Noctuoidea Research Articles

Faunistic notes on the noctuoid moths (Lepidoptera, Noctuoidea) in the Lucchese Apennines of Tuscany, Italy

Faunistic notes on the noctuoid moths (Lepidoptera, Noctuoidea) in the Lucchese Apennines of Tuscany, Italy

Extreme northern finding of two noctuoid moths (Lepidoptera: Erebidae and Noctuidae) in the Peter the Great Gulf, Russian Far East

The two East Asian subtropical–tropical noctuoid moths, Nyctemera adversata (Schaller, 1788) (Erebidae: Arctiinae) and Dictyestra dissectus (Walker, 1865) (Noctuidae: Noctuinae), are newly recorded in the Russian Far East on an extreme long distance to the north from their known localities in the neighboring countries. They were collected on the small Rikord Island in the Peter the Great Gulf after the period of strong southern wind associated with Typhoon Chaba. Data on the general distribution and bionomics of these species are given. This founding, along with other similar discoveries, is consistent with the current trend of global climate warming and indicates a northward expansion of the ranges of southern species in the Sea of Japan/East Sea region. Large migratory moths effectively use powerful air currents to move long distances, including over the sea, while small coastal islands can be used by them as intermediate sites and/or for possible establishing of invasive populations.

Characterization of complete mitochondrial genomes of five noctuoid moths (Lepidoptera: Noctuoidea) and their phylogenetic implications

Characterization of complete mitochondrial genomes of five noctuoid moths (Lepidoptera: Noctuoidea) and their phylogenetic implications

New records of tropical and subtropical noctuoid moths (Lepidoptera: Erebidae, Nolidae) from Primorsky krai, Russia

Two new Erebidae genera (Hypospila Guenée, 1852 and Lacera Guenée, 1852) and two species, Hypospila bolinoides Guenée, 1852 and Lacera procellosa Butler, 1879, are recorded from Russia for the first time. Siglophora sanguinolenta (Moore, 1888) (Nolidae) is new for the fauna of Primorsky krai. Invasions of tropical and subtropical moths in the southern part of the Russian Far East are briefly discussed.

Determining Noctuidae, Erebidae, Euteliidae and Nolidae (Lepidoptera, Noctuoidea) Families of Hasankeyf in Batman, Turkey

The present study conducted on the Noctuoidea (Lepidoptera) fauna takes place in Hasankeyf, Batman prov., southeastern Turkey, between 2018-2020. Field based investigations were prominently carried out from sunset till sunrise due to the fact that the dominance of Noctuoidea species are regarded as nocturnal. Insect nets and UV light traps took over efficient roles in capturing noctuoid moths. The cycle of collecting those samples comprised of softening, stretching and identifying consecutively in accordance with the current literature. The results of the research indicated that there are 160 noctuoid moth species in the study area, 110 of which are newly recorded from Batman. The second report of Haemerosia vassilininei A. Bang-Haas, 1912 and endemic Dryobotodes glaucus Ronkay & Gyulai, 2006 in Turkey, are highlighted.

Contribution to the knowledge of the fauna of noctuoid moths (Lepidoptera: Noctuoidea) of Kyrgyzstan

Contribution to the knowledge of the fauna of noctuoid moths (Lepidoptera: Noctuoidea) of Kyrgyzstan

Comparative analysis of the vertical distribution of the Noctuoid moths (Lepidoptera) within the central parts of the mountain ridges Kirgizsky, Dzhumgaltoo and Fergansky: preliminary results

The preliminary results of the comparative analysis of the vertical distribution within the Noctuoid moths of the central parts of the mountain ridges Kirgizsky, Dzhumgaltoo and Fergansky are presented. Within all three ridges 346 species of Noctuoid moths were detected: 246 species in Kirgizsky Mts., 210 species in Dzhumgaltoo Mts. and 164 species in Fergansky Mts. The vertical distribution as follows: lowlands of Kirgizsky Mts. 134 species, Dzhumgaltoo Mts. 85 species, Fergansky Mts. 93 species; middle mountains of Kirgizsky Mts 114 species, Dzhumgaltoo Mts. 191 species, Fergansky Mts. 125 species; highlands of Kirgizsky Mts. 52 species, Dzhumgaltoo Mts. 96 species, Fergansky Mts. 50 species; superhighlands of Kirgizsky Mts. 9 species, Dzhumgaltoo Mts. 17 species, Fergansky Mts. 12 species. These faunas not in general nor by the vertical zones are unsimilar, except the lowlands of the Fergansky and Dzhumgaltoo Mts. The arealogical structure of studied fauna comprises 8 types of areas within 2 complexes of areas. As higher located the vertical zone, as lower in it is the amount of species with wide area types; the same is about the fauna’s core.

