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

斜纹夜蛾是一种多种多样的口鼻蛾属，带有毛虫，专门捕食含有有毒化学物质的灌木。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，显然是为了求爱。该项目的两个目标是对斜生菊科物种的分类进行修订，并详细研究它们的形态结构。研究人员将评估广阔地理区域标本的差异，描述10-20个科学新物种，并重新描述西半球已知的20个物种。将使用解剖学和形态学来检验求爱结构的起源和变异的假说。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，以最大限度地覆盖地理范围。一项图文并茂的研究准确地定义了物种及其关系，并使识别成为可能，这将促进生态和种群层面的研究。对形态的分析将引发其他领域的发现，如发育生物学和行为生物学。产品将包括一个标本数据和图像的在线数据库，这将有助于这种稀有的北美本土物种的保护规划。两名本科生将接受识别、解剖和成象方面的培训。与学生合著的论文将向他们介绍科学出版物。

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.