Presence and distribution of sensory structures on the mouthparts of self-medicating moths

Unique structures often accompany unusual feeding behaviors in erebid moths. We test whether self-medicating (e.g., pharmacophagous) adult tiger moths have specialized structures on their mouthparts. We examined mouthparts of pharmacophagous and non-pharmacophagous adults using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Self-medicating adults had significantly higher numbers of chemosensory structures when compared with non-self-medicating adults. Putative olfactory sensilla are reported on the proboscis of Nyctemera coleta and pollen grains were found adhered to the proboscis of Nyctemera secundiana. Sensilla on the observed tiger moth proboscides may play a role in the recognition of pyrrolizidine alkaloid plants by pharmacophagous adults.     

Presence and distribution of sensory structures on the mouthparts of self-medicating moths

Unique structures often accompany unusual feeding behaviors in erebid moths. We test whether self-medicating (e.g., pharmacophagous) adult tiger moths have specialized structures on their mouthparts. We examined mouthparts of pharmacophagous and non-pharmacophagous adults using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Self-medicating adults had significantly higher numbers of chemosensory structures when compared with non-self-medicating adults. Putative olfactory sensilla are reported on the proboscis of Nyctemera coleta and pollen grains were found adhered to the proboscis of Nyctemera secundiana. Sensilla on the observed tiger moth proboscides may play a role in the recognition of pyrrolizidine alkaloid plants by pharmacophagous adults.     

Acoustic Aposematism and Evasive Action in Select Chemically Defended Arctiine (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) Species: Nonchalant or Not?

Tiger moths (Erebidae: Arctiinae) have experienced intense selective pressure from echolocating, insectivorous bats for over 65 million years. One outcome has been the evolution of acoustic signals that advertise the presence of toxins sequestered from the moths’ larval host plants, i.e. acoustic aposematism. Little is known about the effectiveness of tiger moth anti-bat sounds in their natural environments. We used multiple infrared cameras to reconstruct bat-moth interactions in three-dimensional (3-D) space to examine how functional sound-producing organs called tymbals affect predation of two chemically defended tiger moth species: Pygarctia roseicapitis (Arctiini) and Cisthene martini (Lithosiini). P. roseicapitis and C. martini with intact tymbals were 1.8 and 1.6 times less likely to be captured by bats relative to those rendered silent. 3-D flight path and acoustic analyses indicated that bats actively avoided capturing sound-producing moths. Clicking behavior differed between the two tiger moth species, with P. roseicapitis responding in an earlier phase of bat attack. Evasive flight behavior in response to bat attacks was markedly different between the two tiger moth species. P. roseicapitis frequently paired evasive dives with aposematic sound production. C. martini were considerably more nonchalant and employed evasion in fewer interactions. Our results show that acoustic aposematism is effective at deterring bat predation in a natural context and that this strategy is likely to be the ancestral function of tymbal organs within the Arctiinae.     

Grazers, shredders and filtering carnivores--the evolution of feeding ecology in Drusinae (Trichoptera: Limnephilidae): insights from a molecular phylogeny

We examined the phylogenetic relationships between species and genera within the caddisfly subfamily Drusinae (Trichoptera: Limnephilidae) using sequence data from two mitochondrial loci (cytochrome oxidase 1, large subunit rRNA) and one nuclear gene (wingless). Sequence data were analysed for 28 species from five genera from the subfamily. We analysed individual and combined data sets using a Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo and a maximum parsimony approach and compared the performance of each partition for resolving phylogenetic relationships at this level. In terms of resolution and phylogenetic utility wingless outperformed the two mitochondrial gene partitions. Using both Shimodaira-Hasegawa and expected likelihood weights tests we tested several hypotheses of relationships previously inferred based on adult morphological characters. The data did not support the generic concept, or many previously proposed species groupings, based on adult morphology. In contrast, the molecular data correlated with the morphology and feeding ecology of larvae. Using Bayesian ancestral character state reconstructions we inferred the evolution of feeding ecology and relevant larval morphological characters. Our analyses showed that within the subfamily Drusinae two derived feeding types evolved. One of these--grazing epilithic algae--is otherwise unusual in the Limnephilidae and may have promoted the high degree of diversity in the Drusinae.     

