Habitat corridor construction is an important technique for re-establishing connections between fragmented habitats. Yet, the effectiveness of habitat corridors to increase gene flow among fragmented populations is not well studied. In 2008 and 2009, a prairie habitat corridor was created in the Green River watershed of south central Kentucky, USA to protect water quality and encourage movement of native wildlife as part of the US Environmental Protection Agency Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). In 2008, prior to the establishment of the habitat corridor, we documented the population genetic structure of 6 butterfly species (Chlosyne nycteis, Cupido comyntas, Phoebis sennae, Phyciodes tharos, Pterourus glaucus, and Pterourus troilus) with different habitat requirements and different expected responses to corridor construction using Randomly Amplified DNA Fingerprint (RAF) markers. STRUCTURE analysis of these markers subdivided each butterfly species into 2 to 8 subpopulations in the Green River watershed. By collecting data in the early stages of habitat restoration, we have established a baseline to compare with data obtained after the corridor has matured to determine the population genetic effects on previously isolated butterfly populations and to provide information about the conservation value of habitat corridors in general.

A new monotypic genus Wichanraran gen. nov. is described from Chile, based on the type species W. izquierdii (Bartlett-Calvert, 1893) comb. nov. The new genus is characterized by the following unique differential features: postmedial band with triangular extension projecting towards the external margin on both wings; male genitalia with quadrangular anellus with a medial cleft at its posterior margin; female genitalia with a heavily sclerotized and pedunculated signum at the base of the corpus bursae. Characters of imago and male and female genitalia are described and illustrated.

White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) have been shown to be detrimental to a number of Lepidoptera. Potential host plants for specialist butterfly species can be reduced and removed from native areas through deer browsing. The Ozark Baltimore Checkerspot (Euphydryas phaeton ozarkae) is a univoltine nymphalid butterfly endemic to the Ozark regions of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. In the area around the Buffalo River in Arkansas, the larval host for this butterfly is Smooth Yellow False Foxglove (Aureolaria flava). We examined the timing and quantified the effect that deer foraging had on A. flava in four E. p. ozarkae populations. Browsing occurred in late spring and reduced plant availability by as much as 87% over a two-month period. Browsed plants lost an average of 44 cm in height; data show taller plants were more likely to be browsed than shorter ones. Extensive herbivory caused early-fall-active and late-spring-active larvae to contend with reduced host plant availability, which likely resulted in increased mortality. We also found that browsed plants were less likely to be selected for oviposition. The amount of plant loss appeared to be associated with deer abundance and area attributes (i.e., slope, human activity, plant density, etc.). We found that browsing by White-tailed Deer that is too intense or prolonged can have important consequences for the Ozark Baltimore Checkerspot.

The external morphology of the last larval instar and pupa of Melipotis walkeri Butler, 1892 (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) are described and illustrated based on specimens collected in the coastal valleys of the Atacama Desert of northern Chile on Acacia macracantha Willd. (Fabaceae). The morphology of the two life stages enables M. walkeri to be distinguished easily from the sympatric M. cellaris.

The Olympic National Park (ONP) consists of 3,735 km² of wilderness on the Olympic Peninsula in northwestern Washington. The park covers most of the Olympic Mountains range with its numerous glacier-covered peaks reaching more than 2,000m above sea level and alpine parkland and meadows, as well as forested valleys, rivers and lakes, rain forest, and coastal habitats. We conducted a one-year field survey of the Lepidoptera fauna of the ONP using a combination of day collecting, blacklight traps, and collecting at lights in early morning. A total of 369 species were encountered, which combined with a voucher collection at the Park headquarters, yields a checklist of 413 species records for the Park. While most species are common and widespread in the West or Pacific Northwest, the list also contains a few subspecies of butterflies that are endemic to the Olympic Mountains as well as several species that represent isolated disjunct relicts of arctic/alpine species found in the Cascades, Rockies, and/or far north. Another set appear to constitute the northernmost populations of species known from coastal California and Oregon. While our study begins to outline a rich diversity of Lepidoptera, it is clear that future studies, particularly in more remote areas of the ONP, will be necessary for a more complete view of this fauna.

Biopesticides are biologically-derived agents, that are usually applied in a manner similar to chemical pesticides, but achieve pest management in an environmentally-friendly way. Among the most promising biopesticides, is the bacterial insecticide; Spinosad and Emamectin benzoate. Therefore, in the present study, fourth instar larvae of S. littoralis were allowed to feed on leaves previously dipped with 1, 10, 50 and 100 ppm of spinosad and 0.5, 1, 2 and 10 ppm of emamectin benzoate for 72 hrs and then were used to screen alterations in protein profiles and DNA by using SDS- PAGE and RAPD-PCR, respectively. Results of SDS-PAGE analysis revealed that the protein profiles of S. littoralis changed after larval treatment with spinosad and emamectin benzoate and new proteins were observed in treated larvae. RAPD technique was used to detect genetic differences between control and fourth instar larvae of S. littoralis which treated with spinosad and emamectin benzoate.

Due to strong morphological similarities, the Intricate Satyr Hermeuptychia intricata has been difficult for lepidopterists to visually differentiate from the Carolina Satyr Hermeuptychia sosybius since the former's discovery in 2014. The historical confusion between the two species has resulted in a dearth of information on the ecology and life history of the less abundant and more narrowly distributed H. intricata. I observed adults and larvae of both species in the field at five sites across three counties in the coastal plain of South Carolina, USA. Hermeuptychia intricata exhibited subtle but notable differences in both preferred habitat and behavior that are useful in field identification. Both species utilize various species of Rosette Grasses, Dichanthelium spp., as larval food sources. Larvae of the two species are extremely similar in appearance with only a slight difference in overall hue. Pupae appear identical save for the absence of an abdominal spot in H. intricata. The ghost band phenomenon and the sinuous band gap feature appear to be unreliable diagnostics but, with further research, may prove useful characteristics for identifying female H. intricata and H. sosybius, respectively. A better understanding of the ecology and life history of the cryptic H. intricata, as well as enhanced methods for its field identification, can facilitate the future study and conservation of the species.

In 2006, the U.S. National Park Service invited the first author to conduct a 10-year study of the moths at White Sands National Monument, in the Tularosa Basin in southern New Mexico. Eucosma gypsumana (Tortricidae, Olethreutinae, Eucosmini) Metzler and Porter, new species, discovered during the study is described. Adult moths and male and female genitalia are illustrated. A graph illustrating an unexplained temporal population irregularity of E. gypsumana is presented. A list of species of Eucosma from the Monument is provided.

A population of Morpho rhodopteron (Godman & Salvin, 1880), one of the endemic and endangered butterflies of Colombia, was studied during a year in a sector of the northwestern part of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. Mark-Release-Recapture methods were used to study population parameters and population size was estimated using the Jolly-Seber model. Environmental parameters of temperature and light intensity were measured for each capture event. We found abundance peaks in February, April and August that coincide with the first rains of the wet season, the stronger rains of the wet season, and the flowering season in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta respectively. Age structure was not stable, with an increase in young individuals from April to August. Residence times and population size were highest in February and April. Individuals flew mainly between 9:30 and 11:15 hours; when temperatures reached 25°C and the light intensity was between 20.000 and 30.000 Lux.