Zoogeographic and landscape-biotopic analysis of the Noctuoidea (Lepidoptera) of the Republic of Belarus

The chorological analysis of the Noctuoidea fauna of the Republic of Belarus is presented, and the faunistic lists for Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Pskov and Moscow Provinces, Poland, the Polish part of the Bialowieza Primeval Forest, and Ukrainian Polesye are compared. The Trans-Palaearctic, Western Palaearctic, and Euro-Siberian species dominate in all the compared regions, which are grouped into two clusters. The first cluster includes Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the northern part of Belarus, and Moscow Province; adjacent to it is Pskov Province whose fauna is still insufficiently studied. The second cluster unites the central and southern parts of Belarus as well as the Polish part of Bialowieza Forest and Ukrainian Polesye. The landscape and biotopic distribution of Noctuoidea in Belarus is also considered. Most of the species are forest and meadow inhabitants. The first group is formed by predominantly meso- and hygrophilous species that initially inhabited natural open habitats, and also by mesophilous and meso-xerophilous species which have occupied various open habitats of secondary origin. The majority of the second group are mesophilous species trophically associated with trees, shrubs, and forest herbaceous vegetation.     

Additions and corrections to the check list of the Noctuoidea (Insecta, Lepidoptera) of North America north of Mexico

A total of 115 additions and corrections are listed and discussed for the check list of the Noctuoidea of North America north of Mexico published in 2010. Thirty-two of these are changes in authorship and/or date of publication or spelling. Taxonomic changes are 33 new or revised synonymies, three new combinations, and six revisions in status from synonymy to valid species.     

Hiding in plain sight: Phylogenomics reveals a new branch on the Noctuoidea tree of life

We analyse anchored hybrid enrichment data from densely sampled tribes and subfamilies of Notodontidae (Prominent Moths). Notodontidae are monophyletic except for an assemblage of genera related to Thacona Walker (=Scrancia Holland), which had been recognized at either the tribal or subfamilial rank within Notodontidae. We elevate and re-describe Scranciidae stat. nov. as a family distinct from the six currently recognized noctuoid families (Noctuidae, Erebidae, Euteliidae, Nolidae, Notodontidae and Oenosandridae). Scranciidae include 22 genera comprising approximately 100 species—distributed in Africa, Asia and Australia. We re-interpret morphological synapomorphies previously proposed for Notodontidae (including Scranciidae) and for the trifid Noctuoidea more broadly. Deep-level relationships within Noctuoidea are not well resolved outside the clade comprising the four quadrifid families (Noctuidae, Erebidae, Euteliidae and Nolidae). The phylogenetic position of Scranciidae relative to Notodontidae, Oenosandridae and the quadrifids varied markedly depending on data type (amino acid vs. nucleotide) and analytical framework (maximum likelihood, multi-species coalescent and parsimony). We discuss the possible roles of missing data and short branch lengths in resolving the placement of Scranciidae. In the topology best supported by the most available data, Scranciidae are sister to the remaining Noctuoidea, highlighting their phylogenetic significance. We provide a provisional list of the genera included in Scranciidae.     

The Plume-Moth Fauna (Lepidoptera,Pterophoridae) of the Republic of Belarus

Entomological Review - A list of 35 species of the family Pterophoridae from the Republic of Belarus is provided based on examination of the collection of the Zoological Institute, Russian Academy...     

Comparative studies on species identification of Noctuoidea moths in two nature reserve conservation zones (Beijing,China) using DNA barcodes and thin‐film biosensor chips

Rapid and accurate identification of species is required for the biological control of pest Noctuoidea moths. DNA barcodes and thin‐film biosensor chips are two molecular approaches that have gained wide attention. Here, we compare these two methods for the identification of a limited number of Noctuoidea moth species. Based on the commonly used mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase I (the standard DNA barcode for animal species), 14 probes were designed and synthesized for 14 species shared by two national nature reserves in Beijing and Hebei, China. Probes ranged in length from 18 to 27 bp and were designed as mismatch probes to guarantee that there were at least three base differences between the probe and nontarget sequences. The results on the chip could be detected by the naked eye without needing special equipment. No cross‐hybridizations were detected although we tested all probes on the 14 target and 24 nontarget Noctuoidea species. The neighbour‐joining tree of the 38 species based on COI sequences gave 38 highly supported independent groups. Both DNA barcoding and thin‐film biosensor chips, based on the COI gene, are able to accurately identify and discriminate the 14 targeted moth species in this study. Because of its speed, high accuracy and low cost, the thin‐film biosensor chip is a very practical means of species identification. Now, a more comprehensive chip will be developed for the identification of additional Noctuoidea moths for pest control and ecological protection.     

