Research Training ProgramSmithsonian
Institution
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| Sandra Saluke Cornell University Ithaca, New York Michael Pogue, Ph.D. "This program has given me a backstage pass to see what it is like to do research and to work in a museum." |
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Research Training ProgramSmithsonian
Institution
|
|
| Sandra Saluke Cornell University Ithaca, New York Michael Pogue, Ph.D. "This program has given me a backstage pass to see what it is like to do research and to work in a museum." |
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Resolving the Elaphria festivoides (Guenee) species complex (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)
ABSTRACT
Elaphria festivoides (Guenee) is a noctuid moth with a distribution throughout North America. For years, scientists have hypothesized that E. festivoides represented a complex of several species because of their diverse wing patterns. The purpose of this study was to carefully examine this complex and ascertain the number of species present. Slides of male and female genitalia were made and wing patterns were compared in order to identify characters for each species. It was determined that there were two species in this complex. The identifying characters for each species were described and illustrated. The ranges of the two species overlap, showing that they may have arisen sympatrically.
This research was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates in the Biological Sciences, award #DBI 9531331.