Advances in Mass Rearing (Hood) (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae), a Biological Control Agent for Brazilian Peppertree in Florida.

is a recently approved biological control agent for the highly invasive Brazilian peppertree in Florida, USA. Prior to approval for field release in 2019, thrips colonies used for host specificity testing were produced and maintained in small cylinders to fit in restricted quarantine spaces. This next segment in the classical biological control pipeline is mass production and distribution of .

Phylogeography and population genetics of pine butterflies: Sky islands increase genetic divergence.

The sky islands of southeastern Arizona (AZ) mark a major transition zone between tropical and temperate biota and are considered a neglected biodiversity hotspot. Dispersal ability and host plant specificity are thought to impact the history and diversity of insect populations across the sky islands. We aimed to investigate the population structure and phylogeography of two pine-feeding pierid butterflies, the pine white () and the Mexican pine white (), restricted to these "islands" at this transition zone.

Evaluating an Alleged Mimic of the Monarch Butterfly: (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) Butterflies are Palatable to Avian Predators.

Some taxa have adopted the strategy of mimicry to protect themselves from predation. Butterflies are some of the best representatives used to study mimicry, with the monarch butterfly, (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) a well-known model. We are the first to empirically investigate a proposed mimic of the monarch butterfly: , the Mexican pine white butterfly (Lepidoptera: Pieridae).

Behavioral Evidence for Host Transitions in Plant, Plant Parasite, and Insect Interactions.

Specialized herbivorous insects have the ability to transition between host plant taxa, and considering the co-evolutionary history between plants and the organisms utilizing them is important to understanding plant insect interactions. We investigated the role of a pine tree parasite, dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium spp.) M.

Differences in winter cold hardiness reflect the geographic range disjunction of Neophasia menapia and Neophasia terlooii (Lepidoptera: Pieridae).

Predicting how rapid climate change will affect terrestrial biota depends on a thorough understanding of an organism's biology and evolutionary history. Organisms at their range boundaries are particularly sensitive to climate change. As predominantly terrestrial poikilotherms, insects are often geographically limited by extremes in ambient temperatures.