Silkworm: The Underappreciated Life Science Model Organism
The silkworm (Bombyx mori) is a unique economic insect, and it also offers promise as a model organism for life-science research.
How Flashy Wings, UV Light, and Seasons All Play a Role in One Butterfly Species’ Mating Rituals
By Edward Ricciuti Males of an African butterfly, with the improbable nickname of “squinting bush brown,” are the Lepidopteran version of chick magnets—if their generation of caterpillars chills out while […]
This Artificial Diet May Make Insect Rearing Easier
By Richard Levine If you want to do lab research on insects, you need to be able to keep them alive, sometimes for many generations. That means you need to […]
Some Moths are Actually Butterflies According to DNA Sequencing Study
By tracing nearly 3,000 genes to the earliest common ancestor of butterflies and moths, University of Florida scientists have created an extensive “Tree of Lepidoptera” in the first study to […]
Newly Discovered Appalachian Moth Named after Cherokee Chief
A new species of moth discovered in the Appalachian Mountains has been named after Attakullakulla, a Cherokee chief who lived in the region in the 1700s. The new species, Cherokeea […]
Two New Species of Butterfly Accidentally Discovered in Eastern USA
The discovery of a new butterfly species is very rare nowadays, so it’s even more remarkable that Texas researchers have discovered not just one, but two new species. “It was […]