Getting a Grip on the Phylogeny, Locomotion, and Defense of the Charismatic Slug Caterpillars (Zygaenoidea)

Dr. Marc E. Epstein
Senior Insect Biosystematist, Plant Pest Diagnostics Center, CA Dept. of Food and Agriculture
Research Associate, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution 

It’s time to take a fresh look at some of nature’s most charismatic caterpillars, commonly known as slug caterpillars. Using results from the first comprehensive phylogeny of the Limacodidae (inferred from 7 genes and morphological characters), we will see how various larval phenotypes -- the “nettles", the “gelatines”, the “hairys" and their odd collection of behaviors track with the phylogeny.  I will show how the sluglike caterpillars of Lycaenidae compare with those of the Limacodidae and their zygaenoid relatives. You will also see how H.G. Dyar, the subject of Tuesday night’s lecture at the Cambridge Entomological Club, made important contributions into the study of limacodid life histories and classification.