Analysis of insect distribution in the Northern Hemisphere by the example of the subfamily Arctiinae (Lepidoptera,Arctiidae). 1. Genus level

An attempt is made to apply cluster analysis to comparison of local faunas in the Northern Hemisphere at the genus level by the example of the subfamily Arctiinae (Lepidoptera, Arctiidae). A total of 200 North African, Eurasian (to New Guinea inclusive), and North American (north of the United Mexican States) local faunas have been considered. It is found that the arctic fauna is clearly detached from the Palearctic and Nearctic faunas, being closer to the former. Therefore, it is not reasonable to recognize the united European-Canadian subprovince of the boreal province according to the tiger moth faunas. The Palearctic tiger moth fauna is characterized by relatively smooth variations within the boreal, subboreal, and western subtropical belts. The boundary between the Palearctic and the Oriental (Indo-Malayan) provinces should be drawn north of the Yangtze catchment area. The most dramatic fauna change at the genus level takes place between North and Northeast China. It is reasonable to recognize a broad transition area between the two zoogeographic provinces in Eastern Asia. On the grounds of the nonuniform tiger moth fauna, the South Chinese-East Himalayan subprovince should be assigned to the Oriental (Indo-Malayan) province rather than the Palearctic, as was repeatedly proposed. The Southwest-Asian fauna (Arabian Peninsula and southern Iran) is transitional between the Palearctic, African, and Oriental ones. Many African genera reach the west and south of the Arabian Peninsula, whereas Oriental and Paleotropical genera reach southern Iran.     

Analysis of insect distribution in the Northern Hemisphere by the example of the subfamily Arctiinae (Lepidoptera,Arctiidae). 2. Species level

An attempt is made to apply cluster analysis to comparison of local faunas in the Northern Hemisphere at the species level by the example of the subfamily Arctiinae (Lepidoptera, Arctiidae). A total of 200 North African, Eurasian (New Guinea inclusive), and North American (north of the United Mexican States) local faunas have been considered. It is found that the circumarctic fauna is clearly separated from the Palearctic and Nearctic ones, being closer to the former only at the level of genera. Therefore, it is not reasonable to recognize the united European-Canadian subprovince of the boreal belt according to the tiger moth faunas. The Palearctic tiger moth fauna is characterized by relatively smooth variations within the boreal, subboreal, and western subtropical belts. The fauna gradually changes from the Amur catchment area to South China, Himalayas, and India so that all fauna types of these regions are closely related to one another and, to a lesser extent, to equatorial fauna types of Southeast Asia islands. The boundary between the Palearctic and Oriental (Indo-Malayan) provinces should be drawn north of the Yangtze catchment area. The most dramatic fauna change at the species level takes place between North China and the Yangtze catchment, and at the genus level, between Northern and Northeastern China. It is reasonable to establish a broad transition area between the two zoogeographic provinces in Eastern Asia. On the grounds of the nonuniform tiger moth fauna, the South Chinese-East Himalayan subprovince should be assigned to the Oriental (Indo-Malayan) province rather than the Palearctic one, as was repeatedly proposed. The Southwest-Asian fauna (Arabian Peninsula and southern Iran) is transitional between the Palearctic, African, and Oriental ones. Many African taxa penetrate to the west and south of the Arabian Peninsula, whereas Oriental and Paleotropical species penetrate to southern Iran. It is reasonable to elevate considerably the rank of the Quinghai-Tibet highland fauna by distinguishing its habitat as a separate zoogeographic subprovince, because the similarity between this fauna type and any other Palearctic fauna at the species level is much less than between temperate faunas of the Palearctic and Nearctic. The assignment of this fauna to the Palearctic is confirmed only at the genus level.     

Phylogeny of the Aphnaeinae: myrmecophilous African butterflies with carnivorous and herbivorous life histories

The Aphnaeinae (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) are a largely African subfamily of 278 described species that exhibit extraordinary life‐history variation. The larvae of these butterflies typically form mutualistic associations with ants, and feed on a wide variety of plants, including 23 families in 19 orders. However, at least one species in each of 9 of the 17 genera is aphytophagous, parasitically feeding on the eggs, brood or regurgitations of ants. This diversity in diet and type of symbiotic association makes the phylogenetic relations of the Aphnaeinae of particular interest. A phylogenetic hypothesis for the Aphnaeinae was inferred from 4.4 kb covering the mitochondrial marker COI and five nuclear markers (wg, H3, CAD, GAPDH and EF1α) for each of 79 ingroup taxa representing 15 of the 17 currently recognized genera, as well as three outgroup taxa. Maximum Parsimony, Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference analyses all support Heath's systematic revision of the clade based on morphological characters. Ancestral range inference suggests an African origin for the subfamily with a single dispersal into Asia. The common ancestor of the aphnaeines likely associated with myrmicine ants in the genus Crematogaster and plants of the order Fabales.     

