Geometrid Species Research Articles

Investigations on the Fauna of Pyraloidea and Geometridae (Lepidoptera) of Nemrut Caldera Natural Monument

This study is conducted between May and October 2017 and 2018, during the day and night by field studies on the foothills of Nemrut Caldera and Mount Nemrut by targeting the detection of Pyraloidea and Geometridae moth species. As a result of the field studies, 93 taxa belonging to Pyraloidea and 52 species of Geometridae are determined. Of these taxa, 80 species belonging to the Pyraloidea and, 40 species belonging to the Geometridae have been identified for the first time in Nemrut Caldera. With these records, the number of Pyraloidea species in Nemrut Caldera increased to 94 and the number of Geometridae species increased to 58. And, of these taxa, 20 species of Pyraloidea, and 21 of Geometridae are new records for the Bitlis province. The number of pyraloid species in the Bitlis province has risen to 238 and also the number of geometrid species to 137.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Hydrelia parvulata (Staudinger, 1897) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae)

In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome of Hydrelia parvulata (Staudinger, 1897) was firstly sequenced by high-throughput sequencing. As a circular DNA molecule, it is 15,407 bp in length (GenBank accession number: MN962739), which consists of 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, 2 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, and an AT-rich region. The nucleotide composition is A (39.8%), C (11.6%), G (8.2%), and T (40.4%). Based on the sequences of complete mitogenome from 10 geometrid species as ingroups and 3 bombycid species as outgroups, the phylogenetic trees were constructed using maximum likelihood (ML) method. The results showed that H. parvulata has a close evolutionary relationship with Operophtera brumata in the subfamily Larentiinae, which is a clade strongly supported by the bootstrap value of 100% and a sister-group with the subfamily Ennominae.

Archedontia agnesae gen. n., sp. n., a new sterrhine species from Tadjikistan(Lepidoptera, Geometridae, Sterrhinae).

A new geometrid species, Archedontia agnesae sp. n. is described from Tadjikistan. The new genus Archedontia gen. n. is assigned to the sterrhine tribe Rhodometrini, aside genus Ochodontia Lederer. Adult moth, male and female genitalia are figured and described, and COI barcode data analysed.

«Aлтынемел» мемлекеттік ұлттық табиғи паркі қарыстаушылар (Lepidoptera, Geometridae) фаунасы

As a result of the analysis of literature data and the collected entomological material, revision of collections, we registered 38 species of geometrid moths in the territory of the State National Natural Park “Altyn-Emel”, which are part of 19 genera from 3 subfamilies. In terms of species diversity, among the identified geometrid moths, representatives of the subfamily Sterrhinae prevail — 32 species, the subfamily Geometrinae — 6 species, and from the subfamily Larentiinae only 1 species. The geometrid moths fauna of the State National Natural Park” Altyn-Emel” is a complex zoogeographic complex, significantly enriched with Turanian and Eurasian elements. The zoogeographic complexity of the fauna is explained by the geobotanical and landscape-ecological features of the area. As a result of the research, an uneven distribution of the geometrid moths in biotopes was noted. Depending on the biotope occupied by the species, geometrid moths are subdivided into 3 main groups: mesophiles, xerophiles, and mesoxerophiles. The largest number of species belong to xerophiles — 22, which prefer steppe biotopes and steppe stony stations. Mesophiles are represented by 10 species. These species prefer floodplain and meadow biotopes of different types. 6 species — mesoxerophiles, most of which occupy meadow areas in steppe biotopes.

