Research Training Program

April Yang
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California

John Brown, Ph.D.
Supervising Scientist
Department of Entomology

"RTP is the cool summer breeze
carrying the gossamer silk of baby ballooning spiders to greener
pastures of knowledge"

Understanding the Family Tree: Counting Bristles in Leaf-Roller Moths

Many of the caterpillars of moths in the family known as leaf-rollers are important pests of agricultural, ornamental, and forest plants, causing millions of dollars in damage each year. In this study, we examine an anatomical character, the number of bristles on the wing of female moths, which shows promise in helping define relationships among different areas of the family tree. An understanding of relationships allows us to extrapolate information from one group to another closely related group. Hence, knowledge of the behavior, feeding habits, and ecology or related species is likely to be similar. This information will be valuable to those involved in control, detection, and exclusion of leaf-roller pests.

This research was supported by the Smithsonian Women's Committee Endowment.