Sangmi Lee

Arizona State University | ASU · School of Life Sciences

The State of Arizona in the south-western United States supports a high diversity of insects. Digitised occurrence records, especially from preserved specimens in natural history collections, are an important and growing resource to understand biodiversity and biogeography. Underlying bias in how insects are collected and what that means for interp...

The state of Arizona in the southwestern United States supports a high diversity of insects. Digitized occurrence records, especially from preserved specimens in natural history collections, are an important and growing resource to understand biodiversity and biogeography. Underlying bias in how insects are collected and what that means for interpr...

A new species of Aristotelia is proposed from sandy habitats in Texas, Colorado, and Kansas. Illustrations are provided of the imago and genitalia of the male and female.

While bees are critical to sustaining a large proportion of global food production, as well as pollinating both wild and cultivated plants, they are decreasing in both numbers and diversity. Our understanding of the factors driving these declines is limited, in part, because we lack sufficient data on the distribution of bee species to predict chan...

Bees are the most important pollinators in both managed and natural ecosystems, and yet concerns about bee declines are growing. Unfortunately, only a fraction of the 20,000 known bee species has adequate data to assess the status of species and susceptibility of populations to decline. The iDigBees Thematic Collections Network (TCN), comprised of...

Three new species of the genus Empalactis Meyrick (Empalactis backanensis Park, sp. nov., Empalactis curvatilis Park, sp. nov., and Empalactis scolosetes Park, sp. nov.) and one new species of the genus Bagdadia Amsel (Bagdadia globulibasis Park, sp. nov.) are described from the northern Vietnam. These two genera are reported for the first time fro...

Ornativalva (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is an Old World genus known to be associated with the plant genus Tamarix (Angiosperm: Tamaricaceae) which was introduced to North America and became widely distributed in the Southwestern United States. Ornativalva erubescens, introduced from the Old World, is reported from the Southwestern United States. Orn...

The Lepidoptera of North America Network, or LepNet, is a digitization effort recently launched to mobilize biodiversity data from 3 million specimens of butterflies and moths in United States natural history collections (http://www.lep-net.org/). LepNet was initially conceived as a North American effort but the project seeks collaborations with mu...

The moth Symmetrischema lavernella (Chambers) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) has two feeding strategies on its host plant Physalis Linnaeus (Solanaceae): a fruitworm that feeds on developing ovules in a fruit and a budworm that consumes a floral bud. The fruitworm strategy occurs when a neonate caterpillar enters the ovary of a flower bud above a size...

Panama has among the most diverse Lepidoptera fauna of many regions or habitats, and the micromoth family Gelechiidae (Lepidoptera) is one of the largest families of microlepidoptera in the world. However, only 6% of neotropical gelechiid species have been reported in Panama, with 49 species from 28 genera. Here, 49 species of Gelechiidae in Panama...

The South American tomato moth Tuta absoluta is a major pest targeted for biological control by entomophagous insects. Trophic interactions among parasitoids of T. absoluta and other gelechiids feeding on crop and spontaneous wild solanaceous were investigated in north‐eastern Buenos Aires (Argentina), with the aim of assisting in the design of con...

The sun is setting in the west, and it’s getting dark. I just finished hanging a white sheet on a rope between two trees, as well as ultraviolet (UV) and mercury vapor lights. Now, I am seated on a folding chair and sipping a can of beer, looking at the sheet to see if any insects fly to my lights. Finally, insects are slowly coming to the lights a...

Based on examination of the material deposited in the Hungarian Natural History Museum, one species of Oecophoridae, Acria ceramitis Meyrick, is reported for the first time from North Korea. A new locality for a species of Gelechiidae, Helcystogramma triannulella (Herrich-Schäffer), is also presented. They are reported with the synonyms, biology, d...

A new digital identification tool, “Microlepidoptera on Solanaceae” (http://idtools.org/id/leps/micro/) was developed through the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s Identification Technology Program (ITP) and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry (FDACS-DPI), with the goal of enhancin...

Knowledge on indigenous natural enemies for a given pest is essential to design biological control strategies, in a suitable and sustainable manner. For parasitoids, host plants can play a key role by providing them refuge and alternative food resources to population growth and sustainability. The general aim of this study is to maximize the action...

Launched in 2012, the NSF-supported Southwest Collection of Arthropods Network (SCAN) project (http://symbiotal.acis.ufl.edu/scan/portal/index.php) is a collaborative, virtual arthropod collections environment that has revitalized research and curating activities. The Arizona State University Hasbrouck Insect Collection (ASUHIC) began the project i...

The Arizona State University Hasbrouck Insect Collection (ASUHIC) is one of the vital Southwest Arthropod collections in America North of Mexico, providing important biological information. The principal objective of the Catalog is to give a complete list of the lepidopterous insects held in the ASUHIC. Furthermore, it will be an online catalog of...

The taxonomic focus of this digital identification tool is two groups of Microlepidoptera: the tribe Gnorimoschemini (Gelechioidea: Gelechiidae) and the Leucinodes group of Crambidae (Pyraloidea). These two taxa include numerous species that feed specifically on Solanaceae and have economic importance. Macrolepidoptera (large moths) that feed on So...

