@article {22562, title = {Hidden phylogenomic signal helps elucidate arsenurine silkmoth phylogeny and the evolution of body size and wing shape trade-offs}, journal = {Systematic Biology}, volume = {71}, year = {2022}, month = {06/2022}, pages = {859{\textendash}874}, chapter = {859}, abstract = {

\"One of the key objectives in biological research is understanding how evolutionary processes have produced Earth\’s diversity. A critical step toward revealing these processes is an investigation of evolutionary tradeoffs\—that is, the opposing pressures of multiple selective forces. For millennia, nocturnal moths have had to balance successful flight, as they search for mates or host plants, with evading bat predators. However, the potential for evolutionary trade-offs between wing shape and body size are poorly understood. In this study, we used phylogenomics and geometric morphometrics to examine the evolution of wing shape in the wild silkmoth subfamily Arsenurinae (Saturniidae) and evaluate potential evolutionary relationships between body size and wing shape. The phylogeny was inferred based on 782 loci from target capture data of 42 arsenurine species representing all 10 recognized genera. After detecting in our data one of the most vexing problems in phylogenetic inference\—a region of a tree that possesses short branches and no \“support\” for relationships (i.e., a polytomy), we looked for hidden phylogenomic signal (i.e., inspecting differing phylogenetic inferences, alternative support values, quartets, and phylogenetic networks) to better illuminate the most probable generic relationships within the subfamily. We found there are putative evolutionary trade-offs between wing shape, body size, and the interaction of fore- and hindwing (HW) shape. Namely, body size tends to decrease with increasing HW length but increases as forewing (FW) shape becomes more complex. Additionally, the type of HW (i.e., tail or no tail) a lineage possesses has a significant effect on the complexity of FW shape. We outline possible selective forces driving the complex HW shapes that make Arsenurinae, and silkmoths as a whole, so charismatic.\"

}, keywords = {ANCHORED HYBRID ENRICHMENT, ARSENURINAE, GEOMETRIC MORPHOMETRICS, PHYLOGENOMICS, SATURNIIDAE, TRADE-OFFS, TRAITS, WING SHAPE}, doi = {10.1093/sysbio/syab090}, author = {Hamilton, C.A. and Winiger, N. and Rubin, J.J. and Breinholt, J. and Rougerie, R. and Kitching, I.J. and Barber, J.R. and Kawahara, A.Y.} } @unpublished {22378, title = {Anti-bat ultrasound production in moths is globally and phylogenetically widespread}, year = {2021}, month = {09/2021}, pages = {1-31}, type = {bioRxiv preprint}, abstract = {

\"Warning signals are well known in the visual system, but rare in other modalities. Some moths produce ultrasonic sounds to warn bats of noxious taste or to mimic unpalatable models. Here we report results from a long-term study across the globe, assaying moth response to playback of bat echolocation. We tested 252 genera, spanning most families of large-bodied moths, and outline anti-bat ultrasound production in 52 genera, with eight new subfamily origins described. Based on acoustic analysis of ultrasonic emissions and palatability experiments with bats, it seems that acoustic warning and mimicry are the raison d\&$\#$39;etre for sound production in most moths. However, some moths use high-density ultrasound capable of jamming bat sonar. In fact, we find preliminary evidence of independent origins of sonar jamming in at least six subfamilies. Palatability data indicates that jamming and warning are not mutually exclusive strategies. To explore the possible organization of anti-bat warning sounds into acoustic mimicry rings, we intensively studied a community of moths in Ecuador and found five distinct acoustic clusters using machine learning algorithms. While these data represent an early understanding of acoustic aposematism and mimicry across this megadiverse insect order, it is likely that ultrasonically-signaling moths comprise one of the largest mimicry complexes on earth.\"

