The larch hawk moth, Sphinx morio, belongs to the lepidopteran family Sphingidae that has long been studied as a family of model insects in a diverse field. In this study, we describe the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) sequences of the species in terms of general genomic features and characteristic short repetitive sequences found in the A+T-rich region. The 15,299-bp-long genome consisted of a typical set of genes (13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNA genes, and 22 tRNA genes) and one major non-coding A+T-rich region, with the typical arrangement found in Lepidoptera. The 316-bp-long A+T-rich region located between srRNA and tRNA^Met harbored the conserved sequence blocks that are typically found in lepidopteran insects. Additionally, the A+T-rich region of S. morio contained three characteristic repeat sequences that are rarely found in Lepidoptera: two identical 12-bp repeat, three identical 5-bp-long tandem repeat, and six nearly identical 5–6 bp long repeat sequences.

Motivation: Here, we make available a second version of the BioTIME database, which compiles records of abundance estimates for species in sample events of ecological assemblages through time. The updated version expands version 1.0 of the database by doubling the number of studies and includes substantial additional curation to the taxonomic accuracy of the records, as well as the metadata. Moreover, we now provide an R package (BioTIMEr) to facilitate use of the database.Main Types of Variables Included: The database is composed of one main data table containing the abundance records and 11 metadata tables. The data are organised in a hierarchy of scales where 11,989,233 records are nested in 1,603,067 sample events, from 553,253 sampling locations, which are nested in 708 studies. A study is defined as a sampling methodology applied to an assemblage for a minimum of 2 years.Spatial Location and Grain: Sampling locations in BioTIME are distributed across the planet, including marine, terrestrial and freshwater realms. Spatial grain size and extent vary across studies depending on sampling methodology. We recommend gridding of sampling locations into areas of consistent size.Time Period and Grain: The earliest time series in BioTIME start in 1874, and the most recent records are from 2023. Temporal grain and duration vary across studies. We recommend doing sample‐level rarefaction to ensure consistent sampling effort through time before calculating any diversity metric.Major Taxa and Level of Measurement: The database includes any eukaryotic taxa, with a combined total of 56,400 taxa.Software Format: csv and. SQL.

This study investigates a mimicry ring in East Asia, comprising the ennomine genus Abraxas Leach and several larentiine genera, including Eulithis Hübner, Chartographa Gumppenberg, Callabraxas Butler, Calleulype Warren, Gandaritis Moore, and Eucosmabraxas Prout. A cladistic analysis of these latter genera was undertaken using six outgroups and 51 morphological characters. The preferred cladogram, derived after the successive weighting, recognized seven monophyletic groups: Antepirrhoe Warren rev. gen., Evecliptopera Inoue, Gandaritis, Callabraxas, Lobogonodes Bastelberger, Eustroma Hübner and Eulithis, and resulted in three new synonyms: Chartographa, a synonym of Callabraxas, and Eucosmabraxas and Calleulype, synonyms of Gandaritis. Three revived combinations are proposed: Antepirrhoe atrifasciata (Hulst), A. semiatrata (Hulst), and A. fasciata (Barnes and McDunnough). Nine new combinations are also proposed: Gandaritis powellata (Ferguson and Choi), G. pyraliata (Denis and Schiffermüller), G. atricolorata (Grote and Robinson), G. placida (Butler), G. whitelyi (Butler), G. evanescens (Butler), Callabraxas fabiolaria (Oberthür), C. plurilineata (Walker), and C. compositata (Guenée). Wing patterns and a distinctive abdomen have undergone convergent evolution, evolving at least twice within Eulithis and related genera: once in the genus Gandaritis, and again in Callabraxas. A key to the genera is provided as well as diagnoses, species lists, biology, and distributions for each.

Three-year (2004-2006) monitoring results of macrolepidoptera using light traps in a temperate deciduous mixed forest were analyzed to investigate the relationship between moth diversity and nine weather variables. Results of stepwise regression analyses showed that mean daily temperature was the main predictor for moth diversity. The present study also revealed that each moth family was affected by a set of different weather factors (rainfall, relative humidity, or duration of sunshine) probably due to different life-history strategies. The impacts of recent climate change on insect populations may be evidenced in the close relationship between moth abundance and mean temperature.