, Neptis nata yerburii Butler comb. n. and Neptis capnodes pandoces Eliot comb. n., are proposed, Neptis capnodes Fruhstorfer is raised to species rank and the distribution of several subspecies is extended.

The description of Eresia carlota Reakirt, 1866 (currently recognized as Chlosyne gorgone carlota) was based on specimens collected in 1864 in the foothills of the Front Range, west of Denver, Colorado. A subsequent neotype designation established the type locality as Cedar Hill, Missouri. The neotype, however, is inconsistent with the phenotype of this taxon as understood by Reakirt. More important, the neotype designation was based on an erroneous interpretation of the Code and is nomenclaturally invalid. A lectotype of Eresia carlota is designated, which restores this nominal taxon to its original concept and returns the type locality to Colorado.

A rare lycaenid butterfly, Tongeia kala, is distributed from NE India to eastern Myanmar. In appearance there are no closely related species in the genus, and therefore it is of much interest to study this species from an evolutionary point of view. In order to extract phylogenetic information of T. kala, the immature stages and biology were studied in a high mountain area of Chin State, Myanmar. We describe egg, larval, pupal stages, adult wing pattern and male genitalia of the species, and compare with its related species. We also record Sedum multicaule, as its hostplant.

Eucosma oraria, new species, is described from the mid-Atlantic coast of North America. It is distinguished from its closest congeners, Eucosma dorsisignatana (Clemens) and Eucosma similiana (Clemens), by size and details of forewing maculation. Reviews are provided of the last two species, including a reevaluation of their relationships with Eucosma dorsisignatana diffusana Kearfott, Eucosma dorsisignatana confluana Kearfott, and Eucosma engelana Kearfott. The new species appears to be associated with marsh habitat.

Long thought to be based on a holotype, evidence indicates that the concept of the nominal taxon Melitaea nycteis Doubleday was actually based on four female syntypes, which were collected in Ohio in 1843 by the English naturalist David Dyson. A lectotype is designated to stabilize usage and establish a sole name-bearing type of this nominal taxon. The type locality is suggested to be the vicinity of Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio. A previously unknown portrait of David Dyson, depicting him collecting Lepidoptera, was discovered in the possession of his great-grandnephew and is reproduced for the first time.