Associations between Nocturnal Moths and Flowers in Urban Gardens: Evidence from Pollen on Moths

Pollination is an important plant-animal interaction, and moths (Lepidoptera) are frequent flower visitors. With 11,000 moth species in North America, this group of organisms has potential to largely influence the plant communities they exist in. To date, most pollination research has focused on diurnal (day active) pollinators. However, nocturnal plant visitors, such as moths, may represent a significant and underreported portion of plant-animal interactions. Understanding the role of nocturnal pollinators in ecological communities is important for informing conservation practices as well as making predictions for how plant-insect interaction networks may shift in response to environmental changes, which may be especially important in disturbed habitats like urban gardens. We aimed to address this gap in our understanding by surveying moth-plant interactions in urban environments. We collected 260 moths over a two-year period, 68% of which were carrying pollen. By family—88% of Erebidae species, 89% of Noctuid species, and 92% of Geometrid species were pollen carriers. We conclude that moths frequently interact with a diversity flowers in urban gardens.

The first mitochondrial genome from the Sterrhinae (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) and its phylogenetic implications

In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome of a geometrid species, Idaea simplicior (Prout), was sequenced. The I. simplicior mitogenome is a circular, double-stranded molecule, with 15,950 bp in size. The typical 37 mitochondrial genes (13 PCGs, 22 tRNAs, and 2 rRNAs) and an A + T-rich region are included. Gene content and arrangement are highly conserved and typical of Lepidoptera. Interestingly, the I. simplicior mitogenome is rich in microsatellite sequences of (TA)12–18 with a scattered distribution in six intergenic regions. Phylogenetic analyses based on the combined 37 mitochondrial genes show that the Larentiinae and Ennominae are monophyletic. The Sterrhinae, which is represented by the only I. simplicior sequenced in this study, shows a closer relationship with the Larentiinae than Ennominae, which confirms previous morphological studies.

Effects of a host tree on movement and distribution of winter geometrid moths (Lepidoptera): thickness of trunks and branches

Abstract Adult moths from an ecological group of winter geometrid species look for trees where they copulate and females lay eggs. We investigated how tree trunk and lower branch thickness affects the occurrence of females on trunks and branches and how the density of females and tree trunk thickness affects the occurrence of males on trunks. The research was carried out in a xeric thermophilous oak forest in southern Slovakia (Central Europe) in the winter season 2014–2015. The moths were obtained from Quercus pubescens trees by sticky bands. Three autumn species Operophtera brumata, Erannis defoliaria, Alsophila aceraria and four spring species Agriopis leucophaearia, Agriopis marginaria, Apocheima hispidaria, Phigalia pilosaria were recorded. We have found out that females had not exclusively negative geotactic behaviour as they (except for the rare P. pilosaria) occurred also on lower branches. Tree trunk and lower branch thickness had a positive effect on abundance of females of the three most abundant species (A. leucophaearia, O. brumata, E. defoliaria) on trunks and lower branches. Tree trunk thickness had a positive effect on density of the females of A. leucophaearia on trunks but not on O. brumata and E. defoliaria. The abundance of the males of O. brumata, E. defoliaria and A. leucophaearia on trunks was positively affected by tree trunk thickness and the density of their females.

A comparative morphometric study of sensory capacity in geometrid moths

Diet breadth and the degree of capital breeding have been established as major determinants of species-specific ecology of herbivorous insects. Both of these variables are related to resource foraging and therefore can be expected to have effects on sensory capacity. However, such effects have remained poorly studied, let alone in phylogenetically explicit multi-species comparisons. We contribute to filling this gap in a study of 60 species of geometrid moths (Lepidoptera: Geometridae), using adult head measures (eye size, antennal length and shape, forehead width) as indices of sensory capacity. When controlled for body size, eyes of the more capital breeding species (i.e. those with low contribution of adult feeding to reproduction) were found to be smaller, and female antennae shorter, than in income breeders. Feathery (vs simple filiform) male antennae were more frequently present in the capital breeders and in larger species. Regarding diet breadth, generalist species were found to have relatively wider male foreheads than specialists. The results suggest that (a) breeding strategy rather than diet breadth predicts sensory capacity in geometrids, (b) capital breeding (vs income breeding) is related to low sensory capacity in females, and (c) in contrast, males of the capital breeding species have evolved towards elevated olfactory capacity.