Pacificulla Park, gen. nov. related to Crocanthes Meyrick is described from New Guinea, based on the type species P. flaviagra Park, sp. nov. Five additional species are described: P. esdiparki Park, sp. nov., P. searsi Park, sp. nov., P. callisomata Park, sp. nov., P. cervicalis Park, sp. nov., and P. kekamatana Park, sp. nov. The following six ne...

We re-examine the higher level phylogeny and evolutionary affinities of the family Gelechiidae (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea) based on DNA sequence data for one mitochondrial gene (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and seven nuclear genes (Elongation Factor-1α, wingless, Ribosomal protein S5, Isocitrate dehydrogenase, Cytosolic malate dehydrogenase, Glyc...

Lepidozonates gen. nov. is described, with description of three new species: L. viciniolus Park, sp. nov. from Thailand, L. tenebrosellus Park, sp. nov. from Taiwan and L. prominens Park, sp. nov. from Cambodia and Thailand. The new genus is characterized by having the specialized plumose corematal scales developed on the pleural membrane of the ab...

Hannara Park gen. nov., related to Crocanthes Meyrick, 1886 (Gelechioidea, Lecithoceridae), is described from New Guinea, based on the type species, Hannara buloloensis Park sp. nov. and H. gentis Park sp. nov. Illustrations of adults, labial palpi, and genitalia for the described species are provided.Hannara Park gen. nov., relacionado al Crocanth...

Pubitelphusa is proposed as a new genus for Gelechia latifasciella Chambers in North America and Concubina trigonalis Park and Ponomarenko in the Palearctic Region. Pubitelphusa latifasciella, most recently assigned to Telphusa, is redescribed, and male and female genitalia are illustrated. A neotype for G. latifasciella is designated. Concubina tr...

A new species of Gelechiidae, Sinoe capsana sp. nov., is reported from southern Florida, USA. All specimens were recently caught in pheromone traps near tomato fields during an early detection survey for the tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick), a pest native to South America that does not occur in North America. Sinoe capsana sp. nov. is desc...

Surveys of moths in 10 prairie and two forest sites in the Black Belt of Mississippi that began in 1991 have resulted in the collection of 144 species of Gelechioidea representing seven families. This survey resulted in discovery of a new species of Elachistidae, Elachista ciligera, and a new genus and new species of Autostichidae, Spinitibia hodge...

Two new species of the Torodora karismata species complex, T. parakarismata Park, sp. nov. and T. sabahana Park, sp. nov., are described from Sumatra, Indonesia, and Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, respectively, and a sibling species of Torodora leucochlora (Meyrick), T. niphadodes Park, sp. nov., is described from the Philippines. The Torodora new specie...

Species of the North American genus Sinoe Chambers, 1873, are reviewed. A neotype for Anacampsis robiniella Fitch, 1859, the type species of Sinoe, is designated, and the species is redescribed. A lectotype for S. fuscopalidella Chambers, 1873 and a neotype for Gelechia robiniaefoliella Chambers, 1880, both junior synonyms of S. robiniella, are als...

“Order Lepidoptera Linnaeus, 1758. In: Zhang, Z.-Q. (Ed.) Animal biodiversity: An outline of higher-level classification and survey of taxonomic richness”.

Classification of Order Lepidoptera Linnaeus, 1758 (4 suborders) (15,578 genera, 157,424 species, 50/86)

For the kingdom Animalia, 1,552,319 species have been described in 40 phyla in a new evolutionary classification. Among these, the phylum Arthropoda alone represents 1,242,040 species, or about 80% of the total. The most successful group, the Insecta (1,020,007 species), accounts for about 66% of all animals. The most successful insect order, Coleo...

The eight species of Pseudotelphusa (Gelechiidae: Litini) are known to occur in North America. Three new species of the genus from North America are described and illustrated.

A new species of Euclemensia (Cosmopterigidae) is described from Louisiana. The imago and genitalia of the male and female are illustrated, and diagnoses are provided to differentiate the new species from the four other described species of the genus.

The three species of Symmoclnae (Autostichidae) known to occur in North America are reviewed, and imagos and male and female genitalia are illustrated. A new genus and new species of Symmoclnae are described and novel morphological characters are illustrated.

Abstract Confocal laser scanning microscopy has become a valuable tool for a wide range of investigations in the biological sciences, but its use in insect systematics has been neglected. Confocal microscopy depends on the degree of fluorescence of the examined specimens, which is aided either by fluorescent dyes or autofluorescence of the specimen...

3 To whom correspondence should be sent Abstract A checklist of Gelechiidae in America north of Mexico is provided based on additions of new taxa and nomenclatorial changes in publications since 1978. This checklist includes the addition of 253 new species and 8 new genera, 30 species and 5 genera previously unrecorded from North America, 4 species...

