Lepidoptera: Biology and Taxonomy

The paper shows that light microhabitats in forests drive sensory convergence and divergence in mimetic butterflies' visual systems through mutualistic interactions.

This study reconstructs the phylogeny of Neotropical limenitidine butterflies to explore the evolution of mimicry patterns and their relationship with speciation.

The paper investigates the evolution of false head traits in butterflies, finding that these traits evolved together in a correlated manner, likely due to shared selective pressures for predator deflection.

This study identifies shared genetic mechanisms underlying convergent mimicry coloration in Lepidoptera, showing that non-coding regions near ivory and optix genes are consistently associated with color pattern switches across distantly related species.

The paper traces the evolution of cyanogenic glucoside biosynthesis in Heliconius butterflies, showing gene loss and duplication linked to plasticity-first evolution and specialization in sequestration.

This study shows that heparin and dextran sulfate alter wing patterns and shapes in Luna and Polyphemus Moths, revealing insights into phenotypic plasticity and homologies in wing patterns.

The paper evaluates the evolutionary balance between bat predation pressure and environmental constraints on moth tail length using phylogenetic and ecological data.

This study investigates compass orientation in red admirals, finding they use solar cues without time compensation and lack magnetic sensing, contrasting with monarch butterflies.

This study shows that a non-native host plant allows monarch butterflies to develop later in the fall, altering their seasonal life cycle.

This study identifies the genetic basis of silver iridescence polymorphism in Mormon Fritillary butterflies, linking it to the optix gene and showing evidence of selection and introgression.

The paper uses citizen science data to analyze wing pattern similarity in Neotropical butterflies, revealing widespread convergence in mimicry rings across regions.

This study uses genomic data to analyze the phylogenetic relationships, population structure, and ecological differentiation of the Pieris napi species group in the Western Palaearctic, revealing two main clades and key climatic drivers of adaptation.

The paper identifies a hybrid butterfly lineage in the Baltic Sea, showing it originated from hybridization between two non-sister species and persisted through climate change.

This study investigates factors shaping monarch butterfly migration behavior using flight simulators and finds that altitude, wind, and environmental cues are critical for migratory traits.

This study identifies lineage-specific gene families in butterflies and moths, revealing dietary adaptations linked to plant detoxification and horizontal gene transfer.

This study uses 35 years of mark-recapture data to show that hurricane-mediated disturbance positively influences Schaus swallowtail butterfly population sizes.

The paper presents the reference genome of the Spanish Moon Moth Graellsia isabellae, which helps resolve its scientific name and supports genetic monitoring of the species.

The paper identifies ivory, a conserved lncRNA, as the color pattern gene at the cortex locus in buckeye butterflies, showing how cis-regulatory elements of ivory influence seasonal color variation.

This study identifies a long non-coding RNA, ivory, at the cortex locus that controls adaptive colouration in butterflies by modulating pigmentation patterns through CRISPR mutagenesis.

The paper uses a convolutional neural network to compare dorsoventral wing patterns in butterflies, finding dorsal bias in sexual dimorphism but not in female-limited mimetic polymorphism.

The paper investigates the evolutionary origins of eyespots in Lepidoptera, finding multiple independent origins of Discal and Marginal eyespots and concluding they are not homologous.

This study investigates the developmental role of aristaless1 in butterfly wing coloration, finding it regulates pigment synthesis and expression through Wnt signaling.

This study uses long-read sequencing to analyze 88 Lepidoptera genomes, identifying genomic signatures linked to conservation concerns like low heterozygosity and high inbreeding.

The paper identifies the functional unit of a supergene in Papilio polytes, showing that multiple genes within and outside an inversion region control mimicry traits.

This study investigates the developmental morphogenesis of hierarchical nanostructures in swallowtail butterfly wing scales, revealing a novel role for F-actin in shaping complex structural color patterns.

The paper investigates the developmental and structural basis of wing transparency in the glasswing butterfly Greta oto, identifying reduced scale precursor cell density and wax-based nanopillars as key features.

The paper sequences all butterfly species in North America north of Mexico to study diversification patterns and adaptation mechanisms across their evolutionary history.

The paper tests for strain-specific mating behaviors in fall armyworm in Africa and finds evidence that the R-strain is rare or absent, suggesting limited crop risk from this strain.

This study identifies apterous A as a key regulator of surface-specific wing pattern differentiation in butterflies, showing its dual role in repressing ventral patterns and promoting dorsal sexual ornaments.

The paper uses DNA barcoding to identify four Eurema species from Uttarakhand, India, and examines their phylogenetic relationships using molecular data.