Biology and Host Range of the Hawk Moth Nephele densoi Keferstein (Lep.: Sphingidae), a Potential Agent for the Biological Control of Rubbervine Cryptostegia grandiflora R. Br. (Asclepiadaceae)

The larvae of the hawk moth, Nephele densoi Keferstein, feed on the leaves of Cryptostegia grandiflora R. Br. in Madagascar. Host-specificity tests showed that feeding by N. densoi is restricted to plants in the families Asclepiadaceae (subfamily Periplocoideae), Apocynaceae and Moraceae, but only plants in the subfamily Periplocoideae supported larval development. The comparatively wide host range contrasts with the narrow host range demonstrated for the Australian moth N. subvaria (Walker). The possible evolution of host plant specialization in this genus is discussed.     

Convergent evolution of cucurbitacin feeding in spatially isolated rootworm taxa (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae; Galerucinae,Luperini)

Historically, chemical ecologists assumed that cucurbitacin feeding and sequestration in rootworm leaf beetles is a remnant of an ancient association between the Luperini (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae; Galerucinae) and Cucurbitaceae (ancestral host hypothesis). Under this premise, rootworms that do not develop on cucurbits but undergo pharmacophagous forays for cucurbitacins are thought to do so to supplement novel host diets that lack these bitter compounds. The ancestral host hypothesis is supported from studies of pyrrolizidine alkaloid pharmacophagy in Lepidoptera but has not been subjected to phylogenetic analysis within the Luperini. New evidence that this feeding behavior is better correlated with an adult affinity for pollen than with larval host offers the possibility that Old and New World rootworm species with an affinity for cucurbitacins converged on this behavior through apomorphic taste receptor modifications (loose receptor hypothesis). Here we test the monophyly of cucurbitacin feeding within the Luperini by using nuclear and mitochondrial sequence data to infer phylogenetic relationships among 49 taxa representing tribes of the Galerucinae and subtribes of the Luperini. The resulting phylogenetic hypothesis is mostly concordant with existing tribal and subtribal delineations within the Subfamily Galerucinae sensu stricto (Galerucinae not including the flea beetles). The establishment of ancestry among the subtribes of the Luperini refutes the monophyly of cucurbitacin feeding and cucurbit specialization, with the New World Diabroticina being paraphyletic to the Old World Aulacophorina and cosmopolitan Luperina. These data unambiguously support the convergent evolution of cucurbitacin feeding in rootworms and are inconsistent with the ancestral host hypothesis.     

Systematic position of Lythriini revised: transferred from Larentiinae to Sterrhinae (Lepidoptera, Geometridae)

The tribe Lythriini is a small group of diurnally active geometrid moths consisting of a single Palaearctic genus Lythria with five species. The systematic placement of Lythriini has remained controversial: though traditionally it has been placed into the subfamily Larentiinae, a number of morphological characters link this tribe with the subfamily Sterrhinae. A molecular phylogenetic study was conducted to verify the systematic position of Lythriini, using sequences of both mitochondrial and nuclear genes: elongation factor 1α ( EF-1α ), wingless ( wgl ), 28S rRNA expansion segment D2 ( 28S D2 ), cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 ( COI ) and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 ( ND1 ) (a total of 3784 bp). Phylogenetic analysis reliably demonstrated that Lythriini belong to the subfamily Sterrhinae. Therefore, we propose to remove tribe Lythriini from Larentiinae and unite it with Sterrhinae. Moreover, our analysis supports the monophyly of both Sterrhinae and Larentiinae. However, although both morphological data and interspecific genetic distances insinuated that Lythria cruentaria and L. sanguinaria are sister species, the latter formed a clade of sister taxa together with L. purpuraria .     

