Phylogeny of Tiger Moths (Arctiidae) and Evolution of Courtship & Defense Behaviors

蛾科为研究自然选择和性选择在求爱和防御行为形成中的相对作用提供了一个模型系统。在它们的进化过程中，两种不同的防御信号（警告和超声波）被独立地纳入了求偶行为。植物衍生的化学物质被隔离并用于幼虫和成虫的防御，其中一类，吡咯利西啶生物碱，已被纳入许多物种的雄性求爱信息素中。另一种防御信号是超声波，成年蝙蝠用它来阻止蝙蝠捕食。第二种防御模式随后被纳入某些北极虫的求偶行为中。迄今为止，由于缺乏对虎蛾科所有分类水平的现代系统研究，我们研究虎蛾防御和交配信号进化的能力受到了阻碍。拟议的工作将包括修订系统和比较生物学的组成部分。将获得北极蛙雄性求偶和超声波产生结构的精确描述，并利用这些数据和其他数据导出系统树。

The moth family Arctiidae represents a model system for investigating the relative roles of natural and sexual selection in molding courtship and defensive behaviors. During their evolution, two different defense signals (aposematism, ultrasound) have been incorporated independently into courtship behaviors. Plant derived chemicals are sequestered and used for defense in larvae and adults, and one class of these, pyrrolizidine alkaloids, have been incorporated into male courtship pheromones in many species. Another defense signal, ultrasound, is used by adults to deter bat predation. The second defense mode is then incorporated into courtship behaviors of some arctiid species. To date, our ability to study the evolution of tiger moth defense and mating signals has been hampered by the lack of modern systematic studies at all taxonomic levels of the family. The proposed work will comprise revisionary systematic and comparative biology components. Precise descriptions of arctiid male courtship and ultrasound producing structures will be obtained, and systematic tree derived using these and other data.