The three species of Symmocinae (Autostichidae) known to occur in North America are reviewed, and imagos and male and female genitalia are illustrated. A new genus and new species of Symmocinae are described and novel morphological characters are illustrated.

Confirmed aspects of the life history of Lintneria justiciae are discussed and illustrated for the first time. Observed larval characters represent a unique synapomorphy that has been shown to correlate with predictable adult forewing patterns. The significance and taxonomic implications of these recent discoveries confirm the placement of several South American taxa, including L. justiciae, in the recently reinstated genus Lintneria.

New geographic records are reported for the noctuid moth Hecatera dysodea (Denis & Schiffermüller). It is a Palearctic species, but is now found in a broadly contiguous area of Oregon and Washington in the United States. This area is comprised of 7 counties across much of the north of Oregon and into 4 counties of southern Washington. Moths were captured in several types of survey traps baited with insect pheromones and feeding attractants, as well as blacklight traps, from 2003 to 2009. Larvae were collected on flower stalks of prickly lettuce, Lactuca serriola L. (Asteraceae), from June into September, suggesting multivoltinism. Collection records over time indicate a possibly rapidly expanding distribution of the species.

Schinia carrizoensis new species, is described from specimens collected on the Carrizo Plain National Monument, San Luis Obispo County and northeastern Santa Barbara County, California. This new Schinia is a member of the S. cupes (Grote) complex and is remarkable in the group for having subtle maculation with rusty coloration and a limited distribution.

Oviposition preference and larval developmental performance of the butterfly, Papilio polytes L. on four rutaceous host plants, Citrus aurantifolia (Chrism.) Swing, Citrus reticulata Blanco, Citrus hystrix DC, and Murraya koenigii (L.) Sprengle, were investigated in outdoor cages. Maxima of eggs were laid on C. reticulata, followed by C. aurantifolia, but the numbers laid on the two host plants were not significantly different from each other; however, these numbers differed significantly (F = 155.70; P < 0.01) from those laid on C. hysrix and M. koenigii; the last host plant was the least preferred for egg laying. Leaves were significantly the preferred site (and in turn the underside of leaves) over stems for deposition of eggs in all host plants; negligible number of eggs was also laid on plant pots. The duration of 5th instar larval development was the shortest on C. reticulata and significantly different (P < 0.01) from that on M. koenigii, but did not differ significantly between the three Citrus species. The nitrogen content in leaves of all four host plants differed significantly (P < 0.01), with C. reticulata containing 4.52%, followed by C. aurantifolia (4.37%), C. hystrix (4.29%), and M. koenigii (3.73%), while the water content of leaves was significantly the lowest in M. koenigii (71.72%), compared to the three Citrus species (76.38–79.12%) among which the water content did not significantly differ. Relative consumption rate (RCR) and fecal dry weight of 5th instar larvae feeding on M. koenigii were the highest and significantly different (P < 0.01) from the other three host plants. Pupal dry weight, relative growth rate (RGR), efficiency conversion of digested food (ECD), efficiency conversion of ingested food (ECI) of M. koenigii were significantly lowest compared to the three Citrus species. The values of RGR, ECD, and ECI of the 5th instar larvae were similar for the three Citrus species; the approximate digestibility (AD) values were similar for all four host plants. This study shows that C. reticulata was the best host plant among the three Citrus spp. and M. koenigii was the least preferred.

Surveys of the butterfly fauna at single sites in endangered coastal sage scrub (CSS) habitat in southern California are rare. Here we resurrect historical records of the butterfly species encountered at Hall Canyon, a relatively undisturbed CSS site in the coastal foothills adjacent to Ventura, Ventura County, California, obtained over an eight-year period of collecting and observation from 1955 to 1962. A total of 57 species was recorded from an area of <5 km², representing half of the total species presently recorded for Ventura County. Documentation of past species richness at this site provides important background data for assessing future range shifts and changes in butterfly diversity related to urbanization and its effect on the health of the remaining CSS habitat in southern California.