New Records of Noctuoid Moths (Lepidoptera, Noctuoidea) in the Baikal Region

The results of long-term faunistic studies of the noctuoid moths in the Baikal region and the literature review are presented. An annotated check-list including 83 species of the families Notodontidae, Erebidae, Nolidae, and Noctuidae is given. Data on the previous records of the species from the study region are given. The Noctuoidea fauna of Irkutsk Province comprises 462 species, that of the Republic of Buryatia, 419 species, and that of the Baikal region as a whole, 510 species. The distribution limits are expanded for 17 species of the Noctuoidea complex: the new eastern range boundary is established for 11 species of Erebidae and Noctuidae, and the new western one is established for 5 representatives of Notodontidae, Erebidae and Noctuidae. Two species, Actebia confinis (Staudinger, 1881) and Actebia confusa (Alpheraky, 1882), are new to the Russian fauna. The trophic associations of Phidrimana amurensis (Staudinger, 1892) are established: the larvae of this Euro-Siberian species feed on the leaves of different species of elms (Ulmus japonica Rehder, Ulmus pumila L.). Three noctuid species, Calyptra lata (Butler, 1881), Bryophila granitalis (Butler, 1881) and Cosmia trapezinula (Filipjev, 1927), with large disjunctions of their ranges are reported; these moths are apparently relicts of the Atlantic Period of the Holocene.

The influence of bat echolocation call duration and timing on auditory encoding of predator distance in noctuoid moths

Animals co-occur with multiple predators, making sensory systems that can encode information about diverse predators advantageous. Moths in the families Noctuidae and Erebidae have ears with two auditory receptor cells (A1 and A2) used to detect the echolocation calls of predatory bats. Bat communities contain species that vary in echolocation call duration, and the dynamic range of A1 is limited by the duration of sound, suggesting that A1 provides less information about bats with shorter echolocation calls. To test this hypothesis, we obtained intensity-response functions for both receptor cells across many moth species for sound pulse durations representing the range of echolocation call durations produced by bat species in northeastern North America. We found that the threshold and dynamic range of both cells varied with sound pulse duration. The number of A1 action potentials per sound pulse increases linearly with increasing amplitude for long-duration pulses, saturating near the A2 threshold. For short sound pulses, however, A1 saturates with only a few action potentials per pulse at amplitudes far lower than the A2 threshold for both single sound pulses and pulse sequences typical of searching or approaching bats. Neural adaptation was only evident in response to approaching bat sequences at high amplitudes, not search-phase sequences. These results show that, for short echolocation calls, a large range of sound levels cannot be coded by moth auditory receptor activity, resulting in no information about the distance of a bat, although differences in activity between ears might provide information about direction.

Checklist of the superfamily Noctuoidea (Insecta, Lepidoptera) from Tamil Nadu, Western Ghats, India

A checklist of the superfamily Noctuoidea (Erebidae, Noctuidae, Euteliidae, and Nolidae) from Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve and Kodaikanal Hills in Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu is presented. We collected noctuoid moths monthly from June 2010 to December 2014. We collected 9095 individuals (5242 males and 3853 females) belonging to 188 species, 106 genera, 5 subtribes, 25 tribes, 26 subfamilies and 4 families. The most species-rich families were Erebidae (106 species) and Noctuidae (51 species). The Erebinae was found to be the richest subfamily with 64 species. Additional sampling might reveal 2–3 times more species.

Noctuoid moths (Lepidoptera: Erebidae, Nolidae, Noctuidae) of North-East Kazakhstan (Pavlodar Region)

The paper contains data on the fauna of the Lepidoptera families Erebidae, Nolidae and Noctuidae of Pavlodar Region (North-East Kazakhstan). The check list includes 480 species (100 species of Erebidae, 8 species of Nolidae and 372 species of Noctuidae), 393 species are reported for the region for the first time. The map of collecting localities and pictures of the main landscapes of the region are presented.

High duty cycle pulses suppress orientation flights of crambid moths

Bat-and-moth is a good model system for understanding predator–prey interactions resulting from interspecific coevolution. Night-flying insects have been under predation pressure from echolocating bats for 65Myr, pressuring vulnerable moths to evolve ultrasound detection and evasive maneuvers as counter tactics. Past studies of defensive behaviors against attacking bats have been biased toward noctuoid moth responses to short duration pulses of low-duty-cycle (LDC) bat calls. Depending on the region, however, moths have been exposed to predation pressure from high-duty-cycle (HDC) bats as well. Here, we reveal that long duration pulse of the sympatric HDC bat (e.g., greater horseshoe bat) is easily detected by the auditory nerve of Japanese crambid moths (yellow peach moth and Asian corn borer) and suppress both mate-finding flights of virgin males and host-finding flights of mated females. The hearing sensitivities for the duration of pulse stimuli significantly dropped non-linearly in both the two moth species as the pulse duration shortened. These hearing properties support the energy integrator model; however, the threshold reduction per doubling the duration has slightly larger than those of other moth species hitherto reported. And also, Asian corn borer showed a lower auditory sensitivity and a lower flight suppression to short duration pulse than yellow peach moth did. Therefore, flight disruption of moth might be more frequently achieved by the pulse structure of HDC calls. The combination of long pulses and inter-pulse intervals, which moths can readily continue detecting, will be useful for repelling moth pests.