Species of Turbellaria Acoela in the Swedish Museum of Natural History, with Remarks on Their Anatomy, Taxonomy and Distribution

The Turbellaria Acoela in the collection of slides in the Swedish Museum of Natural History have been subject to reexamination considering new taxonomic principles. In a list of 101 species contributions are given to the anatomy, taxonomy, distribution and habitats of the species. The list is at the same time a catalogue of the types in the collection. The main part of the species have been described in several papers by Einar Westblad and Ernst Marcus.     

Precursor structures and evolution of tympanal organs in Lepidoptera (Insecta, Pterygota)

 The patterns of scolopal organs and their innervation were studied by the methylene blue method in larvae, pupae and adults of an Yponomeuta species (Yponomeutidae) and of tympanate adult representatives of the Noctuoidea, Geometridae, Drepanidae and Pyraloidea. The studies were focused mainly on the mesothorax, the metathorax and some anterior abdominal segments. In the abdominal tympanal organs of Geometridae, Drepanidae and Pyraloidea, the auditory scolopidia are homologous with the lateral scolopal organs of the first abdominal segment; however, the hearing organs as such evolved independently in the three taxa. The studies confirm that the tympanal organ in the Noctuoidea is derived from the caudal dorsolateral region of the metathorax including its dorsal scolopal organ and the B-cell. The adult scolopal organs are present already in the larvae and are maintained nearly unchanged during metamorphosis to the adult. Only in the Noctuoidea are the three sensory cells of the larval scolopal organs, which become part of the tympanal organs, reduced to one (in Notodontidae) or two (in other Noctuoidea) during metamorphosis. A hypothetical scenario of the evolution of the tympanal organs is outlined. Accepted: 12 March 1997     

Chalcids of the subfamily Pteromalinae (Hymenoptera,Pteromalidae) as parasitoids of the bark beetles (Coleoptera,Scolytidae) in the fauna of Russia and adjacent territories

Eighteen species of ten genera of bark beetle parasitoids were found in the fauna of Russia and adjacent countries. Sixteen species of the parasitoids are recorded as new to the faunas of Belarus, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and regions of Russia. An annotated list of nineteen species of pteromalids, with data on the material examined, geographic distribution, and hosts is given. New hosts are reported for five species of the bark beetle ectoparasitoids. An original key to eighteen species and ten genera of Pteromalidae parasitizing bark beetles is provided.     

数学形态学在昆虫分类学上的应用研究.Ⅱ.在总科阶元上的应用研究

从总科角度对鳞翅目（Lepidoptera）和鞘翅目（Coleoptera）5个总科23种昆虫图像中提取的昆虫面积、周长等11项数学形态特征进行了统计分析。结果表明,在总科阶元上,11项特征的可靠性大小为圆形性＞（面积、周长、横轴长、球形性、似圆度、偏心率）＞（纵轴长、叶状性）＞（形状参数、亮斑数）。从数学形态特征角度讲,夜蛾总科等3个总科的亲缘关系远近大小依次为夜蛾总科与凤蝶总科>蚕蛾总科与凤蝶总科>夜蛾总科与蚕蛾总科。     

Catalogue of neritic-benthonic echinoderms (Echinodermata: Asteroidea and Ophiuroidea) from the Cuban Archipelago

This is an updated taxonomic catalogue of neritic-benthonic Echinodermata (Asteroidea and Ophiuroidea) from Cuba, that includes locality, range, habitat and depth where each species is found. The species list is based on the collections of the Oceanology Institute; Havana; the "Felipe Poey" Museum (Havana University) and the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C. Specimens for those collections were captured by a variety of field techniques, narcotized with Cloral hydrate, fixed in formalin and stored in 70-80% alcohol. A total of 75 species have been identified from Cuban waters: Asteroidea (20 species) and Ophiuroidea (55 species).     

Past, current, and future of the central European corridor for aquatic invasions in Belarus

We analyzed the role of the waterways of Belarus in the spread of aquatic exotic invertebrates through the central European invasion corridor. Present day Belarus became critically important when in the end of the 18th—beginning of the 19th century three interbasin canals connecting rivers from the Black and Baltic seas basins were constructed for international trade. These canals became important pathways facilitating the spread of aquatic alien species. For more than a hundred years, only Ponto-Caspian species colonized Belarus using ships and especially timber in rafts exported by Russia into Western Europe. In the second half of the 20th century, new vectors of spread appeared in Belarus, such as stocking of economically important invertebrates and accidental introductions. This paper is the first comprehensive review of aquatic exotic invertebrates in Belarus. Currently, 19 exotic aquatic invertebrates are known in Belarus, including 14 species of Ponto-Caspian origin. The rate of spread of aquatic invasive species in the second half of the 20th century increased 7-fold compared to the 19th—beginning of the 20th century. We found a significant positive correlation between the time since initial invasion and number of waterbodies colonized. We predict a further increase in the rate of colonization of Belarus by exotic invertebrates as well as an increase in the diversity of vectors of spread and donor areas of alien species, especially when the ongoing reconstruction of the interbasin canals will be completed and the hydrological connection between Black Sea and Baltic Sea basins will be reestablished after an interruption that has lasted for almost a century.     

