Types of Castniidae (Lepidoptera) in the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity (Gainesville, Florida)
Les types de Castniidae (Lépidoptères) du McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity (Gainesville, Floride)
- Jorge M. González
A list of types of Castniidae housed in the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Gainesville, Florida, USA is provided. The specimens belonging to ten species, as well as details on current taxonomic status, type localities, known distribution, and general comments on the mentioned species, are also included. Holotypes and some representative paratypes are figured. Keywords: Castniidae - Giant Butterfly-moths - inventory - types - McGuire Center Une liste des types de Castniidae conservés au McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Gainesville, Floride, Etats-Unis est donnée. Les spécimens appartenant à dix espèces, ainsi que des détails sur le statut taxinomique actuel, les localités types, la distribution connue, et des commentaires généraux sur les espèces mentionnées, sont également inclus. Des holotypes et quelques paratypes représentatifs sont figurés. Keywords : Castniidae - Lépidoptères - inventaire - types - McGuire Center Se proporciona una lista de los tipos de Castniidae alojados en el Centro McGuire para Lepidóptera y Biodiversidad, Gainesville, Florida, EE. UU. Se incluyen los ejemplares pertenecientes a diez especies, así como detalles sobre su estado taxonómico actual, localidades tipo, distribución conocida y comentarios generales sobre las especies mencionadas. Se incluyen fotografias de los holotipos y algunos paratipos representativos. Palabras clave: Castnias - Taladradores gigantes - inventario - tipos - Centro McGuire |
Type specimens of Castniidae in the MGCL
Biological collections preserved in numerous museums of natural history around the world have been at the front line of research on biodiversity (Buerki et al., 2015). There is little doubt that such collections preserve critical information about biodiversity in time and space, and are relevant in the study of taxonomy, evolution, conservation, and even sustainable livelihoods (Drew et al., 2017). Unfortunately, it appears that fewer specimens are being added to them in recent years (Rohwer et al., 2022). However, this new age of technology, with its highly developed computing systems, and the advances in molecular techniques, has been helping Museums to go over possible shortcomings, allowing researchers worldwide easy access to relevant material for their investigations (Buerki et al., 2015; Drew et al., 2017). The McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity (MGCL) is currently housing the Lepidoptera specimens of the Florida Museum of Natural History. The nucleus of this collection is the Lepidoptera collection once housed at the Allyn Museum which was transferred from Sarasota, Florida when the MGCL opened in 2004. Lepidoptera collections from other Florida institutions, such as the University of Florida, and the Florida State Collection of Arthropods, were also added. Other collections, not only from Florida, but other States, as well as from other regions of the world have followed. Those include the very important addition of the William and Nadine McGuire collection. Today, the McGuire Center has one of the world’s largest collections of Lepidoptera, with over 10 million specimens of butterflies and moths, complemented by a very important and thorough collection of literature related to Lepidoptera and associated fields (MGCL 2023a, b). Besides many vouchers associated with a large number of publications, the MGCL houses over 1,360 primary types of Lepidoptera, as well as allotypes and paratypes, many from the times in which Lee D. and Jacqueline Y. Miller were leading researchers at the Allyn Museum (Miller, 2010). Since its foundation, the MGCL has been working steadily to form one of the largest Lepidoptera molecular collections in the world (Cho et al., 2016). Among its many Lepidoptera holdings, we find the Castniidae collection. Research associated with this group started early in the 1970s while many of the specimens were at the Allyn Museum and has continued over the next decades (Miller, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1986, 1995, 2007, 2008; Miller & Sourakov, 2009; Miller et al., 2012; González et al., 2019). Some of those references are somehow a pillar to the growing number of research publications in the group in the latest years. Several publications have dealt with Castniidae types from a few museums, providing light not only on the relevance of such museums and collections but clarifying information on the whereabouts, characteristics, and even the systematics and biology or ecology of such specimens (Mielke & Casagrande, 1986, 1988a, 1988b, 1999; Lamas, 1995b; Rodríguez-Ramírez et al., 2020).