Ecological stoichiometry and nutrient partitioning in two insect herbivores responsible for large‐scale forest disturbance in the Fennoscandian subarctic

1. Outbreaks of herbivorous insects can have large impacts on regional soil carbon (C) storage and nutrient cycling. In northernmost Europe, population outbreaks of several geometrid moth species regularly cause large‐scale defoliation in subarctic birch forests. An improved understanding is required of how leaf C and nutrients are processed after ingestion by herbivores and what this means for the quantity and quality of different materials produced (frass, bodies).2. In this study, larvae of two geometrid species responsible for major outbreaks (Epirrita autumnata and Operophtera brumata) were raised on exclusive diets of Betula pubescens var. czerepanovii (N. I. Orlova) Hämet Ahti and two other abundant understorey species (Betula nana, Vaccinium myrtillus). The quantities of C, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) ingested and allocated to frass, bodies and (in the case of C) respired were recorded.3. Overall, 23%, 70% and 48% of ingested C, N and P were allocated to bodies, respectively, rather than frass and (in the case of C) respiration. Operophtera brumata consistently maintained more constant body stoichiometric ratios of C, N and P than did E. autumnata, across the wide variation in physico‐chemical properties of plant diet supplied.4. These observed differences and similarities on C and nutrient processing may improve researchers' ability to predict the amount and stoichiometry of frass and bodies generated after geometrid outbreaks.

Reproductive behaviour indicates specificity in resource use: phylogenetic examples from temperate and tropical insects

Specificity (= the degree of ecological specialisation) is one of the fundamental concepts of the science of ecology. Ambiguities on how to define and measure specificity have however complicated respective research efforts. Here we propose that, in insects, a behavioural trait – adult oviposition latency in captivity without a favourable host plant – correlates with a species’ specificity in larval host use. In the absence of a suitable host, monophagous insects are expected to wait for a long time before commencing oviposition, with the long waiting time corresponding to careful host location behaviour in nature. Polyphagous insects, in contrast, should be selected for an increased oviposition rate at the expense of the quality of oviposition substrate encountered and will on average have a short latency time. Using experimentally derived data on oviposition latency, we performed a phylogenetically informed analysis based on Bayesian inference to show that this variable correlates with host specificity (larval diet breadth) in a sample of north European species of geometrid moths. A closely related index – the probability to lay any eggs on an unfavourable substrate – shows an analogous pattern. To provide an example of how these indices can be applied, we compare our sample of geometrid moths from northern Europe with a sample from equatorial Africa. A comparative analysis based on an original phylogenetic reconstruction found no differences between the two study sites in parameters of oviposition behaviour. We conclude that behavioural tests can provide information about ecological interactions when the latter can not be directly recorded. Our example study also hints at the possibility that host specificity of herbivores is not necessarily higher in a tropical region compared to a temperate one.

Metabolism of 14C‐labelled pentagalloylglucose by Epirrita autumnata and Agriopis aurantiaria (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) and implications for the nutrition of geometrid defoliators

AbstractThe metabolism of pentagalloylglucose, the immediate biosynthetic precursor of both ellagitannins and gallotannins, was investigated in larvae of two geometrid species, autumnal moth Epirrita autumnata and scarce umber Agriopis aurantiaria. The aim was to determine yet unknown metabolic patterns of the widely distributed hydrolysable tannins in these model lepidopteran species. Pentagalloylglucose was applied in [U‐14C]‐labelled, leaf‐painted form in the larval diet. During the 24 h experiment, the radioactivity was distributed between all larval fractions studied, e.g. hemolymph, gut, the rest of the body, CO2 exhaled and frass excreted. Detailed chemical analyses and subfractionation of the larval fractions revealed that both species significantly modified the structure of pentagalloylglucose; it was the main 14C‐active component in none of the larval fractions. E. autumnata and A. aurantiaria were able to partially hydrolyse pentagalloylglucose as evidenced by the presence of 14C‐labelled gallic acid in the gut and in frass. The production of 14CO2 by these two species showed that they were either able to liberate CO2 from the COOH moiety of gallic acid or that they were able to use some parts of the pentagalloylglucose even as an energy source. Also newly formed, not yet characterised tannin metabolites were detected especially in the gut, hemolymph and body samples, in both soluble and insoluble forms. These findings emphasise that the hydrolysable tannin metabolism in insects is much more complex than earlier speculated and that there is a great variation within and between insect species in their ability to metabolise these polyphenolic plant metabolites. All this should be taken into account especially in attempts trying to explain insect performance on a leaf diet solely by correlations with the foliar tannin levels: the metabolic fate of tannins might be more important determinant of insect performance than the ingested amount of tannins per se.

