Lepidoptera produce two kinds of sperm, eusperm, which are conventional nucleated spermatozoa, and parasperm, which lack nuclei and are usually smaller. Both travel in the female to the sperm storage organ, the spermatheca, but there the parasperm become inactive or disappear without taking any direct role in fertilization of the eggs. There are widespread accounts in the literature of an excess of parasperm over eusperm, though relatively few actual counts, and those counts are from various locations in the lifetime of the sperm: from testes, seminal vesicles, ejaculates, or spermathecae. With phylogenetic comparisons in mind, we counted sperm in the final sperm storage organs of males, the seminal vesicles (ductus ejaculatorius duplex), to explore the prevalence of these two types of sperm over a wide range of species and sizes. We found parasperm in all species, including the most phylogenetically basal (non-ditrysian) ones, and a preponderance of parasperm over eusperm in almost all, including a majority of the smaller species with small total numbers of sperm. Total sperm number of both types increased with wingspan (our proxy for size) as did the ratio of parasperm to eusperm. The ubiquity of parasperm and their preponderance even in very small species indicates an important role in lepidopteran reproduction. Further, the large numbers of both sperm types in larger species of Lepidoptera, apparently vastly more than are needed to fertilize eggs, suggests a role in sperm competition.

We report the life history from egg to adult of the lycaenid butterfly Arawacus ellida on the leaves of Solanum paniculatum L. (Solanaceae) in Alagoas, Brazil. Of four caterpillars sampled from S. paniculatum, one was parasitized by a Braconidae and one by a Chalcididae. We summarize published and unpublished life history records for A. ellida. Besides Solanaceae, this species eats Asteraceae. The significance of this paper is that it provides the background information needed to determine whether the use of Solanaceae and Asteraceae provides the caterpillars with predator-free space.

Larval and pupal stages are described for Eueides lybia lybia (Nymphalidae: Heliconiinae) in Suriname. Its hostplants are Passiflora nitida and P. glandulosa (Passifloraceae). Based on characters of the habitus of the imago, the male genitalia, the late larval stages and barcodes, it is argued that Eueides lybia consists of two species, Eueides lybia (Fabricius, 1775) and Eueides olympia (Fabricius, 1793) revised status. The most straightforward way to distinguish between the two is the costal streak on the ventral forewing of the imago: red in E. lybia and yellow in E. olympia. E. olympia is considered to have three subspecies, E. olympia olympia (Fabricius, 1793) new status, E. olympia lybioides Staudinger 1876 new status and E. olympia salcedoi K. Brown & F. Fernández Yépez, 1985 new status. E. olympia lybioides may turn out to be a distinct species, as may populations of E. lybia from Peru.

A new species of the genus Paranthrene Hbn. is described from Eastern Canada. We summarize its known distribution and present hypotheses on its biology and mimicry.

The genus Catabenoides Poole, 2002 is reviewed, represented by 14 species, nine of them new: C. atratus sp.n., C. bipunctatus sp. n., C. captiosus sp. n., C. multipunctatus sp. n. and C. poolei sp. n., Brazil; C. evanescens sp. n., Ecuador; C. fraternus sp. n., Argentina; C. thoenyi sp. n., Peru; C. divisoides sp. n., Bolivia; three names terminellus Grote syn. n., candida Smith syn. n. and insularis Troubridge syn. n. (= divisa (Herrich-Schäffer), are synonymized. A key, diagnosis, descriptions, and illustrations for all species are presented.

We document for the first time the larval food plants of Anoncia mosa Hodges (Cosmopterigidae) mining the leaves of Collinsia heterophylla and C. tinctoria (Lamiales: Plantaginaceae) in Madera County, California. We describe and illustrate the mine, larval feeding habits, last instar larva and pupa of Anoncia mosa, then compare the immature stages to other Cosmopterigidae to help identify this species and call attention to some overlooked morphological characters. These include the larval P seta, larval cuticular texture and the genital opening of the pupa in a pit. We partially describe the previously unknown pupa of Euclemensia. We also use characters of the immature stages to briefly discuss the systematic placement of three taxa. The family status of the Chrysopeleiidae and the inclusion of Triclonella in the Cosmopterigidae are supported by the pupa but not the larva. Conversely, the systematic placement of Metharmostis in Cosmopterigidae is better supported by the larva than the pupa. Our study is an example of the need to save larval and pupal exuviae for morphological descriptions.

Avocado cultivation in the State of Nayarit, Mexico is limited by various phytosanitary problems. Recently, the seed borer Cryptaspasma perseana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) was detected in the municipalities of Tepic and Xalisco. Its status as a potential avocado pest and its natural enemies under these agroecological conditions are unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the distribution, abundance and parasitoids of C. perseana in Nayarit. We conducted field surveys from August to December 2019 and October 2020 in 25 avocado orchards planted with “Hass” and Mexican creole distributed in six municipalities. The seed borer was only found in orchards of Criollo avocado cultivars (Persea americana var. Drymifolia) avocado orchards. Hymenopteran parasitoids were obtained from seed boring larvae, belonging to the genera Xiphosomella (Ichneumonidae) and Pseudophanerotoma (Braconidae), the latter being the most abundant. Both genera are new records for Nayarit State and could be the potential native parasitoids of C. perseana.