The Castniidae specimens preserved in the Lepidoptera collection at the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera & Biodiversity (MGCL) were revised, studied, cataloged, and photographed. Information for each taxon includes original name, author, year, including sex, and original label information and publication where described. The different labels included with each specimen are indicated by a slash “/”. If the first label indicates the taxon described and the author’s name, it is not included because such information is already presented for each taxon. A semi-colon “;” separates the set of labels from one specimen to the next. Also included is the type status, and type locality, as well as the known distribution of each species. Current status, including references related to status changes, are also provided. Additions to the label information might be added in brackets. Any remarks are also included in brackets. Some general comments are also provided. Taxa are listed alphabetically. The classification mainly follows Moraes & Duarte (2014), with modifications based on Miller (1995, 2008), Lamas (1995a), García Díaz &Turrent Carriles, (2022), González et al. (2019), Worthy et al. (2019), and Costa et al. (2023). All images were taken using a StackShot automated focus stacking macro rail with a camera Canon EOS 7D and a Canon EF-S 60 mm f/2.8 USM Macro lens. References to each publication associated with the species discussed can be found in the References section. Abbreviations of collections where type material of the species mentioned herein are deposited (other than in the MGCL) are as follows: AME Allyn Museum of Entomology, Sarasota, Florida, USA (now in MGCL). AMNH American Museum of Natural History, New York, N.Y., USA. CADF Alberto Díaz Francés Collection, Mexico, D.F., Mexico. CMG Marilou Gadou Collection, El Limón, Aragua (now in MIZA). GBSC Gordon B. Small Collection, USA (now in NMNH). INIA–CENIAP Entomology Collection, National Institute of Agricultural Research, Maracay, Aragua, Venezuela. MBC Michael Büche Collection, Tingo María, Peru. MIZA Museo del Instituto de Zoología Agrícola, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad Central deVenezuela, Maracay, Aragua, Venezuela. MJSC Mark J. Simon Collection, Gainesville, Florida, USA. NHMUK Natural History Museum, London, UK. NMNH National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C., USA. UGCA Georgia Museum of Natural History, University of Georgia Collection of Arthropods, Athens, Georgia, USA.
Type specimens of Castniidae in the MGCL Athis axaqua González and Fernández Yépez, 1992 (Plate 1, figs. A & B) Castnia allyni J.Y. Miller, 1976 (Plate 1, figs. C & D) Castnia escalantei J.Y. Miller, 1976 (Plate 1, figs. E & F) Castnia estherae J.Y. Miller, 1976 (Plate 1, figs. G & H) Castnia fernandezi González, 1992 (Plate 1, figs. I & J) Castnia flavimaculata J.Y. Miller, 1972 (Plate 2, figs. A & B) Castnia inca dincadu J.Y. Miller, 1972 (Plate 2, figs. C & D) Insigniocastnia taisae J.Y. Miller, 2007 (Plate 2, figs. E & F) Mirocastnia smalli J.Y. Miller, 1980 (Plate 2, figs. G, H, I & J) Zegara polymorpha J.Y. Miller 2008 (Plate 2, figs. K, L, M & N)
Museums play a crucial role in studying biodiversity through their collections of biological specimens. Advancements in technology have helped museums overcome the decline in the number of specimens being added to these collections. The McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity has an extensive collection of butterfly and moth specimens. These include a significant Castniidae collection that contains Holotypes and Paratypes of ten taxa from this family. They are all presented herein, with comments and details the types housed in the MGCL and on origin, distribution and other relevant information.
I am deeply indebted to the managers and curators of the several insect collections (private and institutional) who allowed me to study their Castniidae specimens over the years. I am also extremely grateful to Jacqueline Y. Miller (MGCL) for her constant and unselfish help and advice during my many years studying the Castniidae. This note would not have been possible without the support and help of the MGCL personnel, most especially, Deborah Matthews, Keith Willmott, Andrei Sourakov, Andrew Warren, Megan Xiumei Neal, and José Martínez Noble.
