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Annotated checklist of the moths and butterflies (Lepidoptera) of Canada and Alaska
Abstract
A definitive species list is the foundation of biodiversity and conservation work. As we deal with massive climatic changes in the Anthropocene, knowing which species make up our diverse ecosystems will be critically important if we wish to protect and restore them.
The Lepidoptera, moths and butterflies, are the fourth-largest insect order in terms of global diversity, with approximately 158,000 described species. Here we report the distributions of 5431 species that occur in Canada and Alaska, as well as 53 species that have been reported from the region but not yet verified. Additionally, 19 species are listed as interceptions or unsuccessful introductions, and 52 species are listed as probably occurring in the region.
The list is based on records from taxonomic papers, historical regional checklists, and specimen data from collections and online databases. All valid species and their synonyms, and all Nearctic subspecies and synonyms are included, except for butterfly subspecies (and their synonyms) that have never been reported from the region. The list is presented in taxonomic order, with the author, date of description, and original genus provided for each name.
... Among these, Phthorimaea operculella (Zeller) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), the potato tuber moth and Plutella armoraciae Busck (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) occur in Canada. Phthorimaea operculella is resident in British Columbia, Manitoba, and Ontario, and within human environments in Québec (Pohl et al. 2018). However, the association of D. insulare with P. operculella is based on a single record (Izhevskiy 1985, as cited in Yu et al. 2016) and may be a misidentification of Diadegma pulchripes (Kokujev) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), which is a known associate in the Palaearctic region (Coll et al. 2000;Pucci et al. 2003;Rondon 2010). ...
... Hellula undalis (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), the cabbage or Old World webworm, was reported by Sourakov and Mitchell (2020) as a host of D. insulare. However, this may be a misidentification of the cabbageworm Hellula rogatalis (Hulst) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) (Schmidt, personal communication), which sporadically occurs in eastern provinces and may be resident in southern parts of Québec and Ontario (Pohl et al. 2018). ...
... For example, Murillo et al. (2012) reared Microplitis alaskensis Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) among nine primary parasitoids from T. ni in southwestern Ontario but not M. plutellae. Pieris rapae is present in all Canadian provinces and territories except the Yukon (Pohl et al. 2018). Microplitis plutellae is not listed among the 50 parasitoid species associated with P. rapae in the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International Invasive Species (2020) Compendium. ...
Diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (Linnaeus) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), a globally important pest of Brassicaceae crops, migrates into all provinces of Canada annually. Life tables were used to determine the mortality levels contributed by the parasitoid complexes associated with diamondback moth in British Columbia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and insular Newfoundland. Overall, diamondback moth populations showed high generational mortality (> 90%) in all provinces, although parasitism levels were generally low. The net reproductive rate of increase in diamondback moth was less than 1.0 (populations declined) in both years in British Columbia and in each of two years in Newfoundland and Ontario, but it was greater than 1.0 in all three years in Prince Edward Island. Lower parasitism levels were found in Prince Edward Island (3.0–6.3%) compared with other provinces (8.4–17.6%, except one year in British Columbia). Diadegma insulare was the main larval parasitoid found; it was present in all provinces. Microplitis plutellae was present in all provinces except British Columbia. Oomyzus sokolowskii was found in British Columbia and Ontario. The parasitoid community documented from sentinel sampling was less diverse than that found through destructive sampling. Hypotheses are provided to explain the presence of major parasitoids. Increasing larval parasitism would have the largest effect on diamondback moth population growth in Canada.
... Recently the species has been reported for the first time from Croatia (Šumpich, 2013). Chrysoesthia sexguttella is listed for the lepidopteran fauna of Turkey (Koçak & Kemal, 2009), reported from Kashmir Himalaya, India (Razak et al., 2011) and introduced to North America (Pohl et al., 2018). Also from Japan a new species C. heringi (Kuroko, 1961) has been described, which is similar to C. sexguttella (Kuroko, 1961). ...
Chrysoesthia sexguttella (Thunberg, 1794) is reported for the first time from Bulgaria. The species was found on Spinacia oleracea in Vinarovo Village, Vidin Province, Northwestern Bulgaria. Set moth and female genitalia are illustrated.
... Lepidopteran nomenclature follows Pohl et al. (2018) primarily and GBIF.org (Global Biodiversity Information Facility 2021) secondarily. ...