The simple ears of noctuoid moths are tuned to the calls of their sympatric bat community

Insects with bat-detecting ears are ideal animals for investigating sensory system adaptations to predator cues. Noctuid moths have two auditory receptors (A1 and A2) sensitive to the ultrasonic echolocation calls of insectivorous bats. Larger moths are detected at greater distances by bats than smaller moths. Larger moths also have lower A1 best thresholds, allowing them to detect bats at greater distances and possibly compensating for their increased conspicuousness. Interestingly, the sound frequency at the lowest threshold is lower in larger than in smaller moths, suggesting that the relationship between threshold and size might vary across frequencies used by different bat species. Here, we demonstrate that the relationships between threshold and size in moths were only significant at some frequencies, and these frequencies differed between three locations (UK, Canada and Denmark). The relationships were more likely to be significant at call frequencies used by proportionately more bat species in the moths' specific bat community, suggesting an association between the tuning of moth ears and the cues provided by sympatric predators. Additionally, we found that the best threshold and best frequency of the less sensitive A2 receptor are also related to size, and that these relationships hold when controlling for evolutionary relationships. The slopes of best threshold versus size differ, however, such that the difference in threshold between A1 and A2 is greater for larger than for smaller moths. The shorter time from A1 to A2 excitation in smaller than in larger moths could potentially compensate for shorter absolute detection distances in smaller moths.

Taxonomic Notes and New Register of Moths for Easter Island (Lepidoptera: Noctuoidea)

ABSTRACT: Four new records of noctuoid moths are reported for Easter Island: Helicoverpa zea (Boddie, 1850), Megalographa biloba (Stephens, 1830), Mocis frugalis (Fabricius, 1775), and Chasmina tibialis (Fabricius, 1775). Data on hosts and flight seasons are reported.

Molecular phylogenetics of Erebidae (Lepidoptera, Noctuoidea)

As a step towards understanding the higher‐level phylogeny and evolutionary affinities of quadrifid noctuoid moths, we have undertaken the first large‐scale molecular phylogenetic analysis of the moth family Erebidae, including almost all subfamilies, as well as most tribes and subtribes. DNA sequence data for one mitochondrial gene (COI) and seven nuclear genes (EF‐1α,wingless,RpS5,IDH,MDH,GAPDHandCAD) were analysed for a total of 237 taxa, principally type genera of higher taxa. Data matrices (6407 bp in total) were analysed by parsimony with equal weighting and model‐based evolutionary methods (maximum likelihood), which revealed a well‐resolved skeleton phylogenetic hypothesis with 18 major lineages, which we treat here as subfamilies of Erebidae. We thus present a new phylogeny for Erebidae consisting of 18 moderate to strongly supported subfamilies: Scoliopteryginae, Rivulinae, Anobinae, Hypeninae, Lymantriinae, Pangraptinae, Herminiinae, Aganainae, Arctiinae, Calpinae, Hypocalinae, Eulepidotinae, Toxocampinae, Tinoliinae, Scolecocampinae, Hypenodinae, Boletobiinae and Erebinae. Where possible, each monophyletic lineage is diagnosed by autapomorphic morphological character states, and within each subfamily, monophyletic tribes and subtribes can be circumscribed, most of which can also be diagnosed by morphological apomorphies. All additional taxa sampled fell within one of the four previously recognized quadrifid families (mostly into Erebidae), which are now found to include two unusual monobasic taxa from New Guinea: Cocytiinae (now in Erebidae: Erebinae) and Eucocytiinae (now in Noctuidae: Pantheinae).

Tiger moths and the threat of bats: decision-making based on the activity of a single sensory neuron

Echolocating bats and eared moths are a model system of predator-prey interaction within an almost exclusively auditory world. Through selective pressures from aerial-hawking bats, noctuoid moths have evolved simple ears that contain one to two auditory neurons and function to detect bat echolocation calls and initiate defensive flight behaviours. Among these moths, some chemically defended and mimetic tiger moths also produce ultrasonic clicks in response to bat echolocation calls; these defensive signals are effective warning signals and may interfere with bats' ability to process echoic information. Here, we demonstrate that the activity of a single auditory neuron (the A1 cell) provides sufficient information for the toxic dogbane tiger moth, Cycnia tenera, to decide when to initiate defensive sound production in the face of bats. Thus, despite previous suggestions to the contrary, these moths' only other auditory neuron, the less sensitive A2 cell, is not necessary for initiating sound production. However, we found a positive linear relationship between combined A1 and A2 activity and the number of clicks the dogbane tiger moth produces.

