(From last week)
lepidopterology
2024-02-21 @ 18.56.02 ∈ In English
Analysis shows butterfly and moth genomes are mostly unchanged despite 250 million years of evolution
The team found not only were chromosomes incredibly stable, but the order of genes within them was too. […] However, researchers uncovered a rare subset of species such as the blue butterflies—Lysandra—and the group containing cabbage white butterflies—Pieris—that underwent extensive chromosome reshuffling[.]
2024-01-18 @ 11.56.28 ∈ In English
(TIL: Word-initial ff)
2024-01-09 @ 12.49.58 ∈ In English
(The Catalan populations rely on postural thermoregulation, if I’m reading the study correctly.)
Study finds Spanish butterflies are better at regulating their body temperature than their British cousins
Butterflies in both countries switch from heat-seeking to heat-avoiding behavior once air temperatures reach approximately 22°C. [British populations depend] more on microclimates for thermoregulation than Catalan populations.
2023-11-24 @ 10.26.38 ∈ In English
Moth found in West London is a new species from Australia
In 2021 an amateur moth-er living in Ealing, West London, opened her moth trap to find something she didn’t recognise. […] Detailed analysis of the moth, including both morphology and DNA, revealed that the insect was indeed a new species to science, but one that is native to Western Australia rather than Ealing.
2023-11-13 @ 19.28.16 ∈ In English
Mysterious new moth species discovered in Europe
The moth, named Mirlatia arcuata, […] is one of the most remarkable discoveries in Lepidoptera of recent decades. […] Initial genetic data from the mitochondrial COI barcode, as well as characteristics of the tympanal organ (auditory organ), point to a largely independent systematic position of the species.
2023-08-12 @ 15.21.18 ∈ Suomeksi
2023-07-13 @ 14.50.32 ∈ In English
Small-winged and lighter colored butterflies likely to be at greatest threat from climate change
Butterflies from the Lycaenidae family which have small, bright, and often iridescent, wings had the poorest thermal buffering and low thermal tolerance. […] A trade-off in terms of butterflies' cooling strategies was observed: those that were good at thermal buffering were less good at thermal tolerance and vice versa.
2023-06-27 @ 19.13.01 ∈ In English
Seasonal specialization in butterflies determines responses to a changing climate
"The small white butterfly is better than the green-veined white butterfly at reproducing over the summer but has poorer winter survival. It appears to be a 'summer specialist' and the green-veined white butterfly a 'winter specialist.'"