The Poweshiek skipperling ( Oarisma poweshiek ) is endemic to the tall grass prairie in North America and is now critically endangered globally. Existing populations are scattered among tall grass prairie remnants. However, the host food plants eaten by Poweshiek skipperling larvae, the vegetative and microclimatic descriptions of immature and adult microhabitats, and O. poweshiek behaviour in Manitoba are unknown. We followed Poweshiek skipperling adults in their natural habitat to locate microhabitats where eggs were laid and to observe larval foraging behaviour and development. We measured vegetative, structural, and microclimatic characteristics of microhabitats used by immatures and documented the host species larvae consumed, their general behaviour (on plants; movement within microhabitats), and their developmental schedules. Larvae ate Andropogon gerardi , Muhlenbergia richardsonis , Sporobolus heterolepis , and Schizachyrium scoparium (all Poaceae) in natural tall grass prairie. Larvae appeared to navigate microhabitats to locate host food plants, alternating between shoots of various species throughout their development. Microhabitats seemed to be more open, with drier microclimates, than areas where eggs were not laid. This improved understanding of larval feeding patterns, adult behaviours, and microhabitat attributes may help local grassland stewards and researchers reduce the list of possible causes of decline and identify potential solutions to recover the Poweshiek skipperling.
Delimitation of allopatric populations into species remains subjective and largely arbitrary. Many cold-adapted species from the subarctic and Central and Southern European Mountain systems display frequent allopatry with disjunct distributions of their populations. The same concerns Holarctic species which are many and which almost regularly show various degrees of differentiation between the continents. In this study, we analyze high-throughput target enrichment data for ten groups of arctic-alpine and Holarctic lepidopteran species sampled from four main regions across the Holarctic realm: Fennoscandia, North America, Alps and Altai. We first aimed to assess whether the genetic differences in the nuclear genome reflect observed DNA barcode divergences and second, whether the gap between population and species-level differences can be dissected using genomic data. We compared the phylogenetic trees and uncorrected pairwise genetic distances obtained from target enrichment and the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) barcodes for each of the study species. Additionally, we also performed a suite of population genetic and species delimitation analyses to further shed light on patterns of intraspecific variation using a large number of nuclear markers. We observed that in about one half of the cases, DNA barcodes tended to show phylogenetic relationships similar to the target enrichment markers. We report varying levels of nuclear genetic differentiation among the populations analyzed, starting from low differentiation of geographically separated populations to the deeper separation of some Nearctic population and further arctic-alpine disjunction. Given that no single consistent pattern emerged across different case studies, we demonstrate that the delimitation of allopatric populations into species could be done much more efficiently and in a consistent manner if based on a large set of universal genetic loci, which would help in reaching standards for taxonomic delimitation of allopatric populations.
The Mottled duskywing (Erynnis martialis) butterfly is endangered, living in pine forests and oak barrens in Canada and the eastern United States of America. While host plants and larval behaviour is documented in Mottled duskywing’s eastern range, these life components are poorly known in Manitoba. We observed adult behaviour, host plant species used and larval foraging to better understand these biological aspects of E. martialis. We observed eggs laid exclusively on Ceanothus herbaceus, and larvae consuming C. herbaceus in leaf shelters near the periphery of plants. Early instar larvae tied leaves together with cells of silk creating partly open shelters while later instar larvae completely sealed shelters. Shelters constructed out of young leaves at the edge of plants are likely easier to digest. Later-instar larvae may nocturnally harvest food to consume in shelters during the day to reduce predation risk. Larvae were found in clearings adjacent to Pinus banksiana dominated forests, with these openings likely providing suitable microhabitats for egg development and larval feeding. We observed newly emerged adults during weeks 1 to 5 of the flight period; eggs, larvae and adults overlapped. We recommend direct observations of larval foraging—during the day and night, as well as transitions into and out of diapause—to more accurately describe their behaviour and physiology. We started to characterise microhabitats, however further research is needed. Our research may help to guide critical habitat designations, leading to successful Mottled duskywing recovery in Manitoba.
A new species of the genus Paranthrene Hbn. is described from Eastern Canada. We summarize its known distribution and present hypotheses on its biology and mimicry.
Beach plum, Prunus maritima Marshall, 1785 not Wangenh., 1787 (Rosaceae), currently under development as a potential crop, represents an under-acknowledged host plant for several Lepidoptera that have undergone declines in the northeastern USA. The Coastal Heathland Cutworm, Abagrotis nefascia (Smith, 1908), and the Dune Noctuid, Sympistis riparia (Morrison, 1875), are unrelated species of psammophilic noctuines (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) regularly encountered on a localized basis in coastal southern New England and New York, and whose precise life history requirements are undocumented. We inferred and, based on field observation and rearing, corroborated beach plum as a larval host for these species in Massachusetts; the plant’s role in sustaining other moths with limited or contracting regional distributions is discussed. Sympistis riparia, belonging to a widely distributed complex of closely related species, has been associated specifically with both maritime and freshwater dunes. The eastern populations of Abagrotis nefascia represent a conspicuous range disjunction, separated from the nearest western populations by more than 2000 miles, and originally described by Franclemont as race benjamini of A. crumbi, both later synonymized with A. nefascia. Following examination of types and other material, an evaluation of putatively diagnostic features from both the original description and our own observations, genitalic characters, and the results of provisional barcode analyses, Abagrotis benjamini Franclemont, stat. rev., is elevated to the rank of a valid species rather than representing eastern populations of Abagrotis nefascia (=crumbi) to which it originally referred.