Identification and Expression Patterns of Putative Diversified Carboxylesterases in the Tea Geometrid Ectropis obliqua Prout.

Carboxylesterases (CXEs) belong to a family of metabolic enzymes. Some CXEs act as odorant-degrading enzymes (ODEs), which are reportedly highly expressed in insect olfactory organs and participate in the rapid deactivation of ester pheromone components and plant volatiles. The tea geometrid Ectropis obliqua Prout produces sex pheromones consisting of non-ester functional compounds but relies heavily on acetic ester plant volatiles to search for host plants and locate oviposition sites. However, studies characterizing putative candidate ODEs in this important tea plant pest are still relatively scarce. In the present study, we identified 35 candidate EoblCXE genes from E. obliqua chemosensory organs based on previously obtained transcriptomic data. The deduced amino acid sequences possessed the typical characteristics of the insect CXE family, including oxyanion hole residues, the Ser-Glu-His catalytic triad, and the Ser active included in the conserved pentapeptide characteristic of esterases, Gly-X-Ser-X-Gly. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that the EoblCXEs were diverse, belonging to several different insect esterase clades. Tissue- and sex-related expression patterns were studied via reverse-transcription and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analyses (RT- and qRT-PCR). The results showed that 35 EoblCXE genes presented a diversified expression profile; among these, 12 EoblCXEs appeared to be antenna-biased, two EoblCXEs were non-chemosensory organ-biased, 12 EoblCXEs were ubiquitous, and nine EoblCXEs showed heterogeneous expression levels among different tissues. Intriguingly, two EoblCXE genes, EoblCXE7 and EoblCXE13, were not only strongly localized to antennal sensilla tuned to odorants, such as the sensilla trichodea (Str I and II) and sensilla basiconica (Sba), but were also expressed in the putative gustatory sensilla styloconica (Sst), indicating that these two CXEs might play multiple physiological roles in the E. obliqua chemosensory processing system. This study provides the first elucidation of CXEs in the chemosensory system of a geometrid moth species and will enable a more comprehensive understanding of the functions of insect CXEs across lepidopteran species.

Neotropical moth assemblages degrade due to oil palm expansion

Oil palm is one of the most rapidly expanding crops throughout the tropics, yet little is known about its impacts on Neotropical invertebrate biodiversity. Responses of insect assemblages to land conversion may substantially vary among taxa. We assessed geometrid and arctiine moth assemblages in a Costa Rican human dominated landscape, where oil palm plantations are now the second most common land cover. Moths were sampled during 6 months with automatic traps in the interior and margin of old-growth forests, young secondary forests and oil palm plantations in a 30 km2 area. Our results show that richness and diversity of both taxa were severely reduced in oil palm compared to all other habitats. Geometrid abundance was highest in forest interiors and lowest in oil palm, while arctiine numbers did not differ between habitats. Dominance was highest in oil palm plantations, where one arctiine species and one geometrid species accounted for over 40% of total abundance in each of their respective taxa. Species composition was distinct in oil palm and forest interior sites, and depicted a gradient of habitat disturbance in ordination space that was strongly related to vegetation diversity and structure. This study demonstrates that oil palm plantations are not a suitable habitat for these moth taxa. Whilst some arctiine species seem adapted to disturbed habitats, geometrids were more dependent on old-growth forests, showing higher bioindicator potential. In the face of accelerated oil palm expansion, conservation strategies should focus on protecting old-growth forest remnants, as well as increasing species diversity and structural complexity of degraded habitats.

