Lepidoptera Collection Curation and Data Management

The collections of Lepidoptera often serve as foundational basis for a wide range of biological, ecological, and climate science disciplines. Species identification and higher taxa delimitation based on collection specimens and especially, on types test scientific hypotheses, provide multiple types of evidence for a broad range of users. Curation and data management approaches applied in Lepidoptera collections benefit greatly from many newly developed information techniques, which link and integrate data. Mostly attention is focused on clean verified collection and taxonomic literature mining data to obtain correct species-group and higher taxa names, as well as reliable data on the distribution of Lepidoptera and their trophic interactions. Collection creation and management became a subject of natural sciences itself. The chapter provides a historic overview on collection creation and curation together with a short discussion on collection goals and purposes. The creation of a virtual collection based on interlinked data is emphasized. Information science and data management tools became very important in Lepidoptera collection curation. The complexity of techniques and computing tools used in taxonomy and the increase in the amount of data that can be obtained by collection-based disciplines make it necessary to automate data gathering, manipulation, analysis, and visualization processes

A non-destructive virtual dissection by micro-CT reveals diagnostic characters in the type specimen of Caloptilia stigmatella (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae)

Nearly a century ago, wing venation pattern was introduced in the gracillariid taxonomy to diagnose the closely related genera and species groups. Recent advances in non-destructive virtual micro-dissections suggest a promising approach in revisiting the relevance of wing venation characters and application of this method to historic primary type specimens. Many unique type specimens in Gracillariidae and other microlepidoptera groups are preserved in the museum collections in poor condition and in the course of history suffered loss or damage to their abdomens, so internal genitalia structural morphology is not available for diagnosis and comparisons. The interpretation of wing venation characters became a significant element in Gracillariidae taxonomy dealing with species complexes and defining the boundaries of genera. In this paper we emphasize the need to include the type species and type specimens into the broader context of taxonomic studies on micro moths in general and the family Gracillariidae in particular. For the first time we introduce the method of virtual descaling of the wings in micro moths. The genus Caloptilia with a world-wide distribution has more than 200 years history of research, but the generic boundaries and groupings within the genus are not resolved yet due to the lack of a reliable set of taxonomic characters obtained from the primary types. We describe a method of virtual descaling of the fore and hindwings of an unset micro-moth type specimen Caloptilia stigmatella Fabricius, 1781, in order to demonstrate that the study of historic and fragile type specimens and diagnosis of their internal morphological characters becomes possible by applying new and non-destructive technology

Increased gene sampling strengthens support for higher-level groups within leaf-mining moths and relatives (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae)

Background: Researchers conducting molecular phylogenetic studies are frequently faced with the decision of what to do when weak branch support is obtained for key nodes of importance. As one solution, the researcher may choose to sequence additional orthologous genes of appropriate evolutionary rate for the taxa in the study. However, generating large, complete data matrices can become increasingly difficult as the number of characters increases. A few empirical studies have shown that augmenting genes even for a subset of taxa can improve branch support. However, because each study differs in the number of characters and taxa, there is still a need for additional studies that examine whether incomplete sampling designs are likely to aid at increasing deep node resolution. We target Gracillariidae, a Cretaceous-age (similar to 100 Ma) group of leaf-mining moths to test whether the strategy of adding genes for a subset of taxa can improve branch support for deep nodes. We initially sequenced ten genes (8,418 bp) for 57 taxa that represent the major lineages of Gracillariidae plus outgroups. After finding that many deep divergences remained weakly supported, we sequenced eleven additional genes (6,375 bp) for a 27-taxon subset. We then compared results from different data sets to assess whether one sampling design can be favored over another. The concatenated data set comprising all genes and all taxa and three other data sets of different taxon and gene sub-sampling design were analyzed with maximum likelihood. Each data set was subject to five different models and partitioning schemes of non-synonymous and synonymous changes. Statistical significance of non-monophyly was examined with the Approximately Unbiased (AU) test. Results: Partial augmentation of genes led to high support for deep divergences, especially when non-synonymous changes were analyzed alone. Increasing the number of taxa without an increase in number of characters led to lower bootstrap support; increasing the number of characters without increasing the number of taxa generally increased bootstrap support. More than three-quarters of nodes were supported with bootstrap values greater than 80% when all taxa and genes were combined. Gracillariidae, Lithocolletinae + Leucanthiza, and Acrocercops and Parectopa groups were strongly supported in nearly every analysis. Gracillaria group was well supported in some analyses, but less so in others. We find strong evidence for the exclusion of Douglasiidae from Gracillarioidea sensu Davis and Robinson (1998). Our results strongly support the monophyly of a G.B.R.Y. clade, a group comprised of Gracillariidae + Bucculatricidae + Roeslerstammiidae + Yponomeutidae, when analyzed with non-synonymous changes only, but this group was frequently split when synonymous and non-synonymous substitutions were analyzed together. Conclusions: 1) Partially or fully augmenting a data set with more characters increased bootstrap support for particular deep nodes, and this increase was dramatic when non-synonymous changes were analyzed alone. Thus, the addition of sites that have low levels of saturation and compositional heterogeneity can greatly improve results. 2) Gracillarioidea, as defined by Davis and Robinson (1998), clearly do not include Douglasiidae, and changes to current classification will be required. 3) Gracillariidae were monophyletic in all analyses conducted, and nearly all species can be placed into one of six strongly supported clades though relationships among these remain unclear. 4) The difficulty in determining the phylogenetic placement of Bucculatricidae is probably attributable to compositional heterogeneity at the third codon position. From our tests for compositional heterogeneity and strong bootstrap values obtained when synonymous changes are excluded, we tentatively conclude that Bucculatricidae is closely related to Gracillariidae + Roeslerstammiidae + Yponomeutidae

