The remarkable endemism of moths at White Sands National Monument in New Mexico, USA, with special emphasis on Gelechioidea (Lepidoptera)

Metzler, Eric H.

doi:10.1016/j.japb.2014.02.001

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…In light of a growing body of literature devoted to desert biodiversity, including that of moths (e.g., Metzler 2014), dunes may represent an underappreciated habitat for insects and biodiversity in general. Perhaps because the habitat associations of moths are not typically highly constrained, coupled with the vagility of the adult stage, dunes may be overlooked as primary natural areas for Lepidoptera, just as common plants may be under-appreciated as locally important hosts for narrowly distributed organisms.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Two psammophilic noctuids newly associated with beach plum, Prunus maritima (Rosaceae): The Dune Noctuid (Sympistis riparia) and Coastal Heathland Cutworm (Abagrotis benjamini) in Northeastern North America (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae)

Goldstein¹,

Nelson²

2017

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Beach plum, Prunus maritima Marshall, 1785 not Wangenh., 1787 (Rosaceae), currently under development as a potential crop, represents an under-acknowledged host plant for several Lepidoptera that have undergone declines in the northeastern USA. The Coastal Heathland Cutworm, Abagrotis nefascia (Smith, 1908), and the Dune Noctuid, Sympistis riparia (Morrison, 1875), are unrelated species of psammophilic noctuines (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) regularly encountered on a localized basis in coastal southern New England and New York, and whose precise life history requirements are undocumented. We inferred and, based on field observation and rearing, corroborated beach plum as a larval host for these species in Massachusetts; the plant’s role in sustaining other moths with limited or contracting regional distributions is discussed. Sympistis riparia, belonging to a widely distributed complex of closely related species, has been associated specifically with both maritime and freshwater dunes. The eastern populations of Abagrotis nefascia represent a conspicuous range disjunction, separated from the nearest western populations by more than 2000 miles, and originally described by Franclemont as race benjamini of Abagrotis crumbi, both later synonymized with Abagrotis nefascia. Following examination of types and other material, an evaluation of putatively diagnostic features from both the original description and our own observations, genitalic characters, and the results of provisional barcode analyses, Abagrotis benjamini Franclemont, stat. rev., is elevated to the rank of a valid species rather than representing eastern populations of Abagrotis nefascia (=crumbi) to which it originally referred.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Two psammophilic noctuids newly associated with beach plum, Prunus maritima (Rosaceae): The Dune Noctuid (Sympistis riparia) and Coastal Heathland Cutworm (Abagrotis benjamini) in Northeastern North America (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae)

Goldstein¹,

Nelson²

2017

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“…Evolution of new species in ecologically outré, often severe, sandy habitats is a common phenomenon in both plants and animals. Currently, in Lepidoptera, Metzler (2014) is documenting local differentiation in seven families of moths. In material he has amassed during six years of collecting in the gypsum dunes of White Sands National Monument, an ecologic island in the Tularosa Basin of New Mexico, he has discovered 30 new species (many now formally named).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Speciation in an Insular Sand Dune Habitat:Atrytonopsis(Hesperiidae: Hesperiinae)—Mainly from the Southwestern United States and Mexico—Off the North Carolina Coast

Burns

2015

Journal of the Lepidopterists’ Society

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“…For example, the moth Euxoa misturata and the pocket mouse Perognathus flavescens also have blanched forms in the gypsum habitat that contrast with nearby dark forms. In addition to these dramatic examples, White Sands is home to multiple endemic species of Lepidoptera that are pale compared to close relatives (Metzler 2014). Although White Sands is a relatively depauperate ecosystem, the species that have survived on the dunes typically exhibit thriving populations.…”

Section: Convergence Across the Community At White Sandsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Convergent Phenotypic Evolution despite Contrasting Demographic Histories in the Fauna of White Sands

Rosenblum

Parent

Diepeveen

et al. 2017

The American Naturalist

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When are evolutionary outcomes predictable? Cases of convergent evolution can shed light on when, why, and how different species exhibit shared evolutionary trajectories. In particular, studying diverse species in a common environment can illuminate how different factors facilitate or constrain adaptive evolution. Here we integrate studies of pattern and process in the fauna at White Sands (New Mexico) to understand the determinants of convergent evolution. Numerous animal species at White Sands exhibit phenotypic convergence in response to a novel-and shared-selective environment: geologically young gypsum dunes. We synthesize 15 years of research on White Sands lizards to assess the contribution of natural selection, genetic architecture, and population demography to patterns of phenotypic evolution. We also present new data for two species of White Sands arthropods, Ammobaenetes arenicolus and Habronattus ustulatus. Overall, we find dramatic phenotypic convergence across diverse species at White Sands. Although the direction of phenotypic response is parallel, the magnitude of phenotypic response varies among species. We also find that species exhibit strikingly different demographic patterns across the ecotone. The species with the most genetic structure between White Sands and dark-soil populations generally exhibit the least phenotypic divergence, suggesting population demography as a key modulator of adaptation. Comparative studies are particularly important for understanding the determinants of convergence in natural systems.

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The remarkable endemism of moths at White Sands National Monument in New Mexico, USA, with special emphasis on Gelechioidea (Lepidoptera)

Cited by 8 publications

References 8 publications

Two psammophilic noctuids newly associated with beach plum, Prunus maritima (Rosaceae): The Dune Noctuid (Sympistis riparia) and Coastal Heathland Cutworm (Abagrotis benjamini) in Northeastern North America (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae)

Two psammophilic noctuids newly associated with beach plum, Prunus maritima (Rosaceae): The Dune Noctuid (Sympistis riparia) and Coastal Heathland Cutworm (Abagrotis benjamini) in Northeastern North America (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae)

Speciation in an Insular Sand Dune Habitat:Atrytonopsis(Hesperiidae: Hesperiinae)—Mainly from the Southwestern United States and Mexico—Off the North Carolina Coast

Convergent Phenotypic Evolution despite Contrasting Demographic Histories in the Fauna of White Sands

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