A new species of Eracon Godman & Salvin, 1894 is described from Central America. Eracon sarahburnsae Grishin, sp. nov. differs from its South American sister species Eracon clinias by wing patterns, male and female genitalia, and DNA barcode. Lectotypes for Spioniades clinias Mabille, 1878 and Arteurotia celendrisHewitson, 1878, and a neotype for Arteurotia epipolaPlötz, 1882, are designated to stabilize nomenclature and current usage of these names. The neotype designation makes Arteurotia epipola an objective junior synonym of Arteurotia celendris, and we confirm the status of A. celendris as a junior subjective synonym of Spioniades clinias.

The moth Hypena opulenta (Christoph, 1877) (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) was approved for release in eastern Canada and is pending approval in the United States of America as a biological control agent of the invasive European swallow-worts (Vincetoxicum spp.). Descriptions of the adult in Noctuidae Europeae do not accurately represent the color morph of the rearing colony so a new description is provided. Also for the first time the larva is described and illustrated and a simple key is provided that separates H. opulenta from most of the Hypena spp. in the Northeastern U.S.

One response of living organisms to a changing climate is a shift in phenology; ectotherms in particular are apt to appear earlier under warmer conditions. We have used citizen science data collected by the Massachusetts Butterfly Club to measure the rates of phenological advance by ten species of univoltine lycaenid butterflies, including five spring emergent elfins (Callophrys spp.) and five summer emergent hairstreaks (Satyrium spp.). We ran regression analyses separately on all observational data and on the first 20 percent of observations and evaluated both data sets with equal sampling over time. We found that Massachusetts had warmed over the 27 year period of study, with April having the highest rate of warming; that all 10 lycaenid species are appearing earlier in the spring and summer than they used to; that spring-emergent elfins have shown a greater response to warming (4.8 days/ °C) than summer-emergent hairstreaks (3.1 days/ °C); that as a group elfins advanced 14.2 days in initial appearance from 1986 to 2012 while the advance for hairstreaks has been 7.9 days; and that spring temperature is a stronger predictor of phenological shifts than year.

There have been reports of butterflies that oviposit on non-native plants that do not support the development of the larvae, and the fitness cost of this behavior has been estimated in one such case. However, the long-term consequences of this fitness cost for the population dynamics of such butterflies have not been studied. Here we report changes over 40 years in a population of Pieris macdunnoughii (Lepidoptera, Pieridae; formerly Pieris napi macdunnoughii Remington), which oviposits on a lethal, non-native plant, Thlaspi arvense (Brassicaceae), as well as on suitable native hosts. Mark-release-recapture (MRR) studies conducted at four intervals over 40 years showed no significant trends across years in population structure or dynamics, including estimated population density and temporal changes in the number of newly emerged individuals within a year. The estimated daily residence rate differed between the sexes. However, male estimated daily residence rate showed no significant change across years. Female residence rate was higher in the 2000s than in 1971; data were insufficient to calculate a residence rate in 1972. The average flight distance of female dispersants changed across years, but not as expected based on potential flight distance and with no clear pattern. Our detailed observations on female flights at a local scale showed that flight segments varied among different habitat types defined by aridity. Thus, although we see habitat effects on behavior, we did not detect any significant changes in P. macdunnoughii population dynamics and large-scale structure across four decades, a century after the plant's introduction.

A new species of Scythrididae, Areniscythris whitesands sp. nov. Metzler and Lightfoot, is described from a series of specimens that were found active during the daytime on open bare sand of the white gypsum dunes at White Sands National Monument, Otero Co., New Mexico. Adults and genitalia of the male and female are illustrated, and the bionomy of the species is shortly discussed.

Four new species of the tribe Eucosmini (Tortricidae) are described from southwestern United States: Pelochrista richersana, Pelochrista crabtreei, Eucosma patagoniana, and Eucosma metzleri. Illustrations of adults and genitalia are provided.

In many ways, known and unknown, climate change will affect species' distributions, life cycles, phenologies, and ultimately survival. Lepidoptera are among the organisms that have been shown to be strongly impacted by climate change, and their conservation presents challenges that are both unique and unprecedented. Various studies have sought to determine what ecological and life traits of Lepidoptera influence species' responses to climate change, and here I review the few studies that evaluate such responses over a long period of time for a large number of species for common associations. Species with wider geographic distribution and less habitat specificity are generally considered less vulnerable to climate change, while those with opposite traits are deemed more vulnerable. The latter are more likely to change their phenology in response to climate change. Larval diet breadth and composition, overwintering stage, and adult activity period appear to be consistent predictors of changes in flight phenology. The knowledge of these traits for species of concern allows us to assess the implications of the possible phenological changes, and decide what can be done about those changes. Determining how phenological changes may affect current management or conservation practices and defining actions and priorities can be crucial for the success of a conservation plan.

Body size, developmental rate, and metabolic rate were examined as potential phenotypic correlates of genome size using all 51 named species of Lepidoptera with recorded genome sizes. Genome sizes ranged 0.29–1.94 pg. Because no direct comparative measures were available, surrogates were used: wingspan for body size, voltinism for developmental rate, and grades of adult diel activity and adult feeding for metabolic rate. Analyses consisted of plotting genome size on surrogate values and fitting least-squares trend lines. At the order level, empirical - correlates of genome size with wingspan and voltinism were essentially null or flat. At family and subfamily levels, striking associations were found for wingspan and voltinism, but not for surrogates of metabolic rate, for which data were limited and surrogate validity uncertain. Geometrid species, nearly all of which were ennomiines, showed a sharp positive association between genome size and wingspan, Arctiidae a sharp negative association, and Noctuidae a flat association. Geometridae showed a sharp negative association between genome size and voltinism, Arctiide a sharp positive association, and Noctuidae a mild negative association. No phenotypic correlates of lepidopteran genome size were previously known. Suppositions were confirmed that phenotypic correlates are most likely to be detected at family and lower taxonomic levels.

Apatelodes audubonin. sp. is described from Cameron County in the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Male and female genitalia and the larval stage are figured. Larvae A. audubonin. sp. were recovered from lime pricklyash, Zanthoxylum fagara (Rutaceae). We discuss evidence suggesting that the larva's bright coloration and conspicuous diurnal behaviors as well as those of other apatelodid larvae are consistent with the hypothesis that Apatelodes and perhaps other apatelodids are Batesian mimics of arctiines and megalopygids.