The Jason Dombroskie Lab at Cornell University https://www.jasondombroskie.com Researching Tortricid Moths. Wed, 09 Feb 2022 14:20:30 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 Moth vs Predator: 1000 ways to die, 1001 ways to survive https://www.jasondombroskie.com/700-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=700-2 Wed, 09 Feb 2022 14:19:11 +0000 http://www.jasondombroskie.com/?p=700 Read More]]> 10 February 2022

Science in the Virtual Pub with Dr. Jason J. Dombroskie: Moth vs Predator: 1000 ways to die, 1001 ways to survive

New York is home to around 4,000 species of moths and butterflies that are integral parts of our ecosystems. Hundreds of species of birds, mammals, arachnids, and insects depend on them for food, but they are not always an easy meal. Both caterpillars and adults employ everything from leaping, biting, stabbing, yelling, and stinging to more passive strategies like poisons, camouflage, and mimicry.

In this talk we will look at the myriad of predators, parasites, and parasitoids looking for a meal and the strategies that moths and butterflies use to survive. Dr. Jason J. Dombroskie is the Manager of the Cornell University Insect Collection (CUIC) & Coordinator of the Insect Diagnostic Lab (IDL).

To register: PRI Darwin Days

]]> New paper revising the Archipini of the Caribbean https://www.jasondombroskie.com/new-paper-revising-the-archipini-of-the-caribbean/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new-paper-revising-the-archipini-of-the-caribbean Fri, 06 Nov 2020 17:51:56 +0000 http://www.jasondombroskie.com/?p=499 Read More]]> The culmination of Kyhl Austin’s MSc thesis is published and available here.

Abstract

The Archipini fauna of the Caribbean is revised to include 33 species. Most previously described species occurring in the region are redescribed and figured, with 13 new species: Argyrotaenia browni sp. nov., A. cryptica sp. nov. (including A. c. cryptica ssp. nov. and A. c. praeteritana ssp. nov.), A. paradisei sp. nov., A. razowskiana sp. nov., Claduncaria rawlinsana sp. nov., Cla. praedictana sp. nov., Cla. taino sp. nov., Clepsis davisi sp. nov., Cle. deroni sp. nov., Cle. jamesstewarti sp. nov., Cle. peroniae sp. nov., Mictocommosis lesleyae sp. nov., and Mictopsichia nyhllinda sp. nov. Three new combinations are proposed: Claduncaria mesosignaria (Razowski, 1999), comb. nov. (including Argyrotaenia thamaluncus Razowski, 1999, syn. nov.), Claduncaria minisignaria (Razowski, 1999), comb. nov., and Claduncaria chalarostium (Razowski & Becker, 2000b), comb. nov., stat. nov. Argyrotaenia granpiedrae Razowski & Becker, 2010 is reduced to subspecies rank under Argyrotaenia ceramica Razowski, 1999, resulting in Argyrotaenia ceramica granpiedrae Razowski & Becker, 2010, stat. nov. Four new synonymies are proposed: Clepsis labisclera Razowski & Becker, 2010, syn. nov. as junior synonym of Claduncaria maestrana Razowski & Becker, 2010; Clepsis pinaria Razowski & Becker, 2010, syn. nov. as junior synonym of Clepsis peritana (Clemens, 1860); and Argyrotaenia neibana Razowski, 1999, syn. nov. and A. ochrochroa Razowski, 1999 syn. nov. as junior synonyms of Argyrotaenia amatana (Dyar, 1901). Males of Argyrotaenia felisana Razowski, 1999, A. nuezana Razowski, 1999, and Claduncaria minisignaria (Razowski, 1999), comb. nov. are described for the first time; females of Argyrotaenia jamaicana (Razowski & Becker, 2000a) and Claduncaria ochrochlaena (Razowski, 1999) are described for the first time. The concept of Claduncaria is expanded and its diagnosis is modified to more clearly define its generic boundaries. A unique external sexual coupling mechanism in Claduncaria is discussed. Keys to the genera and species of Caribbean Archipini, distribution maps, a regional checklist, and Neighbor-joining and Maximum Likelihood trees based on COI barcode data are provided. Phylogenetic relationships among Caribbean Archipini are briefly discussed.

]]> The Moths of the Finger Lakes online talk https://www.jasondombroskie.com/the-moths-of-the-finger-lakes-online-talk/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-moths-of-the-finger-lakes-online-talk Mon, 06 Jul 2020 14:09:33 +0000 http://www.jasondombroskie.com/?p=476 Read More]]> 21 July 2020

Join us for an online presentation with Jason Dombroskie on the moths of the Finger Lakes Region of New York, USA.

This intimate journey into the hidden lives of moths and their caterpillars will look at some of the amazing species in your backyard. Some of these moths take medicine to fight parasites, bubble poison from their necks, produce pheromones that can be smelled from over a mile away, or jam bat echolocation. We will also examine caterpillars with gills, stinky tentacles, and horns that squirt acid, as well as ones that throw their feces, and others that live inside regurgitated owl pellets. Finally, we will explore how individual species have and continue to shape entire ecosystems across the Finger Lakes region and how you can observe moths.