Global Open Biodiversity Data: Future Vision of FAIR Biodiversity Data Access, Management, Use and Stewardship

Major environmental–biodiversity changes and new developments in technology have changed the way we live, work and how we create our future. The main attention of biodiversity researchers nowadays is focused on the application of the developments of digital technology for fast, efficient and ethical solutions related to biodiversity data management and stewardship, so that everyone can benefit from better data, better science and better policies. Here the originally developed five point biodiversity data research and management programme is presented for your kind attention. Open Biodiversity Data (OBD) which are usable, useful and used to promote the knowledge and the preservation of biodiversity. Linking Open Biodiversity Data and making it useful for everybody. Knowledge of biodiversity for many and not for few. The global web is our work platform. OBD creates an open community of contributors and users. Open is FAIR. FAIR Guiding Principles for biodiversity data management and stewardship (EU Commission 2018) Circular Open Biodiversity Data a high-value foundation for artificial intelligence. It is of great importance for society, communities and on a global scale to have unbiased and direct access to Open Biodiversity Data, as this maximises the impact  on decision making and development of efficient solutions to tackle environmental problems (De Prins 2016, De Prins 2017, De Prins and De Prins 2019a, De Prins and De Prins 2019b, De Prins and Serna 2018, European Commission 2018). While embracing the latest developments of technology, in particular high resolution visual recognition tools, computer vision technologies to work with huge image galleries and link with other fields of biodiversity data (genetic sequences, distribution data) we are going to create an open international community of knowledgeable users, responsible for OBD. I suggest implementing FAIR guiding principles: Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability and Reusability. Following FAIR principles OBD become accessible to everybody, they are findable, visual, flexible, interchangeable in different formats, updated and reused for all biodiversity related questions. This kind of approach will ensure the use, and reuse of data in the most efficient way, so biodiversity knowledge and information are based on verified and clean data

The occurrence of Cameraria ohridella in Belgium (Lepidoptera Gracillariidae)

Volume: 29Start Page: 81End Page: 8

The karyotype of Cameraria ohridella (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae)

Volume: 30Start Page: 5End Page: 1

Urodeta crenata Sruoga & Prins, 2011, sp. n.

Urodeta crenata, sp. n. (Figs 1, 3, 4, 50–55) Type material. Holotype: 3, CAMEROON, North Province, Faro River Camp, 275 m, 08° 23 ’N 012° 49 ’E, 01.v. 2005, leg. J. & W. De Prins. Specimen ID: RMCA ENT 0 0 0 0 0 5272, gen. prep. MRAC / KMMA 0 0 610 (RMCA). Paratype: 13, same locality as holotype, 09.v. 2005, leg. J. & W. De Prins. Specimen ID: RMCA ENT 0 0 0 0 0 5276, gen. prep. MRAC / KMMA 0 0 611 (RMCA). Diagnosis. Urodeta crenata is a small, narrow winged and lightly-coloured species. In wing pattern and male genitalia, the new species is comparable to U. cuspidis, known from the same locality. However, U. crenata is distinguishable by two blackish brown spots just before the middle of the forewing, serrated ventral margin of sacculus, shape of phallus and by the absence of cornuti. Male (Figs 50, 51). Forewing length 2.1–2.3 mm; wingspan 5.0–5.2 mm (n= 2). Head: Frons white; vertex and neck tuft white, mottled with dark brown tips of scales; labial palpus short and straight, about 0.5 times as long as width of head, white above, brownish below; scape white, with few dark brown tipped scales; flagellum brownish grey, basally annulated with brown rings, distally slightly serrated. Thorax, tegula and forewing strongly mottled with scales basally white and distally dark brown; two blackish brown spots transversally arranged just before middle of wing; fringe grey. Hindwing brownish grey, its fringe grey. Female. Unknown. Male genitalia (Figs 52–55). Uncus short, posterior margin weakly sclerotized. Spinose knob of gnathos small, rounded. Valva short and broad; ventral margin of sacculus curved and partly serrated, tapering into long, narrow, ventrally curved and strongly sclerotized cucullus; basal fold of costa strongly sclerotized; transtilla wide, weakly sclerotized. Ventral shied of juxta strongly sclerotized, basally broad, gradually tapered towards long pointed and ventrally curved apex. Vinculum U-shaped, narrow, weakly sclerotized. Phallus nearly as long as valva, very weakly sclerotized except dorsal side basally and ventral side apically, apex long and pointed; no cornuti present. Biology. Unknown. Flight period. Based upon the two specimens available, adults fly in early May. Distribution. So far this species is known only from the North Province of Cameroon (Figs 1, 3, 4). Etymology. The species name is derived from the Latin crena (serration, notch) and the suffix - ata (provided with) in reference to the serrated sacculus of valva. Remarks. The heads in the type specimens are somewhat rubbed, therefore the description is approximate.Published as part of Sruoga, Virginijus & Prins, Jurate De, 2011, New species of Elachistinae (Lepidoptera: Elachistidae) from Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, pp. 1-32 in Zootaxa 3008 on pages 7-8, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.27851

Systematics and biology of the new genus Macrosaccus with descriptions of two new species (Lepidoptera, Gracillariidae)

The new genus Macrosaccus Davis & De Prins is proposed for three species formerly assigned to the genus Phyllonorycter: M. robiniella (Clemens), M. morrisella (Fitch), and M. uhlerella (Fitch); two new, closely related species: M. neomexicanus Davis and M. gliricidius Davis, are also proposed. Descriptions of the adults, pupae, larvae, life histories, and distributions are supplemented with photographs, line drawings, and scanning electron micrographs. Larvae of all species are serpentine/blotch leaf miners on various genera of the plant family Fabaceae. The genus is endemic to the New World, with the invasive species M. robiniella now widely established in Europe