A comparative perspective on longevity: the effect of body size dominates over ecology in moths.

Both physiologically and ecologically based explanations have been proposed to account for among-species differences in lifespan, but they remain poorly tested. Phylogenetically explicit comparative analyses are still scarce and those that exist are biased towards homoeothermic vertebrates. Insect studies can significantly contribute as lifespan can feasibly be measured in a high number of species, and the selective forces that have shaped it may differ largely between species and from those acting on larger animals. We recorded adult lifespan in 98 species of geometrid moths. Phylogenetic comparative analyses were applied to study variation in species-specific values of lifespan and to reveal its ecological and life-history correlates. Among-species and between-gender differences in lifespan were found to be notably limited; there was also no evidence of phylogenetic signal in this trait. Larger moth species were found to live longer, with this result supporting a physiological rather than ecological explanation of this relationship. Species-specific lifespan values could not be explained by traits such as reproductive season and larval diet breadth, strengthening the evidence for the dominance of physiological determinants of longevity over ecological ones.

Turning Up the Heat on a Hotspot: DNA Barcodes Reveal 80% More Species of Geometrid Moths along an Andean Elevational Gradient.

We sampled 14,603 geometrid moths along a forested elevational gradient from 1020–3021 m in the southern Ecuadorian Andes, and then employed DNA barcoding to refine decisions on species boundaries initially made by morphology. We compared the results with those from an earlier study on the same but slightly shorter gradient that relied solely on morphological criteria to discriminate species. The present analysis revealed 1857 putative species, an 80% increase in species richness from the earlier study that detected only 1010 species. Measures of species richness and diversity that are less dependent on sample size were more than twice as high as in the earlier study, even when analysis was restricted to an identical elevational range. The estimated total number of geometrid species (new dataset) in the sampled area is 2350. Species richness at single sites was 32–43% higher, and the beta diversity component rose by 43–51%. These impacts of DNA barcoding on measures of richness reflect its capacity to reveal cryptic species that were overlooked in the first study. The overall results confirmed unique diversity patterns reported in the first investigation. Species diversity was uniformly high along the gradient, declining only slightly above 2800 m. Species turnover also showed little variation along the gradient, reinforcing the lack of evidence for discrete faunal zones. By confirming these major biodiversity patterns, the present study establishes that incomplete species delineation does not necessarily conceal trends of biodiversity along ecological gradients, but it impedes determination of the true magnitude of diversity and species turnover.

Resilience of insect assemblages to climate change in mature temperate mountain forests of NE China

The turnover patterns in species assemblages along gradients of abiotic or biotic conditions are indicative of the assemblages’ sensitivity to changes in these conditions. Studies of such gradients allow an evaluation of the degree of habitat specialization in different taxa, which will strongly affect their ability to react to changes in climatic conditions. Our study was carried at one of the largest mature temperate forests in northeastern China, Changbai Mountain. We establish how strongly shifts in the assemblages of two mega-diverse insect families, ground beetles and geometrid moths, are associated with changes in the vegetation that are indicative of the degree of habitat specialization, in comparison to altitudinal change that is linked to changes in both temperature and precipitation. Overall, altitudinal change exerted a substantially stronger influence on insect species turnover patterns than vegetation changes, with elevation being particularly strongly linked to turnover in carabid and dominant geometrid species. Significant links were recorded between changes in the vegetation and turnover in both insect taxa, but Partial Mantel Tests reveal that the observed links with the vegetation are partly indirect. The results indicate that many species in both taxa are habitat generalists able to thrive in a wide range of plant species assemblages and vegetation structures. This will facilitate climate change-induced shifts in their distribution ranges. Conservation efforts should therefore be strongly focused on the smaller groups of habitat- and host-plant insect specialists, as well as on assemblages associated with mountain top habitats that will be unable to shift their ranges further upward.

