DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Systematics of Cloud-forest Moths: Revision of Cliniodes (Lepid.: Crambidae)

Cliniodes是一个不同的属的吻蛾与毛虫，专门对灌木有毒化学品。 雄性有一种独特的发声机制，由巨大的鳞片或修饰过的毛发组成，显然是为了求偶。 本计画的两个目标是对斜钩蛾属物种进行分类学修订，并详细研究其形态结构。 研究人员将评估标本在广泛的地理区域的变化，描述10-20个新的科学物种，并重新描述来自西半球的20个已知物种。 解剖学和形态学将用于测试求偶结构的起源和变异的假设。将参观巴西、法国、德国、荷兰、墨西哥和其他地方的博物馆藏品，以最大限度地扩大地理覆盖范围。 一个有插图的研究，准确地定义物种及其关系，并使识别将促进生态和人口水平的研究。 形态学的分析将引出其他领域的发现，如发育和行为生物学。 产品将包括一个标本数据和图像的在线数据库，这将有助于保护稀有的北美本土物种的计划。 两名本科生将接受识别，解剖和蛾成像的培训。 与学生合著的论文将介绍他们的科学出版物。

Cliniodes is a diverse genus of snout moths with caterpillars that specialize on shrubs with toxic chemicals. Males have a unique sound-producing mechanism consisting of giant scales or modified hairs, apparently for courtship. The two goals of this project are a taxonomic revision of Cliniodes species and detailed study of their morphological structures. The researcher will assess variation in specimens across broad geographic areas, describe 10-20 species new to science, and re-describe the 20 known species from the Western Hemisphere. Anatomy and morphology will be used in testing hypotheses of the origin of and variation in the courtship structures.Museum collections in Brazil, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Mexico and elsewhere will be visited to maximize geographic coverage. An illustrated study that accurately defines species and their relationships and enables identification will facilitate ecological and population-level studies. Analysis of morphology will elicit discoveries in other fields such as developmental and behavioral biology. Products will include an on-line database of specimen data and images, which will aid conservation planning for the rare native North American species. Two undergraduate students will receive training in identification, dissection, and imaging of moths. Papers coauthored with the students will introduce them to scientific publication.