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Phylogenomics reveals a new moth family and establishes a complete reclassification of Prominents (Notodontidae)
Presented by: Ryan St Laurent, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC
Abstract: The prominent moths (Notodontidae) are an incredibly charismatic family of insects found in nearly all habitats on all continents except Antarctica. Over 4,500 species of Notodontidae are recognized, but a coherent classification scheme of this diverse group has remained elusive due to incredible amounts of homoplasy. Recent phylogenetic works focused on Notodontidae have either been taxon-limited or relied on too few loci resulting in poorly supported trees or those with highly ambiguous relationships. For the first time, phylogenomic data are being leveraged to understand the evolutionary history of Notodontidae, allowing a full reclassification of the group. We have included 150 species from all geographic regions where the family occurs, including type genera of all subfamilies named in previous works. The new classification scheme, which recognizes 21 subfamilies, establishes diagnoses for each and novel delimitations in essentially all cases. Remarkably, during the development of this research one subfamily of Notodontidae was recovered outside of the family and determined to not belong to any currently recognized family of moths, meaning a new family is further established.
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Thomas C. Emmel Seminar Series presents: Expanding Horizons in Lepidoptera Research
Continuing from Fall 2020, the McGuire Center is hosting this webinar series as an opportunity for both early career researchers as well as established leaders in the field to present their work. We hope that you will join us to hear about current advances in many diverse fields of Lepidoptera research.