Renowned Lepidopterist, Dr. John E. Rawlins, Curator Emeritus of the Section of Invertebrate Zoology at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, passed away on December 26, 2021, at the age of 71 in Gilbert, Arizona. He had a distinguished 33-year career at the museum where he served as the head of section for that entire period. Herein, we give a summary of John's life, our remembrances, and stories of his adventures, and elucidate the profound impact he had on the direction, care, and growth of the insect collections at Carnegie Museum, especially during a time when museums worldwide have been hard hit by financial shortfalls and drastic declines in staffing.

Hybridization and genetic introgression during the speciation process are now believed to be widespread among many animal groups. Extensive hybrid zones and hybrid introgression in Hyalophora are interpreted in relation to these species and speciation concepts. Historical and current evolutionary studies of Hyalophora, and consequent taxonomic revisions, are reviewed. We emphasize those named (e.g., H. “kasloensis”) and unnamed taxa and populations of apparent hybrid origin. A COI phylogenetic analysis of the genus is presented. Hyalophora cecropia shows minimal haplotype divergence over its distribution and does not form hybrid zones in areas of range overlap with congeners. Hyalophora euryalus also shows minimal genetic divergence despite a large West Coast distribution, where it occupies a diversity of plant communities. By contrast, H. columbia gloveri is subdivided into extensive Great Basin and Rocky Mountain haplotype groups. Hyalophora columbia gloveri is distinguished from H. c. columbia by the smallest haplotype divergence of any inter-taxon comparison. We found a shared haplotype between these subspecies from populations located in the northern Rocky Mountains and Minnesota, respectively. The genetic break between eastern and western H. c. columbia populations mirrors a transition zone seen in morphological and ecological characters that is found in eastern Manitoba and western Ontario. Extensive hybridization occurs wherever H. euryalus and H. c. gloveri overlap, varying from narrow hybrid zones to geographically extensive, self-sustaining populations of exclusively hybrid individuals. Several cases of mitochondrial capture were discovered, in which the predominant haplotype of H. euryalus was incorporated at high frequency in both hybrid populations and populations of phenotypically “pure” H. c. gloveri. Newfound larval and adult phenotypic geographic variation is documented and discussed in terms of a possible origin in hybridization and introgression. Select populations are evaluated as possible examples of hybrid species.

The lepidopteran fauna on goldenrod, Solidago altissima, in central New York is extraordinarily diverse (63 species in 43 genera and 13 families, representing 61% of the total insect fauna on S. altissima), as determined through over four years of sampling at 43 sites. To best illustrate the functional structure of the community, caterpillars are divided into both feeding and sheltering guilds. We studied patterns in caterpillar size, feeding guild, sheltering guild, host range, phenology, abundance, and taxonomic relationships to gain insights about community assembly on this group of native caterpillars on a prominent native host species. Size distribution among caterpillar species is highly skewed toward the small end and does not differ between caterpillars with broad and narrow host ranges. There are relatively few species that feed on stems and rhizomes, suggesting challenges in adapting to those plant parts. Host range is a highly conserved trait in several lineages of goldenrod feeders (relatives of polyphagous species are polyphagous, and relatives of specialists are specialists). Polyphagous species and exposed-feeding species are usually rare; some specialist species are also chronically rare. There is a dearth of species in mid-summer, between the time that many leaf-folding and leaf-tying species complete development and the time that flower-feeding species appear. Species with high intimacy of association (gallmakers, stem borers, and leaf miners) tend to be specialists, as compared with exposed feeders, and they are necessarily small in size. Among exophages, size relations are constrained by phylogeny. Lineages have characteristic behaviors and means of association with the host; as a result, the structure of the fauna is determined by an interaction of ecological factors and evolved constraints in the lineages that have adapted to feed on Solidago.

A new species of Euperilampus Walker, 1871, Euperilampus rawlinsi sp. nov., is described from Colombia from the Carnegie Museum collection with connections to W.H. Holland, H.H. Smith, W.H. Ashmead, and J.E. Rawlins. The phylogenetic relationships of the species are discussed in the context of the current species group classification of Euperilampus.

The Spragueia fauna for the Antilles is examined. Notes and observations of the morphology of Spragueia genitalia are provided. Additional context on Spragueia species outside of the Islands are also provided where relevant, and a general discussion on the taxonomic characters of Spragueia are presented. Five previously recognized species of Spragueia; S. dama, S. perstructana, S. apicalis, S. pantherula, and S. margana from the Antilles are redescribed and illustrated. One taxon is revised from synonymy and two new species are recognized as part of the fauna of the Antilles: S. ochracea stat. rev., is proposed and two new endemic species are described from the Dominican Republic: Spragueia stehri, n. sp., and Spragueia rawlinsi, n. sp.

Cliniodes rawlinsi, new species, from Brazil, is described. This species is similar to the sympatric Cliniodes paranalis Schaus, 1920, and Cliniodes subflavescens Hayden, 2011. Illustrations of the adults, and their genitalia, are presented to allow for their identification.

