Samia watsoni was reared in Yunnan from eggs received from Zhejiang in 2021. A mature larva was found in the field on Pterostyrax corymbosus (Styracaceae) in 2020, so this tree was used as the hostplant in captivity. Larvae accepted other Styracaceae in captivity. There are probably other hostplants in nature, but captive larvae refused Ailanthus and Liquidambar. The mature larva is light bluish green, white dorsally, with red dorsal scoli and others blue. In captivity the cocoons were wrapped in a leaf attached to the hostplants, but half were spun at the bottom of the cage with weak peduncles, suggesting that some cocoons may occur on the ground in nature. Adults were observed to drink water along the edges of streams, and a functional proboscis is reported for other Attacini.

Notes are given on the biology and life history of the new species, Aetherastis grandisalba Heppner, 2021, damaging bark of cinnamon trees (Cinnamomum cassia) in Vietnam, along with morphological characteristics of the immature stages of this new lepidopteran pest.

The butterfly assemblage found at riparian upland plant restoration areas (after removal of the invasive plant, tamarisk (Tamarix ramosissima Ledebour)) along Las Vegas Wash was examined over four different months. Upland areas were planted with a variety of plants, however, those with a mesquite (Prosopis spp. Linneaus) component contained additional butterfly species relative to other plots. Detrended correspondence analysis demonstrated a gradient of butterfly species that corresponded with mesquite, age of stand, and homogenous areas of tamarisk. Some potential butterfly species went undetected; perhaps because required herbaceous understory plants were absent, or the need for greater densities of the hemiparasitic mistletoe (Phoradendron) (Nutt.) which is utilized by certain butterfly species. A single plot of exotic tamarisk, the near-past dominant shrub of the Wash landscape, was examined. An incursion of the beetle Diorhabda carinulata (Desbrochers), a phytophagous tamarisk control agent, appeared to affect tamarisk nectar production along with butterfly abundance at the plot. Butterfly response to nectar at inadvertent seep areas suggests these features are important for butterfly directed landscape restoration activities. Use of a characteristic butterfly community for identifying goals for upland restoration was valuable in describing end-points that incorporated assets of natural mesquite bosques.

A mark-release-recapture study of the federally-listed Smith's Blue butterfly, Euphilotes enoptes smithi, was conducted in 1986 at Marina State Beach (Monterey County, CA) in coastal sand dune habitat. Demographic parameters estimated included daily and generation population numbers, residency, vagility, and emigration rates. Manly-Parr and Jolly-Seber analyses indicated an estimated 2,657 to 5,875 individuals comprised the 1986 generation, with average residence from 6.7 to 10.1 days (maximum 20 days). Average movements between consecutive observations on different days were 95.1 m for males and 91.0 m for females, while the longest lifetime dispersal observed was 1,230 m by a female. Emigration rates from areas of low quality habitat were as much as 8x greater than those from high quality habitat. Between 1997 and 2017 this butterfly was monitored yearly at three neighboring sand dune remnants in Sand City, CA to determine annual generation sizes. Transect counts of adults conducted during the 21 flight seasons, in conjunction with the frequencies of observed residencies from the 1986 study, indicated estimated generation numbers from 360 to 2,151 for the three sites combined. The observed year-to-year fluctuations in generation sizes were strongly correlated with annual numbers of flowerheads of this butterfly's Eriogonum foodplants, which in turn was correlated with annual precipitation.

The larva of Syssphinx tamaulipasiana (Brechlin and Meister) is described and compared with the three congeners with which it co-occurs in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas: S. albolineata (Grote & Robinson), S. blanchardi (Ferguson), and S. heiligbrodti (Harvey). All four species feed exclusively on mimosid trees, but have nearly non-overlapping host use. We illustrate six instars of S. tamaulipasiana from a lab-reared cohort and wild last instars of all four moths, and offer a key to their last instars. Three of the four species (all but S. heiligbrodti) are restricted to the Lower Rio Grande Valley, where they are threatened by urbanization and insularization.

Butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera) are known for having an array of antipredator defenses associated with their wing patterns and color, and they have long been considered model organisms for studies on animal mimicry. One of the most fascinating examples of mimicry in the animal kingdom is that of ‘false heads’ — structures that resemble cranial attributes. False heads are predominantly found in the butterfly family Lycaenidae, especially the hairstreak subfamily Theclinae where the false head is found at the posterior margin of the hindwing. These heads are believed to deflect predators to less vulnerable regions of their bodies. False heads are accompanied by a variety of behaviors that may enhance survival, such as walking in a circular pattern and moving hindwings along the sagittal plane. At least five different hypotheses have been proposed to explain why butterflies have evolved false heads in response to predation by visual predators, which we name, summarize, illustrate, and discuss. Our review reveals gaps in our understanding of false head evolution, especially because few experimental studies have tested these hypotheses with appropriate predators. We discuss strengths and weaknesses of each hypothesis and propose avenues for future experimentation. In particular, exploring hypotheses using comparative evolutionary and ecological studies will provide greater understanding of the adaptive significance of these anti-predator structures and behaviors.