Evolution of the metathoracic tympanal ear and its mesothoracic homologue in the Macrolepidoptera (Insecta)

Two independent methods of comparison, serial homology and phylogenetic character mapping, are employed to investigate the evolutionary origin of the noctuoid moth (Noctuoidea) ear sensory organ. First, neurobiotin and Janus green B staining techniques are used to describe a novel mesothoracic chordotonal organ in the hawkmoth, Manduca sexta, which is shown to be serially homologous to the noctuoid metathoracic tympanal organ. This chordotonal organ comprises a proximal scolopidial region with three bipolar sensory cells, and a long flexible strand (composed of attachment cells) that connects peripherally to an unspecialized membrane ventral to the axillary cord of the fore-wing. Homology to the tympanal chordotonal organ in the Noctuoidea is proposed from anatomical comparisons of the meso- and metathoracic nerve branches and their corresponding peripheral attachment sites. Second, the general structure (noting sensory cell numbers, gross anatomy, and location of peripheral attachment sites) of both meso- and metathoracic organs is surveyed in 23 species representing seven superfamilies of the Lepidoptera. The structure of the wing-hinge chordotonal organ in both thoracic segments was found to be remarkably conserved in all superfamilies of the Macrolepidoptera examined except the Noctuoidea, where fewer than three cells occur in the metathoracic ear (one cell in representatives of the Notodontidae and two cells in those of other families examined), and at the mesothoracic wing-hinge (two cells) in the Notodontidae only. By mapping cell numbers onto current phylogenies of the Macrolepidoptera, we demonstrate that the three-celled wing-hinge chordotonal organ, believed to be a wing proprioceptor, represents the plesiomorphic state from which the tympanal organ in the Noctuoidea evolved. This ’trend toward simplicity’ in the noctuoid ear contrasts an apparent ’trend toward complexity’ in several other insect hearing organs where atympanate homologues have been studied. The advantages to having fewer rather than more cells in the moth ear, which functions primarily to detect the echolocation calls of bats, is discussed. Accepted: 18 June 1999     

Catalogue of the ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of Bulgaria

The present catalogue of the ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of Bulgaria is made on a base of critical reconsideration of literature (covering the period from 1892 till 2009 and part of 2010) as well as on examination of the authors' and several museum's collections. A lot of data were omitted in the previous Bulgarian monograph on ants, lots of new data were recently added and many important additions and alterations were made due to taxonomic revisions of Eurasian Formicidae during the last three decades. Two new species are reported for the country [Temnothorax graecus (Forel, 1911) and Temnothorax cf. korbi (Emery, 1924)].This catalogue contains a list of 163 ant species belonging to 40 genera of 6 subfamilies now known from Bulgaria. Synonyms and information on the previously reported names in relevant publications are given. Known localities of the species are grouped by geographic regions. Maps with concrete localities or regions for each species were prepared. The conservation status of 13 ant species is given as they are included in IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and Bulgarian Biodiversity Act. In comparison with adjacent Balkan regions the ant fauna of Bulgaria is quite rich and its core is composed of South European elements.     

Extinctions of vascular plants in Spain

The catalogue of extinct plants in Spain, comprising 27 taxa is updated. Included are four species not previously classified as extinct in Spain: Cyclamen purpurascens, Grammitis quaerenda, Stratiotes aloides and Vallisneria spiralis. We analyze the causes of extinction and explore the possible influence of botanical collections in species loss. The obtained data suggest that habitat loss has been the main cause of extinction and the impact of collecting is demonstrated to be irrelevant. We list the 21 species that have been designated as extinct in previous catalogues but which no longer have that status, 14 of them having been recovered thanks to botanical exploration and collection works.     