Registration required

]]> New paper on the effects of raindrops on insect wings https://www.jasondombroskie.com/new-paper-on-the-effects-of-raindrops-on-insect-wings/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new-paper-on-the-effects-of-raindrops-on-insect-wings Wed, 10 Jun 2020 14:55:11 +0000 http://www.jasondombroskie.com/?p=471 Raindrops pummel insects with incredible force and can cause some serious loss of heat through contact. Many insects though have superhydrophobic surfaces to shatter raindrops, thus dissipating the force and minimizing heat loss. Check out the amazing high speed photos of this in action in this press release and see the original paper.

]]> Upcoming Public Events https://www.jasondombroskie.com/upcoming-public-events/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=upcoming-public-events Thu, 20 Feb 2020 18:48:49 +0000 http://www.jasondombroskie.com/?p=451 Read More]]> 05 May 2020, 19:30
Macnamara Field Naturalists’ Club
Arnprior Curling Club, 15 Galvin Street, Arnprior, ON
Not Just Bird Food, The Moths of Renfrew County
This intimate journey into the hidden lives of moths and their caterpillars will look at some of the amazing species in your backyard. Some of these moths take medicine to fight parasites, bubble poison from their necks, produce perfume that can be smelled from kilometers away, or jam bat echolocation. We will also examine caterpillars with gills, stinky tentacles, and horns that squirt acid, as well as ones that throw their feces, and others that live inside regurgitated owl pellets. Additionally, we will explore how individual species have and continue to shape entire ecosystems across Renfrew County.

]]> New paper sorting out unplaced Archipini and describing a new genus https://www.jasondombroskie.com/new-paper-sorting-out-unplaced-archipini-and-describing-a-new-genus/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new-paper-sorting-out-unplaced-archipini-and-describing-a-new-genus Tue, 11 Feb 2020 19:39:35 +0000 http://www.jasondombroskie.com/?p=446 Kyhl Austin and Jason Dombroskie wrote a short paper describing a new genus of Archipini and proposing several new combinations and synonymies in Archipini and Atteriini (Tortricidae). This paper tidies up a number of Archipini that were orphaned as unplaced Archipini and moves some of them to the tribe Atterini.

]]> New paper on possible cryptic species in the North American treehopper genus Spissistilus https://www.jasondombroskie.com/new-paper-on-possible-cryptic-species-in-the-north-american-treehopper-genus-spissistilus/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new-paper-on-possible-cryptic-species-in-the-north-american-treehopper-genus-spissistilus Sun, 02 Feb 2020 19:44:09 +0000 http://www.jasondombroskie.com/?p=441 Spissistilus festinus is a pest of various crops in the southern United States and is a vector of grapevine red blotch virus. This study demonstrates deep divergences in clades from the southwestern vs the southeastern US.

]]> New paper documenting natural history of a rare pygmy mole cricket https://www.jasondombroskie.com/new-paper-documenting-natural-history-of-a-rare-pygmy-mole-cricket/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new-paper-documenting-natural-history-of-a-rare-pygmy-mole-cricket Wed, 15 Jan 2020 16:26:18 +0000 http://www.jasondombroskie.com/?p=437 Brandon Woo has published a richly-illustrated paper on the natural history of the pygmy mole cricket Ellipes monticolus. You can find this paper in the most recent issue of the Journal of Orthoptera Research.

]]> 3rd Annual Postseason Wrap-up (02 November 2019) https://www.jasondombroskie.com/3rd-annual-postseason-wrap-up-02-november-2019/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=3rd-annual-postseason-wrap-up-02-november-2019 Thu, 24 Oct 2019 17:41:24 +0000 http://www.jasondombroskie.com/?p=425 Read More]]>

A get together for lepidopterists both amateur and expert to discuss specimens and photos of undetermined species from the previous season. The Cornell University Insect Collection will be open and microscopes will be available.

Parking should be free in the nearby Hoy Road Parking Garage. For those interested we will order pizza for lunch and go out for dinner afterwards.

For the hardcore moth nerds, the collection will be opened on Sunday as well.

We hope to see you there!

Place: 2144 Comstock Hall, 129 Garden Avenue, Ithaca, NY

Time: 09:00 – 17:00, 02 November 2019

]]> A Review of the Archipini of the Bahamas with the Description of a New Species of Argyrotaenia Stephens (Tortricidae) https://www.jasondombroskie.com/a-review-of-the-archipini-of-the-bahamas-with-the-description-of-a-new-species-of-argyrotaenia-stephens-tortricidae/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-review-of-the-archipini-of-the-bahamas-with-the-description-of-a-new-species-of-argyrotaenia-stephens-tortricidae Fri, 26 Apr 2019 13:37:28 +0000 http://www.jasondombroskie.com/?p=389 Read More]]> The newest paper from our lab can be downloaded here:

Austin, K. A., J. J. Dombroskie, D. L. Matthews, J. Y. Miller. 2019. A review of the Archipini of The Bahamas with the description of a new species of Argyrotaenia Stephens (Tortricidae). J. Lepid. Soc. 73: 5-17.

Abstract

Recent surveys in The Bahamas recorded four species of Archipini. Of these, Argyrotaenia flavoreticulana Austin & Dombroskie, sp. n. is described and illustrated, while A. amatana (Dyar), A. kimballi Obraztsov, and Clepsis peritana (Clemens) are reported from The Bahamas for the first time. Because of the difficulty of identifying the latter three species, they are re-described and figured. A key to the Archipini of The Bahamas is included.

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