Urania boisduvalii

Urania boisduvalii is a day-flying moth of the family Uraniidae. It was first described by Félix Édouard Guérin-Méneville in 1829. A genetic analysis of Urania moths gave rise to a phylogenetic tree which places U. boisduvalii as sister to the in-group that includes U. fulgens spp. poeyi, U. fulgens, U. sloanus, U. sloanus, U. leilus and U. leilus spp. brasiliensis.[1]

Urania boisduvalii
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Uraniidae
Genus: Urania
Species:
U. boisduvalii
Binomial name
Urania boisduvalii
Synonyms
  • Cydimon boisduvalii
  • Urania fernandinae MacLeay, 1834

Distribution

Urania boisduvalii is found in Cuba.[2] Unlike Urania poeyi, which is found only in the eastern part of Cuba, this species is found throughout the island.[3] It has been proposed that U. bosiduvalii is a migratory species. Computer generated migratory routes predict that migratory groups fly mainly along the western and eastern coast lines, because of plant distributions.[4]

Usually, U. bosiduvalii lay individual eggs on separate leaves, but they have been known to lay egg clutches too.[5] The specialist larvae of this species feed on Omphalea hypoleuca and Omphalea trichotoma.[6] The larvae will feed on the leaves, but prefer the fruit of O. trichotoma.[7] The leaves of Omaphalea spp. contain compounds that are toxic to most herbivores, but U. boisduvalli caterpillars can tolerate and metabolize the toxins. As adults, the toxins are protection against predators, like birds.[8]

References
  1. Nazari V, Schmidt BC, Prosser S, Hebert PDN (2016) Century-Old DNA Barcodes Reveal Phylogenetic Placement of the Extinct Jamaican Sunset Moth, Urania sloanus Cramer (Lepidoptera: Uraniidae). PLOS ONE 11(10): e0164405. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0164405
  2. Lotts, Kelly & Naberhaus, Thomas (2017). "Urania boisduvalii (Guerin, 1829)". Butterflies and Moths of North America. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  3. Clutch size variation in Urania boisduvalii Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society 60(4), 2006, 227–228
  4. Nuñez‐Penichet, C, Cobos, ME, Barro, A, Soberón, J. Potential migratory routes of Urania boisduvalii (Lepidoptera: Uraniidae) among host plant populations. Divers Distrib. 2019; 25: 478– 488. https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.12881
  5. Barro Cañamero, Alejandro & Fernandez, Krys. (2006). Clutch size variation in Urania boisduvalii (Guerin) (Uraniidae: Uraniinae). Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society. 60. 101-102.
  6. Texas Entomology - Urania Natural History
  7. Claudia Nuñez-Penichet and Alejandro Barro "Caterpillars of Urania boisduvalii (Uraniidae) Feed on Omphalea trichotoma (Euphorbiaceae) Fruits in Western Cuba," The Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society 74(2), 124-126, (4 June 2020) https://doi.org/10.18473/lepi.74i2.a7
  8. Lian Chen, Xiao-Yun Wang, Wen Lu, Xia-Lin Zheng, Sexual communication in diurnal moths: behaviors and mechanisms, International Journal of Tropical Insect Science, 10.1007/s42690-020-00174-z, (2020).
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