}, keywords = {ACOUSTICS, APOSEMATISM, BATS, DEFENCE, DIVERSITY, EREBIDAE, EVOLUTION, HEARING, JAMMING, LEPIDOPTERA, MIMICRY, PREDATOR AVOIDANCE, SPHINGIDAE, STRIDULATION, TYMBAL ORGANS, ULTRASONICS}, doi = {10.1101/2021.09.20.460855}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.09.20.460855}, author = {Barber, J.R. and Plotkin, D. and Rubin, J.J. and Homziak, N.T. and Leavell, B.C. and Houlihan, P. and Miner, K.A. and Breinholt, J.W. and Quirk-Royal, B. and Padr{\'o}n, P.S. and Nunez, M. and Kawahara, A.Y.} } @article {22377, title = {Adaptive shifts underlie the divergence in wing morphology in bombycoid moths}, journal = {Proceedings of the Royal Society B}, volume = {288}, year = {2021}, month = {08/2021}, pages = {20210677}, chapter = {20210677}, abstract = {

\"The evolution of flapping flight is linked to the prolific success of insects. Across Insecta, wing morphology diversified, strongly impacting aerodynamic performance. In the presence of ecological opportunity, discrete adaptive shifts and early bursts are two processes hypothesized to give rise to exceptional morphological diversification. Here, we use the sister-families Sphingidae and Saturniidae to answer how the evolution of aerodynamically important traits is linked to clade divergence and through what process(es) these traits evolve. Many agile Sphingidae evolved hover-feeding behaviors, while adult Saturniidae lack functional mouth parts and rely on a fixed energy budget as adults. We find that Sphingidae underwent an adaptive shift in wing morphology coincident with life history and behavior divergence, evolving small high aspect-ratio wings advantageous for power reduction that can be moved at high frequencies, beneficial for flight control. In contrast, Saturniidae, which do not feed as adults, evolved large wings and morphology which surprisingly does not reduce aerodynamic power, but could contribute to their erratic flight behavior, aiding in predator avoidance. We suggest that after the evolution of flapping flight, diversification of wing morphology can be potentiated by adaptative shifts, shaping the diversity of wing morphology across insects.\"

}, keywords = {ADAPTATION, AERODYNAMICS, ASPECT RATIO, BOMBYCOIDEA, EVOLUTION, FLIGHT CONTROL, SATURNIIDAE, SPHINGIDAE}, doi = {10.1098/rspb.2021.0677}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2021.0677}, author = {Aiello, B.R. and Tan, M. and Bin Sikandar, U. and Alvey, A.J. and Bhinderwala B. and Kimball, K.C. and Barber, J.R. and Hamilton, C.A. and Kawahara, A.Y. and Sponberg, S.} } @article {22026, title = {Phylogenomics resolves major relationships and reveals significant diversification rate shifts in the evolution of silk moths and relatives.}, journal = {BMC Evolutionary Biology}, volume = {19}, year = {2019}, month = {09/2019}, pages = {182 [1-13]}, chapter = {182}, abstract = {

\"Background: Silkmoths and their relatives constitute the ecologically and taxonomically diverse superfamily Bombycoidea, which includes some of the most charismatic species of Lepidoptera. Despite displaying spectacular forms and diverse ecological traits, relatively little attention has been given to understanding their evolution and drivers of their diversity. To begin to address this problem, we created a new Bombycoidea-specific Anchored Hybrid Enrichment (AHE) probe set and sampled up to 571 loci for 117 taxa across all major lineages of the Bombycoidea, with a newly developed DNA extraction protocol that allows Lepidoptera specimens to be readily sequenced from pinned natural history collections.
Results: The well-supported tree was overall consistent with prior morphological and molecular studies, although some taxa were misplaced. The bombycid Arotros Schaus was formally transferred to Apatelodidae. We identified important evolutionary patterns (e.g., morphology, biogeography, and differences in speciation and extinction), and our analysis of diversification rates highlights the stark increases that exist within the Sphingidae (hawkmoths) and Saturniidae (wild silkmoths).
Conclusions: Our study establishes a backbone for future evolutionary, comparative, and taxonomic studies of Bombycoidea. We postulate that the rate shifts identified are due to the well-documented bat-moth \“arms race\”. Our research highlights the flexibility of AHE to generate genomic data from a wide range of museum specimens, both age and preservation method, and will allow researchers to tap into the wealth of biological data residing in natural history collections around the globe.\"