The identity of seven species of Neotropical Pyraustinae and Spilomelinae (Crambidae), and one of Pterophorinae (Pterophoridae), described by Sepp, [1828–1852] is elucidated: Phalaena convolvulalis Sepp, [1829], syn. n. (=Hoterodes ausonia (Cramer, 1777); Phalaena urticales surinamensis Sepp, [1846] [=Patania surinamensis (Sepp, [1846]), comb. n.] (=Botys silicalis Guenée, 1854, syn. n.; Botys cyprealis Walker, 1859, syn. n.; Sylepta penumbralis Grote, 1877, syn. n.; Hapalia sublutalis Warren, 1899, syn. n.); Phalaena longipes (Sepp, 1845), comb. n. [=Stenoptycha lindigi Felder, Felder and Rogenhofer, 1875: pl. 140, fig. 61, syn. n., Stenoptycha zelleri Butler, 1883, syn. n., Agathodes dubitalis Maassen, 1890. syn. n.]; Phalaena neuroptera Sepp, [1847] [=Palpita neuroptera (Sepp, [1847], comb. n. (=Margarodes glauculalis Guenée, 1854, syn. n.; Margarodes lustralis Guenée, 1854, syn. n.; Pachyarches lustratalis Lederer, 1863, syn. n.)]; Phalaena trizonalis Sepp, [1852] [=Omiodes trizonalis (Sepp. 1852]) (=Omiodes cuniculalis Guenée, 1854, syn. n.; Omiodes leporalis Guenée, 1854, syn. n.)]; Phalaena lineolata (Sepp, [1852]), syn. n. (=Herpetogramma bipunctalis (Fabricius, 1794); Phalaena didactyla surinamensis Sepp, [1852], syn. n. [=Hellinsia pelodactyla (Berg, 1885) (=Pterophorus sacrificus Meyrick, 1926, syn. n.)]. Atomopteryx Walsingham, 1891, syn. n., Stenoptycha Zeller, 1863, syn. n., and Zellerina Torre y Callejas, 1958, syn. n., are synonymized under Lineodes Guenée, 1854, and the following species are transferred: L. doeri (Walsingham, 1891) (Stenoptycha), comb. n., L. erschoffiana (Zeller, 1877) (Stenoptycha), comb. n., L. incalis (Hampson, 1913) (Stenoptycha), comb. n., L. perelongata (Hampson, 1913) (Rhectosemia), comb. n., L. peruviana (Zeller, 1877) (Stenoptycha), comb. n., L. pterophoralis (Walker, 1866) (Hydrocampa), comb. n., L. serpentifera (Hampson, 1913) (Stenoptycha), comb. n., L. solanalis (Barnes and McDunnough, 1913) (Stenoptycha), comb. n., L. unicolor (Hering, 1906) (Stenoptycha), comb. n. A list of the dates of Sepp's publication is presented in the Appendix.

La identidad de siete especies Neotropicales de Pyraustinae y Spilomelinae (Crambidae) y uno de Pterophorinae (Peterophoridae), descritas por Sepp, [1828–1852] es elucidada: Phalaena convolvulalis Sepp, [1829], syn. n. (=Hoterodes ausonia (Cramer, 1777); Phalaena urticales surinamensis Sepp, [1846] [=Patania surinamensis, Sepp, [1846], comb. n.] (=Botys silicalis Guenée, 1854, syn. n.; Botys cyprealis Walker, 1859, syn. n.); Sylepta penumbralis Grote, 1877, syn. n.; Hapalia sublutalis Warren, 1899, syn. n.); Phalaena longipes (Sepp, [1845]), comb. n. [=Stenoptycha lindigi Felder, Felder and Rogenhofer, 1875: pl. 140, fig. 61, syn. n., Stenoptycha zelleri Butler, 1883, syn. n., Agathodes dubitalis Maassen, 1890. syn. n.]; Phalaena neuroptera Sepp, [1847] (=Margarodes glauculalis Guenée, 1854, syn. n.; Margarodes lustralis Guenée, 1854, syn. n.; Pachyarches lustratalis Lederer, 1863, syn. n.)]; Phalaena trizonalis Sepp, [1852], comb. n. [=Omiodes trizonalis (Sepp. 1852)], comb. n. (=Omiodes cuniculalis Guenée, 1854, syn. n.; Omiodes leporalis Guenée, 1854, syn. n.)]; Phalaena lineolata (Sepp, [1852]), syn. n. (=Herpetogramma bipunctalis (Fabricius, 1794); Phalaena didactyla surinamensis Sepp, [1852], syn. n. [=Hellinsia pelodactyla (Berg, 1885) (=Pterophorus sacrificus Meyrick, 1926, syn. n.)]. Atomopteryx Walsingham, 1891, syn. n., Stenoptycha Zeller, 1863, syn. n., and Zellerina Torre y Callejas, 1958, syn. n., son sinomizados con Lineodes Guenée, 1854, y las seguintes espécies son transladadas: L. doeri (Walsingham, 1891) (Stenoptycha), comb. n., L. erschoffiana (Zeller, 1877) (Stenoptycha), comb. n., L. incalis (Hampson, 1913) (Stenoptycha), comb. n., L. perelongata (Hampson, 1913) (Rhectosemia), comb. n., L. peruviana (Zeller, 1877) (Stenoptycha), comb. n., L. pterophoralis (Walker, 1866) (Hydrocampa), comb. n., L. serpentifera (Hampson, 1913) (Stenoptycha), comb. n., L. solanalis (Barnes and McDunnough, 1913) (Stenoptycha), comb. n., L. unicolor (Hering, 1906) (Stenoptycha), comb. n.