Buerki S. & Baker W.J., 2015. Collections-based research in the genomic era. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 117(1): 5-10. https://doi.org/10.1111/bij.12721 Cho S., Epstein S. W., Mitter K., Hamilton C. A., Plotkin D., Mitter C. & Kawahara A.Y., 2015. Preserving and vouchering butterflies and moths for large-scale museum-based molecular research. PeerJ, 4: e2160 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.2160 Costa M., González J.M., Viloria A.L., Neild A.F.E., Camico H., Benmesbah M., Attal S. & Worthy R., 2023. Lepidoptera from the Pantepui. Part XIII. Notes on Zegara fernandezi (González, 1992) (Castniidae Castniinae). Antenor, 10(1): 6-20. Drew J.A., Moreau C.S. & Stiassny M.L.J., 2017. Digitization of museum collections holds the potential to enhance researcher diversity. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 1: 1789- 1790. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-017-0401-6 García Díaz J.J. & Turrent Carriles A., 2022. Descripción de una nueva subespecie de Escalantiana chelone (Hopffer, 1856) y un nuevo género de Castniinae (Lepidoptera: Castniidae). Revista de la Sociedad Mexicana de Lepidopterología, nueva serie, 9(2): 113-142. García Díaz J.J. & Turrent Carriles A., 2023. First record of Escalantiana escalantei (Miller, 1976) for the State of Mexico, Mexico (Lepidoptera: Castniidae: Castniinae). Dugesiana, 30(1): 51-55. González J. M., 2004. Castniinae (Lepidoptera: Castniidae) from Venezuela. VI.The genus Athis. Diagnosis and Comments. Caribbean Journal of Science, 40(3): 408-413. González J. M., 2005. Los insectos de los tepuyes. 137-139. In: Michelangeli, A., Tepuy: colosos de la Tierra. Fundación Terramar, Altholito C.A. publ., Caracas. González J. M. & Fernández Yépez F., 1992. Descripción de una nueva especie de Athis Hübner de Venezuela (Lepidoptera: Castniidae: Castniinae). Memoria de la Sociedad de Ciencias Naturales La Salle, 52(137): 5-10. Lamas G., 1995a. A critical review of J. Y. Miller’s checklist of the Neotropical Castniidae (Lepidoptera). Revista Peruana de Entomología, 37: 73-87. Lamas G., 1995b. Tipos de Castniidae en el Naturhistorisches Museum, de Viena (Insecta: Lepidoptera). SHILAP Revista de Lepidopterología, 23(91): 247-249. MGCL, 2023a. McGuire Center for Lepidoptera & Biodiversity. Florida Museum. Retrieved June 19, 2023, from https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/mcguire/collection/overview/ MGCL, 2023b. McGuire Center for Lepidoptera & Biodiversity. Florida Museum. Retrieved June 19, 2023, from https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/science/donation-of-lepidoptera-collection-will-boost-biodiversity-research/ Mielke O.H.H. & Casagrande M.M., 1986. Sobre os tipos de Lepidoptera depositados em Museus Brasileiros. VI. Castniidae, Cossidae, Sphingidae e Noctuidae, descritos por Benedicto Raymundo [Da Silva]. Revista Brasileira de Entomologia, 30(2): 245-249. Mielke O.H.H. & Casagrande M.M., 1988a.Sobre os tipos de Lepidoptera depositados em Museus Brasileiros. XVI. Hesperiidae, Satyridae, Lycaenidae, Riodinidae, Castniidae e Arctiidae descritos por Roberto Spitz. Revista Brasileira de Entomologia, 32(1): 3-6. Mielke O.H.H. & Casagrande M.M., 1988b. Sobre os tipos de Lepidoptera depositados em Museus Brasileiros. XVIII. Nymphalidae descritos por A.H. Fassl e Nymphalidae e Castniidae por J. Roeber. Revista Brasileira de Entomologia, 32(2): 107-109. Mielke