Phylogeny of Syrphidae (Diptera) inferred from combined analysis of molecular and morphological characters

Abstract.  Syrphidae (Diptera) commonly called hoverflies, includes more than 5000 species world-wide. The aim of this study was to address the systematic position of the disputed elements in the intrafamilial classification of Syrphidae, namely the monophyly of Eristalinae and the placement of Microdontini and Pipizini, as well as the position of particular genera ( Nausigaster , Alipumilio , Spheginobaccha ). Sequence data from nuclear 28S rRNA and mitochondrial COI genes in conjunction with larval and adult morphological characters of fifty-one syrphid taxa were analysed using optimization alignment to explore phylogenetic relationships among included taxa. A species of Platypezidae, Agathomyia unicolor , was used as outgroup, and also including one representative ( Jassidophaga villosa ) of the sister-group of Syrphidae, Pipunculidae. Sensitivity of the data was assessed under six different parameter values. A stability tree summarized the results. Microdontini, including Spheginobaccha , was placed basally, and Pipizini appeared as the sister-group to subfamily Syrphinae. The monophyly of subfamily Eristalinae was supported. The results support at least two independent origins of entomophagy in syrphids, and frequent shifts between larval feeding habitats within the saprophagous eristalines.     

从12S rRNA基因部分序列探讨络新妇亚科升格为科级阶元的有效性

络新妇亚科曾归入园蛛科,后改为属于肖蛸科,目前又升格为科级阶元。为对络新妇亚科的分类地位作进一步研究,测定了9种蜘蛛线粒体12SrRNA基因的部分序列;另外还从GenBank检索到17种蜘蛛的12SrRNA基因的的相应序列。基于12SrRNA基因序列进行的分子系统发生分析结果表明络新妇亚科即不属于园蛛科、也不属于肖蛸科,而是与肖蛸科或园蛛科均无直接关联的独立支系,这个结果证实了将络新妇亚科升格为科级阶元的有效性。     

A molecular phylogenetic analysis of the vampire moths and their fruit-piercing relatives (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Calpinae)

Within butterflies and moths, adult hematophagy is limited to species within the vampire moth genus Calyptra. These moths are placed within the subfamily Calpinae, whose other members are known to exhibit a broad range of feeding behaviors including those that can be considered 'piercers' of fruits or other hosts and 'tear feeders'. Here, we reconstruct a phylogenetic hypothesis of Calpinae using molecular data to test whether hematophagy in Calyptra arose from plant or animal-related behaviors. We use a Bayesian method of ancestral state reconstruction to determine the most likely feeding behaviors for the subtribes and genera within this lineage.     

Phylogeny of the Geometridae and the evolution of winter moths inferred from a simultaneous analysis of mitochondrial and nuclear genes

Geometridae is one of the most diverse families within the Lepidoptera, comprising nine subfamilies. Winter moths, which have a unique life history, are found in three subfamilies. To examine the phylogeny of the Geometridae at the subfamily level and determine the evolutionary history of winter moths, we constructed phylogenetic trees for all nine geometrid subfamilies using two mitochondrial and two nuclear gene sequences. Specimens of all subfamilies were sampled from Japan. Simultaneous analyses of the combined data from all genes revealed that the Geometridae comprised two major clades: one with subfamilies Larentiinae and Sterrhinae, and the other with the remaining seven subfamilies. The second clade included the largest subfamily, Ennominae, and the subfamily Archiearinae, which is traditionally considered to be an ancestral lineage of the Geometridae. The Larentiinae+Sterrhinae clade contained one winter moth lineage, and the second major clade consisted of three winter moth lineages, including Alsophilinae, which contains winter moths exclusively. Using a Bayesian inference of divergence times, we estimated that geometrids began to diverge 54 Mya (62-48 Mya), whereas winter moth lineages differentiated from non-winter moth lineages 34-12 Mya, during the global cooling events in the Oligocene and the early Miocene. The adaptation to cool climates may have been a preadaptation that facilitated the winter moth life cycle.     