Abstract Phylogenetic relationships of 25 genera of Holarctic Teleiodini (Gelechiidae) are postulated based on morphology and molecular characters, including CO-I, CO-II, and 28S genes. The phylogenetic analysis of the morphology matrix yielded four equal most-parsimonious trees (length 330 steps, CI = 0.36, RI = 0.55) and a strict consensus tree (...

The 25 genera of Teleiodini (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) occurring in the Holarctic Region are revised. A new genus and new species, Arcutelphusa talladega, are described from Alabama and Mississippi, United States. Evippe Chambers (1873a) is synonymized with Agnippe Chambers (1872a), Hapalosaris Meyrick (1917) is synonymized with Coleotechnites Cham...

The 25 genera of Teleiodini (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) occurring in the Holarctic Region are revised. A new genus and new species, Arcutelphusa talladega, are described from Alabama and Mississippi, United States. Evippe Chambers (1873a) is synonymized with Agnippe Chambers (1872a), Hapalosaris Meyrick (1917) is synonymized with Coleotechnites Cham...

FIGURES 34 – 39. Male genitalia, cucullus (c), phallus (p), ventral part of gnathos (vg), saccus (s), and uncus (u). 34, Parachronistis albiceps (modified from Huemer and Karsholt, 1999). 35, Stenolechia bathrodyas (modified from Huemer and Karsholt, 1999). 36, Istrianis myricariella. 37, Schistophila laurocistella. 38, Coleotechnites florae. 39, P...

FIGURE 44 – 46. Female genitalia. 44, Glauce sp. 1. 45, Arogalea cristifasciella. 46, Telphusa sedulitella.

FIGURES 1 – 6. Characters of the head and thorax. 1, Lateral ocellus (arrow) of Exoteleia anomala. 2, Forewing of Telphusa sedulitella with scale tufts. 3, Male hindwing of Coleotechnites florae with hair pencil on anal area. 4 – 5, Clypeus. 4, Istrianis myricariella. 5, Neotelphusa querciella. 6, Posterior area of sitophore with four campaniform s...

FIGURES 49 – 50. Arcutelphusa talladega, sp. nov. 77, Male genitalia. a, tegumen (t). b, phallus (p) and valva, costal part (vc), saccular part (vs). c, vinculum (vi). 78, female genitalia, corpus bursae (cb), ductus bursae (db), ostium bursae (ob), and signum (s). Scale bar: 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 19 – 24. Characters of the labial palpi and abdomen. 19 – 20, Third segment of labial palpus. 19, Recurvaria leucatella. 20, Istrianis myricariella. 21 - 22, Male sternum VIII. Telphusa perspicua. 21, Arcutelphusa talladega sp. nov., 22. Coleotechnites sp. 1, 23 – 24. Male tergum VIII. 23, Teleiopsis diffinis. ahp = anterolateral hair penci...

FIGURES 30 – 33. Male genitalia, internal duct (id), costal part of valva (vc), and saccular part of valva (vs). 30, Exoteleia dodecella. a, tegumen. b, vinculum and valva. c, phallus. 31, Pseudotelphusa basifasciella. a, tegumen. b, vinculum, valva, and phallus. 32, Xenolechia ontariensis. 33, Argyrolacia bifida.

FIGURES 40 – 43. Female genitalia. 40, Agnippe crinella. 41, Pseudotelphusa betulella. 42, Teleiopsis diffinis. 43, Stenolechia gemmella.

FIGURE 47 – 48. Female genitalia. 47, Sinoe robiniella. 48, Argyrolacia bifida.

FIGURES 51 – 58. Imagos. 51. Agnippe crinella. 52, Agnippe prunifoliella. 53, Glauce pectenalaeella. 54, Telphusa longifasciella. 55, Arogalea cristifasciella. 56, Sinoe robiniella. 57, Recurvaria nanella. 58, Exoteleia dodecella.

FIGURES 7 – 18. Wing venation. 7 – 14, Forewing. 7, Sinoe robiniella. ps = pterostigma. 8, Carpatolechia sp. 1. 9, Arogalea cristifasciella. 10, Agnippe sp. 1. 11, Stenolechia gemmella. 12, Parastenolechia nigrinotella. 13, Parachronistis albiceps. 14, Arcutelphusa talladega, sp. nov., 15 – 18, Hindwing. 15, Agnippe sp. 1. 16, Sinoe robiniella. 17,...

FIGURES 25 – 29. Male genitalia, basal articulation (ba), dorsal gnathos (dg), ventral gnathos (vg), and uncus (u). 25, Agnippe sp. 1. 26, Glauce sp. 1. 27, Arogalea cristifasciella. 28, Telphusa sedulitella. a, tegumen. b, vinculum and phallus. 29, Sinoe robiniella. a, tegumen. b, phallus. c, vinculum.

A new method is described for preparing slide mounts of whole bodies of microlepidoptera to facilitate comparative morphological studies. This method conserves traditional characters of wing pattern while revealing wing venation and other morphological structures of the denuded body. Examples of new characters revealed on slide mounts of whole bodi...

The male genitalia of Dichomeris illusio Hodges and D. mimesis Hodges are described and illustrated. New distribution records for these species are provided.