Nucleotide sequence data from a segment of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene, known as the barcode segment, were used to examine phylogenetic relationships and systematics of buckeye butterflies (Nymphalidae: Nymphalinae: Junonia) from the New World, with emphasis on taxa from western North America. Three nominal species have been recognized for North America, J. evarete (Cramer), J. genoveva (Cramer), and J. coenia Hübner, with additional species recently proposed for the West Indies and northern South America. The distinctive Andean buckeye, J. vestina C. Felder & R. Felder, along with J. evarete and J. genoveva, are also components of the South American fauna. With the exception of J. vestina, butterflies comprising the New World Junonia have had a confused taxonomic history, and species assignments are often problematic. Our results show that the barcode segment resolves the two major clades of New World Junonia, referred to here as clades A and B, with similar high support seen in an earlier phylogenetic study using both mitochondrial and nuclear genes. Within clade A, J. vestina resolved in a basal position to J. evarete from South America and the Caribbean. The data further suggest that species assignments in some populations of New World Junonia clustering in clade B (J. coenia J. genoveva) need to be reevaluated. DNA barcodes, although failing to resolve all recognized species and subspecies level taxa of New World Junonia, probably owing to relatively recent divergences, can provide valuable tools for identifying the two major lineages, and when used in conjunction with morphological, ecological, behavioral and life history information can provide insights into the taxonomy and evolution of this difficult group.

Argynnis mormonia artonis from Steens Mountain (2207 m) in southeast Oregon was reared and the immature stages illustrated and compared to those of two other mormonia subspecies resident in the Pacific Northwest, A. m. erinna and A. m. washingtonia. Gravid females oviposited readily in captivity on desiccating Common Dog Violet (Viola riviniana) and Western Bistort (Polygonum bistortoides) leaves and twigs. Larvae were reared on V. riviniana and after overwintering developed from first instar to pupa in 51–59 days at 24–27 °C. Eggs, pupae and early instars (first-early fourth) of A. m. artonis are similar to those of A. m. erinna and A. m. washingtonia, but the fifth and sixth instars differ by being concolorously black instead of gray, brown or black with white markings. Late instars of A. m. erinna from a high elevation site (Mt Howard, northeast Oregon, 2445 m) were similarly dark colored. These and other observations indicate that larval populations of A. mormonia and perhaps other Argynnis spp. are polymorphic with a greater incidence of melanic late instars occurring in high-elevation populations.

In the fall, migrating monarch butterflies are in reproductive diapause when they arrive at winter sites in California. Approximately 1/3 of the overwintering females contain sperm of summer males within their spermatheca. When these females were subjected to conditions that terminated diapause, they were able to produce offspring with near equal fecundity throughout the overwintering period. The mated females also benefited by the added male nutrients to produce eggs when their body energy reserves were low. Spring matings of virgin females are necessary to obtain spermatozoa to fertilize their eggs and possibly to receive male nutrients to supplement their energy reserves. Several possible survival advantages of early mating are: (1) previously mated females are better able to withstand the rapid ovarian development towards the end of the overwintering season than virgin females; (2) females need not mate again to insure the fecundity of her eggs; and (3) mating with previous summer males broadens the genetic plasticity of the species.

The structure and functionality of the reduced proboscis of males of P. strigataria was studied. Scanning electron microscopy revealed a proboscis structurally similar to functional proboscises of other lepidopteran species, including chemo- and mechanosensilla and a tip-region with larger spaces between the dorsal legulae. Drops of red food coloring applied to the dorsal legulae entered the proboscis. Subsequent dissections exposed a complete and functional gut containing food coloring. We suggest that Lepidoptera with reduced proboscises might rely on capillarity as an initial step for fluid to enter the proboscis for subsequent uptake. Field observations are needed to determine if P. strigataria, and other Lepidoptera with reduced proboscises, feed in their natural habitats.

The moth Citioica anthonilis (Herrich-Schaeffer, [1854]) (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae: Ceratocampinae) occurs in areas of preserved forests, where it is a significant defoliator of Piptadenia gonoacantha (Martius) Macbride (Fabaceae) trees. In this study, caterpillars of fourth instar C. anthonilis were collected from the ground after falling from a P. gonoacantha tree in a herbarium and were reared in the laboratory. Pupae of C. anthonilis, the velvetbean caterpillar Anticarsia gemmatalis Hübner, 1818 (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), and the flour beetle Tenebrio molitor Linnaeus, 1758 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) were each parasitized by mated parasitoid females wasp Palmistichus elaeisis Delvare & LaSalle, 1993 (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae). Data were collected relating to the levels of parasitism and emergence rates of P. elaeisis per host pupa, and the size of the host pupae. Our results show that the fecundity of P. elaeisis was highest in C. anthonilis hosts, probably because of the greater size of these pupae, which supported the development of an increased number of parasitoids. Therefore, C. anthonilis is a suitable host for rearing P. elaeisis in the laboratory, which could be a means of rearing parasitoids for the biological control of this defoliator of P. gonoacantha and other pests in Brazil.

Over two years, we concurrently assessed two populations of Mitchell's satyr butterfly using mark-release-recapture (MRR) and modified Pollard transects (MPT) in order to calibrate the low intensity MPT method to high intensity quantitative MRR population estimates. We found no correlation between daily MRR population estimates and MPT counts. We attribute this to the sedentary behavior of Mitchell's satyr. We strongly suggest that researchers and managers understand the nature of this relationship before interpreting MPT data and other low intensity monitoring methods if these data are used for population management and recovery programs.

An analysis of curatorial information of Apeplopoda mecrida (Druce, 1889) (Erebidae: Arctiinae: Arctiini: Euchromiina) from specimens collected between 1889 and 2010 and deposited at several collections is presented. The species is distributed along the heights of 1100 to 2300 m from Arizona (USA) to Punteras (Costa Rica). This makes the species particularly vulnerable to climatic changes. Even though specimens were not found while collecting during the month of March, the species flies throughout the entire year.