Evolution of feeding habits of sap beetles (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) and placement of Calonecrinae

Nitidulidae includes some 4500 species under 350 genera in ten subfamilies, making it the most species-rich family in Cucujoidea. In this study, we present a phylogeny of the family based on five gene regions (COI, 28s, CAD, H3, Wingless) for 73 ingroup taxa representing nine of the ten currently recognized subfamilies of Nitidulidae, including the enigmatic subfamily Calonecrinae. Our results are consistent with a prior molecular study that recovered (i) paraphyletic Nitidulinae with the inclusion of Meligethinae and Cillaeinae and (ii) subfamilial status of Prometopiinae. The molecular phylogenetic position of Calonecrinae is recovered for the first time, as a sister taxon to Epuraeinae. Ancestral state reconstruction of feeding behaviour indicates that the stem group nitidulids were largely mycophagous with transitions to other feeding types independently derived.     

Molecular phylogenetics and evolutionary diversification of labyrinth fishes (Perciformes: Anabantoidei)

Labyrinth fishes (Perciformes: Anabantoidei) are primary freshwater fishes with a disjunct African-Asian distribution that exhibit a wide variety of morphological and behavioral traits. These intrinsic features make them particularly well suited for studying patterns and processes of evolutionary diversification. We reconstructed the first molecular-based phylogenetic hypothesis of anabantoid intrarelationships using both mitochondrial and nuclear nucleotide sequence data to address anabantoid evolution. The mitochondrial data set included the complete cytochrome b, partial 12S rRNA, complete tRNA Val, and partial 16S rRNA genes (3332 bp) of 57 species representing all 19 anabantoid genera. The nuclear data set included the partial RAG1 gene (1494 bp) of 21 representative species. The phylogenetic analyses of a combined (mitochondrial+nuclear) data set recovered almost fully resolved trees at the intrafamily level with different methods of phylogenetic inference. Phylogenetic relationships at this taxonomic level were compared with previous morphology-based hypotheses. In particular, the enigmatic pike-head (Luciocephalus) was confidently placed within the "spiral egg" clade, thus resolving the long-standing controversy on its relative phylogenetic position. The molecular phylogeny was used to study the evolution of the different forms of parental care within the suborder. Our results suggest that the evolution of breeding behavior in anabantoids is highly correlated with phylogeny, and that brood care evolved three times independently from an ancestral free spawning condition without parental care. Ancestral character state reconstructions under maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood further indicated that both bubble nesting and mouthbrooding have evolved recurrently during anabantoid evolution. The new phylogenetic framework was also used to test alternative biogeographic hypotheses that account for the disjunct African-Asian distribution. Molecular divergence time estimates support either a drift vicariance linked to the breakup of Gondwana or Late Mesozoic Early Tertiary dispersal from Africa to Asia or vice versa.     

Systematics and origin of moths in the subfamily Arctiinae (Lepidoptera,Erebidae) in the Neotropical region

The availability of standard protocols to obtain DNA sequences has allowed the inference of phylogenetic Hypotheses for many taxa, including moths. We here have inferred a phylogeny using maximum‐Likelihood and Bayesian approaches for a species‐rich group of moths (Erebidae, Arctiinae), with strong emphasis on Neotropical genera collected in different field campaigns in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, eastern Amazon and southern Ecuador. A total of 277 species belonging to 246 genera were included in the analysis. Our main objectives were to shed light on the relationships between suprageneric groups, especially subtribes, and hypothesize colonization events in and out of the Neotropics. The monophyly of Arctiinae and its four tribes (Lithosiini, Amerilini, Syntomini and Arctiini) was recovered in the ML and Bayesian trees. Three Lithosiini subtribes previously found and two additional species groups were recovered monophyletic in both phylogenetic estimation methods. In Arctiini, the monophyly of Spilosomina and Arctiina was highly supported in the ML and Bayesian trees, but the monophyly of Ctenuchina and Echromiina was weakly supported in the ML tree and absent in the Bayesian tree; the remaining subtribes were paraphyletic and, in the case of Phageopterina, formed several species groups. The mapping of species occurrence in our ML tree suggests that Arctiinae have an Old World origin and that the Neotropical region was colonized at least six times independently. Our analysis also suggests that a number of species that occur in Neotropical and other zoogeographic regions may have originated in the Neotropics, although further taxon sampling is required to support this hypothesis. To our knowledge, this is the first time that a highly speciose group of tropical moths is well covered in a phylogeny, and it seems plausible that the results reported here may be extendable to other species‐rich tropical undersampled moth taxa.     

