Author
 |
Solis, M Alma |
|
Pogue, Michael |
|
Submitted to: American Entomologist
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 7/21/1998 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: The Lepidoptera, moths and butterflies, are one of the most speciose groups on Earth. Moths are less popular cousins of the butterflies, but are more speciose and have a greater impact on the human condition because many are economically important pests of crops, ornamental plants, and forest. Although museum collections can be useful for generating preliminary information about diversity, field studies to assess site-specific diversity and analysis of data are necessary to compare species richness between sites. The information provided will be useful to personnel of Fish and Wildlife Service, US AID, APHIS, ARS, conservation agencies, and many foreign governments. Technical Abstract: The Lepidoptera are one of the most speciose groups of organisms in the Class Insecta. Success of these groups can be attributed to the development of unique morphological structures, behavioral patterns, and chemical strategies that protect them against predation and/or parasitism. Although museum collections can be useful for generating preliminary information, field studies are necessary to assess site-specific diversity Complementarity studies from South American sites using lepidopteran families and Hemiceras are used to compare species richness between sites. |
