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Abstract Ambulycini are a cosmopolitan tribe of the moth family Sphingidae, comprised of 10 genera, 3 of which are found in tropical Asia, 4 in the Neotropics, 1 in Africa, 1 in the Middle East, and 1 restricted to the islands of New Caledonia. Recent phylogenetic analyses of the tribe have yielded conflicting results, and some have suggested a close relationship of the monobasic New Caledonian genus CompsulyxHolloway, 1979 to the Neotropical ones, despite being found on opposite sides of the Pacific Ocean. Here, we investigate relationships within the tribe using full mitochondrial genomes, mainly derived from dry-pinned museum collections material. Mitogenomic data were obtained for 19 species representing nine of the 10 Ambulycini genera. Phylogenetic trees are in agreement with a tropical Asian origin for the tribe. Furthermore, results indicate that the Neotropical genus Adhemarius Oiticica Filho, 1939 is paraphyletic and support the notion that OrectaRothschild & Jordan 1903 and TrogolegnumRothschild & Jordan, 1903 may need to be synonymized. Finally, in our analysis the Neotropical genera do not collectively form a monophyletic group, due to a clade comprising the New Caledonian genus Compsulyx and the African genus BatocnemaRothschild & Jordan, 1903 being placed as sister to the Neotropical genus ProtambulyxRothschild & Jordan, 1903. This finding implies a complex biogeographic history and suggests the evolution of the tribe involved at least two long-distance dispersal events. 

Abstract Mimallonidae, the sack‐bearer moths, are a family of predominantly Neotropical moths containing nearly 300 described species. Mimallonidae feed on over 40 host plant families and are found in a variety of environments, but phylogenetic relationships of species within the family have never been investigated. We sequenced 515 loci using anchored hybrid enrichment target capture on ethanol‐preserved and dried museum specimens, with dates of collection ranging from 1985 to 2017. We sampled 47 species, representing 32 of the 36 described mimallonid genera. By incorporating 19 dry museum specimens, and recovering an average of over 400 loci for each, we illustrate the utility of natural history collections in anchored hybrid enrichment‐based phylogenomics. Maximum likelihood and multi‐species coalescent analyses provide robust support for the recognition of six higher‐level groups within Mimallonidae, which we designate as subfamilies: Zaphantinae St Laurent & Kawaharasubfam.n., Aurorianinae St Laurent & Kawaharasubfam.n., Mimalloninae Burmeister, Lacosominae Dyar, Druenticinae St Laurent & Kawaharasubfam.n.and Cicinninae Schausstat.n.Our phylogenetic results also robustly support eight new tribes: Lacosominae: Trogopterini St Laurent & Kawaharatribe n., Lacosomini Dyarstat.n., Alheitini St Laurent & Kawaharatribe n.; Druenticinae: Luramini St Laurent & Kawaharatribe n., Druenticini St Laurent & Kawaharatribe n.; Cicinninae: Bedosiini St Laurent & Kawaharatribe n., Psychocampini St Laurent & Kawaharatribe n., Cicinnini Schausstat.n.Three new genera are also described based on our phylogenetic results:HerbinallaSt Laurent & Kawahara,gen.n.,UlalumaSt Laurent & Kawahara,gen.n.,BedosialloSt Laurent & Kawahara,gen.n.NanitetaFranclemont,syn.n.is a synonym ofLacosomaGrote. Six genera are paraphyletic, and in total 19 new combinations are proposed:Macessoga laxacomb.n.,Lacosoma elassacomb.n.,Thaelia anysiacomb.n.,Thaelia subrubiginosacomb.n.,Herbinalla caudinacomb.n.,Druentica brosicacomb.n.,Ulaluma valvacomb.n.,Cicinnus eminenscomb.n.,Roelmana pluridiscatacomb.n.,Roelmana laguerreicomb.n.,Psychocampa joannacomb.n.,Psychocampa unalcacomb.n.,Psychocampahamatacomb.n.,Psychocampa maronacomb.n.,Bedosiallo eugeniacomb.n.,Bedosiallo forbesicomb.n.,Bedosiallo moenguscomb.n.,Bedosiallo styxcomb.n.andBedosiallo sylviacomb.n.This study is the first to implement the LEP1 probe set on a comprehensive taxonomic dataset that includes many museum specimens, and our results demonstrate that museum specimens can be used in anchored hybrid enrichment studies. Importantly, these data produce a robust phylogeny that will serve as a foundation for future studies on mimallonid evolution, such as host plant relationships and biogeography. This published work has been registered in ZooBank:http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:60890688‐2E77‐4B98‐B247‐B7A5F7E4DFD9. 

Temporal ecological niche partitioning is an underappreciated driver of speciation. While insects have long been models for circadian biology, the genes and circuits that allow adaptive changes in diel-niches remain poorly understood. We compared gene expression in closely related day- and night-active non-model wild silk moths, with otherwise similar ecologies. Using an ortholog-based pipeline to compare RNA-Seq patterns across two moth species, we find over 25 pairs of gene orthologs showing differential expression. Notably, the genedisco,involved in circadian control, optic lobe and clock neuron development inDrosophila, shows robust adult circadian mRNA cycling in moth heads.Discois highly conserved in moths and has additional zinc-finger domains with specific nocturnal and diurnal mutations. We proposediscoas a candidate gene for the diversification of temporal diel-niche in moths. 

Across insects, wing shape and size have undergone dramatic divergence even in closely related sister groups. However, we do not know how morphology changes in tandem with kinematics to support body weight within available power and how the specific force production patterns are linked to differences in behaviour. Hawkmoths and wild silkmoths are diverse sister families with divergent wing morphology. Using three-dimensional kinematics and quasi-steady aerodynamic modelling, we compare the aerodynamics and the contributions of wing shape, size and kinematics in 10 moth species. We find that wing movement also diverges between the clades and underlies two distinct strategies for flight. Hawkmoths use wing kinematics, especially high frequencies, to enhance force and wing morphologies that reduce power. Silkmoths use wing morphology to enhance force, and slow, high-amplitude wingstrokes to reduce power. Both strategies converge on similar aerodynamic power and can support similar body weight ranges. However, inter-clade within-wingstroke force profiles are quite different and linked to the hovering flight of hawkmoths and the bobbing flight of silkmoths. These two moth groups fly more like other, distantly related insects than they do each other, demonstrating the diversity of flapping flight evolution and a rich bioinspired design space for robotic flappers. 

Experimental bat-moth battles reveal that sonar sensing is a driving force in the repeated evolution of silk moth hindwings. 

Butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera) comprise significant portions of the world’s natural history collections, but a standardized tissue preservation protocol for molecular research is largely lacking. Lepidoptera have traditionally been spread on mounting boards to display wing patterns and colors, which are often important for species identification. Many molecular phylogenetic studies have used legs from pinned specimens as the primary source for DNA in order to preserve a morphological voucher, but the amount of available tissue is often limited. Preserving an entire specimen in a cryogenic freezer is ideal for DNA preservation, but without an easily accessible voucher it can make specimen identification, verification, and morphological work difficult. Here we present a procedure that creates accessible and easily visualized “wing vouchers” of individual Lepidoptera specimens, and preserves the remainder of the insect in a cryogenic freezer for molecular research. Wings are preserved in protective holders so that both dorsal and ventral patterns and colors can be easily viewed without further damage. Our wing vouchering system has been implemented at the University of Maryland (AToL Lep Collection) and the University of Florida (Florida Museum of Natural History, McGuire Center of Lepidoptera and Biodiversity), which are among two of the largest Lepidoptera molecular collections in the world.