К ФАУНЕ И ЭКОЛОГИИ ЧЕШУЕКРЫЛЫХ (LEPIDOPTERA: THYATIRIDAE, DREPANIDAE, GEOMETRIDAE) БАЙКАЛЬСКОГО ПОБЕРЕЖЬЯ БАЙКАЛЬСКОГО ЗАПОВЕДНИКА

The 157 species of moths from three families (Thyatiridae, Drepanidae and Geometridae) are recorded for the Baikal Nature Reserve. 8 species of geometrid moths are new for the fauna of territory around Baikal Lake. Majority species (145) has very large distribution areas, such as Holarctic, Palaearctic, Eurosiberian and Westpalaearctic.

Haruchlora maesi, a new emerald moth genus and species from Mesoamerica (Lepidoptera, Geometridae, Geometrinae)

A new genus and species of Neotropical emerald geometrid moths, Haruchlora Viidalepp & Lindt, gen. nov., and Haruchlora maesi Viidalepp & Lindt, sp. nov. are described. The new genus differs from all other New World Geometrinae genera in having a bifid uncus, in characters of the pregenital segments of the male abdomen, and in the male genitalia.

Phenotypic Correlates of Genome Size in Lepidoptera

Body size, developmental rate, and metabolic rate were examined as potential phenotypic correlates of genome size using all 51 named species of Lepidoptera with recorded genome sizes. Genome sizes ranged 0.29–1.94 pg. Because no direct comparative measures were available, surrogates were used: wingspan for body size, voltinism for developmental rate, and grades of adult diel activity and adult feeding for metabolic rate. Analyses consisted of plotting genome size on surrogate values and fitting least-squares trend lines. At the order level, empirical - correlates of genome size with wingspan and voltinism were essentially null or flat. At family and subfamily levels, striking associations were found for wingspan and voltinism, but not for surrogates of metabolic rate, for which data were limited and surrogate validity uncertain. Geometrid species, nearly all of which were ennomiines, showed a sharp positive association between genome size and wingspan, Arctiidae a sharp negative association, and Noctuidae a flat association. Geometridae showed a sharp negative association between genome size and voltinism, Arctiide a sharp positive association, and Noctuidae a mild negative association. No phenotypic correlates of lepidopteran genome size were previously known. Suppositions were confirmed that phenotypic correlates are most likely to be detected at family and lower taxonomic levels.

ИНТЕРЕСНЫЕ НАХОДКИ ПЯДЕНИЦ (LEPIDOPTERA, GEOMETRIDAE) В БОЛЬШЕХЕХЦИРСКОМ ЗАПОВЕДНИКЕ И НА БОЛЬШОМ УССУРИЙСКОМ ОСТРОВЕ (ОКРЕСТНОСТИ ХАБАРОВСКА)

30 species of geometrid moths are listed from the Bolshekhekhtsirskii Nature Reserve by the materials collected in 2012-2014; 16 of them are reported as new to the Reserve fauna, including 7 species new for Khabarovskii Krai (Aoshakuna lucia (Thierry-Mieg, 1917), Brabira artemidora (Oberthür, 1884), Ectropis aigneri Prout, 1930, Heterophleps confusa (Wileman, 1911), Hydria hedemannaria (Oberthür, 1880), Nothocasis bellaria (Leech, 1897) and Scotopteryx acutangulata (Inoue, 1941)). Six species of geometrids are reported for the first time from Bolshoi Ussuriysky Island. Scopula superior (Butler, 1878) is for the first time reported reliably from Russia; the specimens of Scopula subpunctaria (Herrich-Schäffer, 1847) with aberrant male genitalia were reported under this name formerly.