The genus, Pupulanella, Adamski and Nishida, n. gen. is proposed, and synapomorphies are given as supportive evidence. All life stages of P. gemma Adamski and Nishida, n. sp. (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea: Depressariidae) are described, and observations of its natural history are provided. The eggs are saddle-shaped, with several rows of shallow, parallel, and alternating longitudinal ridges and furrows, each contiguous with a transverse crest on opposing polar ends that are steeply sloped. Each egg is laid singly on the underside of leaves along the veins, and occasionally on stems or leaf petioles of the host plant, Rivina humilis L. (Petiveriaceae). The first instar and early second instar live within a weblike silken tunnel on the undersurface of leaves along the leaf veins while later instars construct and live within a partially-rolled shelter along the outer margin the leaf. Pupation occurs within a dried leaf fold in litter on the ground. The pupa is covered with short hairs, is deeply excavated between the labrum and the proximal margins of the maxillae, and possesses a ridgelike structure (= cocoon cutter) on the dorsolateral area of the prothorax. Adult moths exhibit an unusual survival behavior in microlepidoptera, by resting conspicuously on the upper surfaces of leaves exposing a “false head” and eye-spot patterned on the apical part of the forewings, on each side of the posterior end of the insect. Additionally, the terminal portions of the antennae and hindlegs extend well beyond the posterior wing margins contributing to a more realistic headlike mimic. Males and females are crepuscular, exhibiting short distance flights among host plants. Pupulanella brunniceps (Felder and Rogenhofer, 1875), n. comb. is transferred from Filinota..

Courtship behavior was observed for 14 butterfly species, including seven species belonging to tribe Theclini, Lycaenidae, to address whether males of sexually dichromatic species perform more active demonstration of their wing surface to the female than those of monochromatic species do. Males in nearly half of the dichromatic species kept their wings closed on the thorax throughout most of a courtship, indicating no general relationship between the mode of wing coloration and courtship behavior. The results obtained are discussed from ecological and phylogenetic points of view, and it is inferred that the wing-closed courtship has developed in the Theclini group as adaptation to predation pressure in the woodland habitat.

Early life stages and adult MacNeill's sootywing (Hesperopsis gracielae MacNeill, Family: Hesperiidae), a small butterfly, were searched for at ten conservation/wildlife areas along the Lower Colorado River Valley. This butterfly can only complete development on quailbush (Atriplex lentiformis (Torr.) S. Watson, Family: Amaranthaceae). In most cases quailbush was intentionally planted at conservation areas for wildlife purposes. Evidence of sootywings was found at nine of the locations. A single location had low numbers of the larval food plant and this may have resulted in non-detection of the butterfly. Early life stages of sootywings were associated with quailbush that had statistically higher soil moisture at the plant base. Plants where early life stage sootywings were detected (n=41) averaged 63 ± SE 6.3% soil moisture, while those where sootywings were not detected (n=109) averaged 37 ± SE 4% soil moisture. Soil moisture and appropriate densities of quailbush appeared to be important attributes for support of MacNeill's sootywing populations. Size of quailbush and presence of nectar in the environment were not statistically important attributes in presence or abundance of sootywings.

The genus Ceratomia (Harris, 1839) is a widespread genus in the United States containing seven species. This genus has several species with striking color variation as larvae. Ceratomia hageni Grote, 1874 has been documented with a single larval color, contrasting with others in the genus. This paper describes and depicts two new color variations, a brown morph and a brown-yellow morph of final instar C. hageni larvae.

Bromeliads provide habitat and food resources for various organisms. Besides the nectar and pollen, the leaf and fruit tissues of these plants supply food for various animal groups. Among the groups that feed on bromeliads, herbivores are the ones that cause the most damage to these plants; among such organisms, some are well known, such as butterfly and moth caterpillars. Here we will describe some of the ecological relationships between the butterflies Strymon serapio and moths Castnia invaria in association with the rupicolous habitat-forming bromeliad Encholirium spectabile. In rocky outcrops of the Brazilian Semiarid Caatinga, S. serapio caterpillars were frequently observed in the blooms of E. spectabile and adults in the leaves, as well as adults of C. invaria. However, in C. invaria the larvae develop inside the bromeliads. Adults of both species were associated with E. spectabile throughout the year in the study area. We observed S. serapio eggs and larvae mainly during the beginning of the dry season, and the eggs of C. invaria, occur mainly during the rainy season. Regarding the daily activity period, the two species show diurnal habits. Caterpillars of S. serapio develop mutualistic relations with ants of the genus Crematogaster in the blooms of E. spectabile. This is the first record for this kind of ant-butterfly interactions taking place in Encholirum bromeliads, although they have already been cited for other species of Bromeliaceae. The record of these interactions in E. spectabile suggests that these bromeliads are relevant for local biodiversity, also regarding interactions with species of commercial interest, which use the E. spectabile as a host plant..

A new subspecies of Ithomiini (Nymphalidae: Danainae), Aeria olena tiumassp. nov., is described for the Atlantic Forest of northeastern Brazil. This subspecies is scarce in entomological collections and is known from only seven localities in the Brazilian states of Paraíba, Pernambuco and Alagoas. Here we bring some conservation perspectives by evaluating its geographical range (EOO-AOO) revealing that this butterfly could be placed in the category ‘Vulnerable’ (VU) and deserves attention.

Moths are often specialists of particular host plants, making them good indicators of what plants are present in a habitat, as well as the overall health and diversity of an ecosystem. Moths are important pollinators, and their caterpillars are an important food source for many species of birds. The objective of this study was to compare the abundance, species richness, and structure of moth assemblages in planted tallgrass prairies and oak hickory forests in Decorah, Iowa. During the summer of 2018, black light bucket traps were set up in three planted prairies and three oak-hickory forests on five nights from early June to mid-September. Moth samples were brought back to the lab, frozen, then sorted and counted. Representatives of each species of moth were pinned, spread, and identified to species. We collected a total of 12,290 moths, representing 468 species and 34 families. There were significantly more moths, families of moths, and moth species in the forests than in the prairies. Among sample dates over the course of the summer, there were no significant differences in either number of moths or species richness. This study provides valuable baseline data for monitoring future changes in moth diversity and abundance in Northeast Iowa.

Eurytides iphitas Hübner, [1821] is a rare swallowtail species endemic to southeast Brazil. Some authors believe that the species is extinct as the last live specimens were seen in 1937. During examination of the Friedrich Wilhelm Niepelt collection in the Museum of Natural History, University of Wrocław, two specimens of this species were found. One of them has an enigmatic label “Peru Weberbauer S. G.”, which we can certainly attribute to the naturalist Otto Weberbauer, or his son August Weberbauer, the most famous pioneer of Peruvian botany.