THE DEPENDENCE OF BEHAVIORAL AUDITORY THRESHOLDS ON THE DELAY OF ECHO-LIKE SIGNALS IN NOCTUID MOTHS (LEPIDOPTERA, NOCTUIDAE)

The auditory system of noctuoid moths capable to respond to ultrasounds has long been a model for anti-predator studies in neuroethology. Many moths avoid hunting bats by listening for their echolocation calls and taking evasive manoeuvres to escape predation. Besides these flight defences, certain tiger moths (Arctiidae) emit high-frequency clicks to jam the echolocator of an attacking bat. Another suggested function for ultrasonic audition in moths along with their capability to emit loud ultrasonic clicks was pulse echolocation. However, it seemed difficult to arrange sufficient temporal resolution in a simple invertebrate auditory system. Here we present an evidence of moth's capability to perceive an echo following its own click with a very short delay. The behavioral responses of moths to the acoustic pulses imitating echoes of their own clicks were investigated under conditions of tethered flight. It has been found that such echo-like stimulation evokes an increase in average emission rate of own acoustic signals in moths. Auditory thresholds were measured in two noctuid species (Enargia paleacea Esp. and Blepharita satura Schiff.) at stimulus delays 0.2, 0.3, 0.5 and 1 ms in relation to the respective moth clicks. Our findings reveal the ability of these moths to perceive echoes of their own signals, thus demonstrating potential possibility for use of pulse echolocation.

Deciphering the Molecular Phylogenetics of Family Hyblaeidae and Inferring the Phylogeographical Relationships Using DNA Barcoding

Hyblaea puera (teak defoliator) is a pest moth of teak woodlands in India and other tropics. H. puera is a type genus that represents the family Hyblaeidae and superfamily Hyblaeoidea. The relationships between the superfamily Hyblaeoidea other smaller superfamilies like Pyraloidea, Bombycoidea, Geometroidea, Noctuoidea, Torticoidea, Papilionoidea and others are not well understood. This study provides substantial molecular evidence in supporting the morphological classification of Hyblaeidae family and its relationship with other superfamilies. As a molecular tool DNA barcoding has gained importance in species identification and taxonomic verification. Present case study on Hyblaea demonstrates the efficiency of the barcoding gene (folmer region) in discriminating global phylogeographical variants among the Hyblaea species complex.

A survey of family‐group names in noctuoid moths (Insecta: Lepidoptera)

Some milestones of the systematic history of the Noctuoidea are reviewed, and a full list of the family‐group names is given including the respective bibliographical references. Every name has been checked for availability according to the Iczn. The following subjective synonyms are indicated: Eublemmini Forbes, 1954 (=*Anthophilidae Duponchel, [1845], unavailable, = *Micradi Stephens, 1850, unavailable, no need for replacement names). According to Art. 40. 2 Iczn, we propose to maintain the names Thaumetopoeinae Aurivillius, 1889 (= Cnethocampides Wallengren, 1861), Psaphidini Grote, 1896 (= Dicopinae Grote, 1882), and Euxoinae Warren, 1909 (= Brotinae Grote, 1882, = Euxoina Beck, 1999 syn. n.), as they are in current use.

Auditory encoding during the last moment of a moth's life.

The simple auditory system of noctuoid moths has long been a model for anti-predator studies in neuroethology, although these ears have rarely been experimentally stimulated by the sounds they would encounter from naturally attacking bats. We exposed the ears of five noctuoid moth species to the pre-recorded echolocation calls of an attacking bat (Eptesicus fuscus) to observe the acoustic encoding of the receptors at this critical time in their defensive behaviour. The B cell is a non-tympanal receptor common to all moths that has been suggested to respond to sound, but we found no evidence of this and suggest that its acoustic responsiveness is an artifact arising from its proprioceptive function. The A1 cell, the most sensitive tympanal receptor in noctuid and arctiid moths and the only auditory receptor in notodontid moths, encodes the attack calls with a bursting firing pattern to a point approximately 150 ms from when the bat would have captured the moth. At this point, the firing of the A1 cell reduces to a non-bursting pattern with longer inter-spike periods, suggesting that the moth may no longer express the erratic flight used to escape very close bats. This may be simply due to the absence of selection pressure on moths for auditory tracking of bat echolocation calls beyond this point. Alternatively, the reduced firing may be due to the acoustic characteristics of attack calls in the terminal phase and an acoustic maneuver used by the bat to facilitate its capture of the moth. Although the role of less sensitive A2 cell remains uncertain in the evasive flight responses of moths it may act as a trigger in eliciting sound production, a close-range anti-bat behaviour in the tiger moth, Cycnia tenera.