Phylogenetic utility of elongation factor-1 alpha in noctuoidea (Insecta: Lepidoptera): the limits of synonymous substitution

To test its phylogenetic utility, nucleotide sequence variation in a 1,240-bp fragment of the elongation factor-1 alpha (EF-1 alpha) gene was examined in 49 moth species representing the major groups of the superfamily Noctuoidea. Both parsimony and distance analyses supported the monophyly of nearly all groups for which there are clear morphological synapomorphies. Clades of subfamily rank and lower, probably mid-Tertiary and younger, were strongly supported. The third codon position contains 88% of variable sites, and approaches saturation at approximately 20% sequence divergence, possibly due to among-site rate heterogeneity and composition bias; higher divergences occur only in association with shifts in composition. Surprisingly, the few nonsynonymous changes appear no more phylogenetically reliable than synonymous changes. Signal strength for basal divergences is weak and fails to improve with character weighting; thus, dense taxon sampling is probably needed for strong inference from EF-1 alpha regarding deeper splits in Noctuoidea (probably early Tertiary). EF-1 alpha synonymous changes show promise for phylogeny reconstruction within Noctuidae and other groups of Tertiary age.      

Catalogue of neritic-benthonic echinoderms (Echinodermata: Crinoidea, Echinoidea, Holothuroidea) from the Cuban Archipelago

This is an updated taxonomic catalogue of neritic-benthonic Echinodermata (Crinoidea, Echinoidea, Holothuroidea) from Cuba, that includes locality, range, habitat and depth where each species is found. The species list is based on the collections of the Oceanology Institute; Havana, and the "Felipe Poey" Museum (Havana University) Specimens for those collections were captured by a variety of field techniques, narcotized with Cloral hydrate, fixed in formalin and stored in 70-80% alcohol. A total of 53 species were recorded (eight Crinoids, 22 Echinoids and 23 Holothuroids), in 37 genera, 19 families and 12 orders. Ocnus suspectus (Ludwig, 1874) and Phyllophorus (Urodemella) occidentalis (Ludwig, 1885) are new records for Cuban waters.     

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 (Alphéraky, 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.     

A new molecular phylogeny offers hope for a stable family level classification of the Noctuoidea (Lepidoptera)

Zahiri, R., Kitching, I. J., Lafontaine, J. D., Mutanen, M., Kaila, L., Holloway, J. D. & Wahlberg, N. (2010). A new molecular phylogeny offers hope for a stable family level classification of the Noctuoidea (Lepidoptera). —Zoologica Scripta, 40, 158–173. To examine the higher level phylogeny and evolutionary affinities of the megadiverse superfamily Noctuoidea, an extensive molecular systematic study was undertaken with special emphasis on Noctuidae, the most controversial group in Noctuoidea and arguably the entire Lepidoptera. DNA sequence data for one mitochondrial gene (cytochrome oxidase subunit I) and seven nuclear genes (Elongation Factor‐1α, wingless, Ribosomal protein S5, Isocitrate dehydrogenase, Cytosolic malate dehydrogenase, Glyceraldehyde‐3‐phosphate dehydrogenase and Carbamoylphosphate synthase domain protein) were analysed for 152 taxa of principally type genera/species for family group taxa. Data matrices (6407 bp total) were analysed by parsimony with equal weighting and model‐based evolutionary methods (maximum likelihood), which revealed a new high‐level phylogenetic hypothesis comprising six major, well‐supported lineages that we here interpret as families: Oenosandridae, Notodontidae, Erebidae, Nolidae, Euteliidae and Noctuidae.     

A SPECIFIC CHECK LIST OF THE BIRDS OF GREECE.

This paper consists of a catalogue of all species known to occur in Greece. Indications are given of the status, distribution and relative abundance of all these (except rare vagrants and accidentals), in the north, centre and south of the country, and of the habitat or habitats in which they are generally found. The notes on each species are based on the studies mentioned in the list of references and on personal knowledge of the country gained during three years' residence from 1952–1955.     

Mitochondrial genome characteristics of Somena scintillans (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) and comparation with other Noctuoidea insects

In this study, mitogenome of Somena scintillans (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) were sequenced and compared with other Noctuoidea species. The mitogenome is 15,410 base pairs in length. All 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs) are initiated by ATN codons except cox1 with CGA and all of PCGs terminate with TAA except nad4 with TAG. The codons ACG and CGC are absent. All the tRNA genes could be folded into the typical cloverleaf secondary structure except the trnS1 which not only loses dihydrouridine (DHU) arm but also mutates its anticodon into TCT. In the AT-rich region of the mitogenome the motif ‘ATAGA’ mutates to ‘ATATA’ and two copies of 161 bp-tandem repeats and two ‘TA’ short tandem repeats are founded. Phylogenetic analyses showed that S. scintillans is clustered into subfamily Lymatriinae. The phylogenetic relationships within Noctuoidea is (((Nolidae + (Euteliidae + Noctuidae)) + Erebidae) + Notodontidae)