Chrysalis Conundrum: Why One Butterfly Species’ Pupae Fare Better in Winter Than Summer
The drivers that affect survival rates of butterfly and moth pupae are understudied compared to their larval and adult stages. A new study examines silverspotted skippers (Epargyreus clarus) in their most vulnerable stage—and why their overwintering generations survive pupation at much higher rates than summer generations.
Sky Islands: Isolated Mountaintops Teem With Unique Insect Communities
With cooler, wetter climates than lowlands nearby, mountains in the Interior Highlands of Arkansas each feature their own communities of parasitic wasps—and likely other insects—that differ from the insect fauna found on other mountains and in the surrounding valleys.
Pests, Predators, and Parasitoids: Wasps Target Flies That Eat Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
In the effort to manage the hemlock woolly adelgid in eastern North America, two fly species deployed as biological control agents are themselves targeted by parasitoid wasps. A new study examines how these parasitoids affect the flies and other predators of the hemlock pests.
Eye Doctor’s Tool Offers New Look at Marvel of Moth Eyes
A tool commonly used in ophthalmology finds a new use in entomology: Observing how a moth's eye adjusts to see in both light and dark environments.