Phylogenetics and host associations of Fahrenholzia sucking lice (Phthiraptera: Anoplura)

Abstract.  Mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequence data were used to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships for eleven of the twelve currently recognized species of Fahrenholzia , lice found only on rodents of the family Heteromyidae. Field collections included twenty of the thirty-three known host associations and resulted in the discovery of four new associations. Phylogenetic analyses of the mitochondrial and nuclear datasets were in general agreement, resulting in a well-resolved Fahrenholzia phylogeny. Analyses supported the monophyly of lice parasitizing the host subfamily Heteromyinae (spiny pocket mice). Lice parasitizing the genera Chaetodipus (pocket mice) and Perognathus (silky pocket mice) each represent monophyletic lineages. Phylogenetic patterns and levels of genetic differentiation suggest that the widespread Fahrenholzia pinnata may contain several cryptic species. Cryptic species may exist also within the less widely distributed species, Fahrenholzia microcephala and Fahrenholzia reducta .     

A deeper meaning for shallow-level phylogenomic studies: nested anchored hybrid enrichment offers great promise for resolving the tiger moth tree of life (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae)

Anchored hybrid enrichment (AHE) has emerged as a powerful tool for uncovering the evolutionary relationships within many taxonomic groups. AHE probe sets have been developed for a variety of insect groups, though none have yet been shown to be capable of simultaneously resolving deep and very shallow (e.g., intraspecific) divergences. In this study, we present NOC1, a new AHE probe set (730 loci) for Lepidoptera specialized for tiger moths and assess its ability to deliver phylogenetic utility at all taxonomic levels. We test the NOC1 probe set with 142 individuals from 116 species sampled from all the major lineages of Arctiinae (Erebidae), one of the most diverse groups of noctuoids (>11 000 species) for which no well-resolved, strongly supported phylogenetic hypothesis exists. Compared to previous methods, we generally recover much higher branch support (BS), resulting in the most well-supported, well-resolved phylogeny of Arctiinae to date. At the most shallow-levels, NOC1 confidently resolves species-level and intraspecific relationships and potentially uncovers cryptic species diversity within the genus Hypoprepia. We also implement a ‘sensitivity analysis’ to explore different loci combinations and site sampling strategies to determine whether a reduced probe set can yield results similar to those of the full probe set. At both deep and shallow levels, only 50–175 of the 730 loci included in the complete NOC1 probe set were necessary to resolve most relationships with high confidence, though only when the more rapidly evolving sites within each locus are included. This demonstrates that AHE probe sets can be tailored to target fewer loci without a significant reduction in BS, allowing future studies to incorporate more taxa at a lower per-sample sequencing cost. NOC1 shows great promise for resolving long-standing taxonomic issues and evolutionary questions within arctiine lineages, one of the most speciose clades within Lepidoptera.     

Moth assemblages in Costa Rica rain forest mirror small-scale topographic heterogeneity

In many tropical lowland rain forests, topographic variation increases environmental heterogeneity, thus contributing to the extraordinary biodiversity of tropical lowland forests. While a growing number of studies have addressed effects of topographic differences on tropical insect communities at regional scales (e.g., along extensive elevational gradients), surprisingly little is known about topographic effects at smaller spatial scales. The present study investigates moth assemblages in a topographically heterogeneous lowland rain forest landscape, at distances of less than a few hundred meters, in the Golfo Dulce region (SW Costa Rica). Three moth lineages—Erebidae–Arctiinae (tiger and lichen moths), the bombycoid complex, and Geometridae (inchworm moths)—were examined by means of automatic light traps in three different forest types: creek forest, slope forest, and ridge forest. Altogether, 6,543 individuals of 419 species were observed. Moth assemblages differed significantly between the three forest types regarding species richness, total abundance, and species composition. Moth richness and abundance increased more than fourfold and eightfold from creek over slope to ridge forest sites. All three taxonomic units showed identical biodiversity patterns, notwithstanding their strong differences in multiple eco-morphological traits. An indicator species analysis revealed that most species identified as characteristic were associated either with the ridge forest alone or with ridge plus slope forests, but very few with the creek forest. Despite their mobility, local moth assemblages are highly differentially filtered from the same regional species pool. Hence, variation in environmental factors significantly affects assemblages of tropical moth species at small spatial scales.