The Noctuid Type Material Of John B Smith Lepidoptera

Marc E. Epstein provides a complete biography of Harrison Gray Dyar, Jr., one of the most influential biologists of the twentieth century. Epstein chronicles Dyar's impressive scientific accomplishments in the field of entomology, as well as his complicated personal life and many eccentricities.

This annotated list arranges the 3693 species of Noctuoidea known from North America into six families (Doidae, Notodontidae, Erebidae, Euteliidae, Nolidae, Noctuidae) and further arranges these into subfamilies, tribes, and subtribes, based on the most recent phylogenetic information. All changes from the previous list in 1983 are documented in 716 taxonomic notes and 331 literature references. These changes include documentation for 367 new species that have been described since the 1983 list, 230 species added through new records or taxonomic changes, and 259 species that are removed or synonymized. A total of 166 taxonomic changes are proposed in the list.

This special issue of ZooKeys marks the fourth volume in a series on New World macro-moth systematics. Twenty-two authors contributed 12 manuscripts for this volume, covering taxa in the Crambidae, Erebidae, Euteliidae, Geometridae, Noctuidae, and Notodontidae. New taxa are described from 26 countries, with emphasis on the Neotropical region. Taxonomic changes include the description of 27 new species and two new subspecies, eight new or revised synonyms, two revised statuses, and one new generic combination.

The noctuidae of the world, a family with numerous important agricultural pests, comprises about a third of the entire order Lepidoptera. This new three-volume set is the first complete catalog for the world. About 38,000 named species (including known synonyms) are listed alphabetically under each genus name in over 1,000 pages of text. Genera area also listed alphabetically, but subfamily affiliations are noted for each of the valid names to enable users to segregate genera by subfamily. Valid names are noted in boldface. Synonyms are listed for each genus and species; the species synonyms are also listed alphabetically among the valid names, thus enabling users to make two kinds of searches in the text as well as in the index. The catalog provides citation data on all described names (other than infraspecific names), with references cited in the compete bibliography at the end. Reference is also made to more important papers on the biology, larvae, host plants, and illustrations for each species, again with full titles noted in the bibliography. The main host plants for each species, where known, are listed under each. Details of holotypes, where known, are also noted. The bibliography has entries for approximately 4,400 papers.

This special issue of ZooKeys is the second in a planned series of volumes on the systematics of New World macro-moths. The 15 included papers describe three new genera, 23 new species, and four new subspecies, as well as proposing 64 new or revised synonymies, 13 new or revised statuses, and 125 new or revised generic combinations.