The nymphalid groundplan (NGP) is an idealized system used to classify and interpret wing pattern elements of butterflies. Nearly a century ago, the principles of the NGP were applied to the wing patterns of higher moths ...

Butterfly eyespots are known to function in predator deflection and predator intimidation, but it is still unclear what factors cause eyespots to serve one function over the other. Both functions have been demonstrated in ...

Among the hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae), many species in the section Metastriata have intricate ornamentation on the scutum that is often used as a taxonomic character. However, the biological function(s) of this ornamentation ...

The history of insects' taxonomic diversity is poorly understood. The two most common methods for estimating taxonomic diversity in deep time yield conflicting results: the 'range through' method suggests a ...

The Middle–Late Pennsylvanian Subperiod was marked by recurrent glacial–interglacial cycles superimposed on a longer-term trend of increasing aridity. Wetland and drought-tolerant floras responded with repeated migrations ...

Background Despite the great importance of lepidopteran wing patterns in various biological disciplines, homologies between wing pattern elements in different moth and butterfly lineages are still not understood. Among ...

The earliest fossils of winged insects (Pterygota) are mid-Carboniferous (latest Mississippian, 328–324 Mya), but estimates of their age based on fossil-calibrated molecular phylogenetic studies place their origin at 440–370 ...

Large numbers of plant fossils have been collected from the early Late Pennsylvanian (Missourian/Kasimovian) age Kinney Brick Company Quarry, southeast of Albuquerque, New Mexico. This location was the focus of a ...