O.H.H. & Casagrande M.M., 1999. Sobre os tipos de Lepidoptera depositados em Museus Brasileiros. XXV. Nymphalidae (Charaxinae) descrito por Mário Rosa (suplemento); Zygaenidae por A.M. da Costa Lima; Saturniidae (Hemileucinae) por A. Mabilde (suplemento), Castniidae por L. Pfeiffer e Arctiidae (Pericopinae) por Oscar Monte. Revista Brasileira de Zoologia, 16(Supl. 1): 227-231. Miller J.Y., 1972. Review of the Central American Castnia inca complex (Castniidae). Bulletin of the Allyn Museum, 6: 1-13. Miller J.Y., 1976. Studies in the Castniidae. II. Description of three species of Castnia, s.l. Bulletin of the Allyn Museum, 34: 1-13. Miller J.Y., 1980. Studies in the Castniidae. III. Mirocastnia. Bulletin of the Allyn Museum, 60: 1-15. Miller J.Y., 1986. The taxonomy, phylogeny, and zoogeography of the Neotropical moth subfamily Castniinae (Lepidoptera, Castnioidea: Castniidae). Ph. D. Thesis, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 571 pp. Miller J.Y., 1995. Castniidae. 133-137, 176-177. In: Checklist: Part 2. Hyblaeoidea – Pyraloidea –Tortricoidea. In: Heppner, J.B., Atlas of Neotropical Lepidoptera. Association for tropical Lepidoptera & Scientific Publishers, Gainesville, Florida, U. S. A. Miller J.Y., 2007. Studies in the Castniidae. IV. Description of a new genus, Insigniocastnia. Bulletin of the Allyn Museum, 145: 1-7. Miller J.Y., 2008. Studies in the Castniidae. V. Description of a new species of Zegara. Bulletin of the Allyn Museum, 160: 1-13. Miller J.Y., 2010. Lee Denmar Miller (1935-2008): His life and a brief history of the Allyn Museum of Entomology. Journal of the Lepidopterists’ Society, 64(1): 38-49. Miller J.Y., Matthews D.L., Warren A.D., Solís M.A., Harvey D.J., Gentili-Poole P., Lehman R., Emmel, T.C. & Covell C.V. Jr., 2012. An Annotated List of the Lepidoptera of Honduras. Insecta Mundi, 205: 1–72. Miller J.Y. & Sourakov A., 2009. Some observations on Amauta cacica procera (Boisduval) (Castniidae: Castniinae) in Costa Rica. Tropical Lepidoptera Research, 19(2), 113–114. Moraes S. & Duarte M., 2014. Phylogeny of Neotropical Castniinae (Lepidoptera: Cossoidea: Castniidae): testing the hypothesis of the mimics as a monophyletic group and implications for the arrangement of the genera. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 170(2), 362‒399. https://doi.org/10.1111/zoj.12102 Rodríguez-Ramírez J., Ríos S.D., Moraes S.S., Penco F.C. & González J.M., 2020. Catálogo de los Castniidae (Lepidoptera) del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”, Buenos Aires: descripción de tipos y notas generales e históricas. Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, nueva serie, 22(2): 173-190. Rohwer V.G., Rohwer Y. & Dillman C.B., 2022. Declining growth of natural history collections fails future generations. PLoS Biology, 20(4): e3001613. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3001613 Strand E., 1913. Gattung: Castnia F.: 7-17. In: Seitz, A. (Ed.), Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde. Vol. 6. A. Kernen, Stuttgart. Worthy R., González J.M. & Ríos S.D., 2019. A review of the genus Insigniocastnia J.Y. Miller, 2007 (Lepidoptera: Castniidae) with notes on Castnia amalthaea H. Druce, 1890. Zootaxa, 4550(2): 277–288. |
Jorge M. González |
González J.M., 2023. Types of Castniidae (Lepidoptera) in the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity (Gainesville, Florida). Colligo, 6(2). https://revue-colligo.fr/?id=88. |