Phylogenetics of Life History and Development in Bombycoidea [Lepidoptera]

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A grant has been awarded to Drs. Charles Mitter and Jerome Regier of the University of Maryland, Dr. Richard Peigler of the University of the Incarnate Word, and Dr. Ian Kitching of the Natural History Museum (London) to study the evolution of moths in the superfamily Bombycoidea, the silkmoths, hornworms, and relatives. A relatively new source of evidence, DNA sequences in the cell nucleus that encode proteins, will be used to reconstruct the major branches of the phylogeny (= evolutionary tree) of these moths. The phylogeny will then be used in two kinds of evolutionary studies. The first will test hypotheses about the evolution of food plant use, including the postulate that in species evolving a short-lived, non-feeding adult moth, unlike the typical habit of drinking nectar with a long proboscis, the caterpillars are likely to feed on large, easy-to-find plant species, or on many different plant species, or both. The second study will address the genetic and developmental basis of anatomical "innovations" during evolution, using a novel surface structure on the eggshell of some wild silkmoth species as a model. This work is part of long-term effort to reconstruct the phylogeny of the mega-diverse insect order Lepidoptera (~160,000 known species). Lepidoptera play a major role in terrestrial ecosystems, as herbivores, pollinators, and food for birds and many other animals. They include innumerable crop pest species, and provide model systems for fundamental studies of ecology, genetics, and physiology. A reliable phylogeny will be an essential tool for organizing and guiding research on Lepidoptera, including the search for environmentally sound pest management strategies. A phylogeny is also prerequisite for understanding the spectacular diversification of lepidopteran species and their key ecological features such as specialization on different food plants.