}, keywords = {ANCHORED HYBRID ENRICHMENT, APATELODIDAE, AROTROS, BOMBYCIDAE, BOMBYCOIDEA, DNA, PHYLOGENOMICS, PHYLOGENY, TARGETED SEQUENCE CAPTURE}, doi = {10.1186/s12862-019-1505-1}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-019-1505-1}, author = {Hamilton, C.A. and St Laurent, R.A. and Dexter, K. and Kitching, I.J. and Breinholt, J.W. and Zwick, A. and Timmermans, M.J.T.N. and Barber, J.R. and Kawahara, A.Y.} } @article {21182, title = {Quantifying wing shape and size of saturniid moths with geometric morphometrics}, journal = {Journal of the Lepidopterists{\textquoteright} Society}, volume = {70}, year = {2016}, pages = {99-107}, chapter = {99}, abstract = {

\"Butterflies and moths exhibit a spectacular diversity of wing shape and size. The extent of wing variation is particularly evident in wild silk moths (Saturniidae), which have large wing shape and size variation. Some species have jagged wing margins, rounded forewing apical lobes, or narrow hind wings with long tails, while others lack these traits entirely. Surprisingly, very little work has been done to formally quantify wing variation within the family. We analyzed the hind wing shape and size of 76 saturniid species representing 52 genera across five subfamilies using geometric morphometrics. We identified fifteen landmarks that we predict can be applied to families across Lepidoptera. PCA analyses grouped saturniid hind wings into six distinct morphological clusters. These groups did not appear to follow species relatedness\—some phylogenetically and genetically distantly related taxa clustered in the same morphological group. We discuss\  ecological factors that might have led to the extraordinary wing variation within Saturniidae.\"

}, keywords = {GEOMETRIC MORPHOMETRICS, LANDMARKS, MORPHOMETRICS, PRINCIPAL COMPONENTS ANALYSIS, PROCRUSTES ANALYSIS, SATURNIIDAE, WING LENGTH, WING SHAPE}, author = {Zhong, M. and Hill, G.A. and Gomez, J.P. and Plotkin, D. and Barber, J.R. and Kawahara, A.Y.} } @article {20925, title = {Tempo and mode of antibat ultrasound production and sonar jamming in the diverse hawkmoth radiation}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, volume = {112}, year = {2015}, month = {05/2015}, pages = {6407-6412}, chapter = {6407}, keywords = {ACOUSTICS, AMBULYX, ANCESTRAL STATE RECONSTRUCTION, BATS, BAYESIAN INFERENCE, CECHETRA, DEFENCE, DIVERGENCE TIMES, DNA, EPTESICUS, HYLES, JAMMING, MAXIMUM LIKELIHOOD, PHYLOGENY, PREDATION, PREDATOR AVOIDANCE, PSILOGRAMMA, RAXML, SONOGRAM, SPHINGIDAE, STRIDULATION, ULTRASONICS, XYLOPHANES}, url = {https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1416679112}, author = {Kawahara, A.Y. and Barber, J.R.} } @article {20886, title = {A molecular phylogeny of Eumorpha (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) and the evolution of anti-predator larval eyespots}, journal = {Systematic Entomology}, volume = {40}, year = {2015}, pages = {401-408}, chapter = {401}, keywords = {BAYESIAN INFERENCE, BEHAVIOUR, BIOGEOGRAPHY, CAD, COI, DEFENCE, DNA, EF-1ALPHA, EUMORPHA, EYESPOT, IMMATURE STAGES, MAXIMUM LIKELIHOOD, MIMICRY, PHYLOGENY, RASP, RAXML, SPHINGIDAE, WINGLESS, WORLDMAP1}, doi = {10.1111/syen.12111}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/syen.12111}, author = {Ponce, F.V. and Breinholt, J.W. and Hossie, T. and Barber, J.R. and Janzen, D.H. and Hallwachs, W. and Kawahara, A.Y.} } @article {16773, title = {Hawkmoths produce anti-bat ultrasound}, journal = {Biology Letters}, volume = {9}, year = {2013}, month = {2013}, pages = {20130161}, chapter = {20130161}, keywords = {BATS, DEFENCE, MALE GENITALIA, SPHINGIDAE, STRIDULATION, STRIDULATORY SCALES, ULTRASONICS}, doi = {10.1098/rsbl.2013.0161}, author = {Barber, J.R. and Kawahara, A.Y.} }