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1 June 2016 Quantifying Wing Shape and Size of Saturniid Moths with Geometric Morphometrics
Minjia Zhong
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Butterflies and moths exhibit a spectacular diver sity of wing shape and size. The extent of wing variation is particularly evident in wild silk moths (Saturniidae), which have large wing shape and size variation. Some species have jagged wing margins, rounded forewing apical lobes, or narrow hind wings with long tails, while others lack these traits entirely. Surprisingly, very little work has been done to formally quantify wing variation within the fa mily. We analyzed the hind wing shape and size of 76 saturniid species representing 52 genera across five subfamilies using geometric morphometrics. We identified fifteen landmarks that we predict can be applied to families across Lepidoptera. PCA analyses grouped saturniid hind wings into six distinct morphological clusters. These groups did not appear to follow species relatedness—some phylogenetically and genetically distantly related taxa clustered in the same morphological group. We discuss ecological factors that might have led to the extraordinary wing variation within Saturniidae.

Minjia Zhong "Quantifying Wing Shape and Size of Saturniid Moths with Geometric Morphometrics," The Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society 70(2), 99-107, (1 June 2016). https://doi.org/10.18473/lepi.70i2.a4
Received: 21 November 2015; Accepted: 18 December 2015; Published: 1 June 2016
KEYWORDS
Bombycoidea
morphology
Saturniidae
tail
wild silk moth
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