Peer-reviewed
A contribution towards an understanding of the morphology and phylogeny of the Ditrysian Lepidoptera
<p>1. A morphological study of five body regions of the Lepidoptera has been made, these being (<i>a</i>) the radial system of the mesothoracic wing, (<i>b</i>) the mesothoracic sternopleural region, (<i>c</i>) the ventral thoraco-abdominal articulative (and adjacent) structures, including the integumental components of the tympanum where present, (<i>d</i>) the dorsal thoraco-abdominal articulation, etc., and (<i>e</i>) the metathoracic furca or endosternite. These regions were selected because the nature of the variation they exhibit suggested that, of the much larger number of regions primarily investigated, they are the most likely to provide information on the evolution of the higher taxa in the order. None of these regions had been investigated at all fully previously, and therefore a considerable amount of basic morphological study was necessary as a preliminary to phylogenetic discussion. This morphological work has been extended to include the primitive Lepidoptera (with the Trichoptera) in the case of the mesosternopleural region, and in the regions of thoraco-abdominal articulation, in order to clarify basic homologies where these were obscure in the Ditrysia.2. Included also in the preliminary morphological treatment are two other body regions, the variation of which is not complex, and can be more briefly described. These regions are the prothoracic sclerites and the metanotal subdivisions--both of these showing interesting variation throughout the order which can be easily interpreted from the phylogenetic standpoint.3. Following reference to the basic morphology of each region studied, a broad outline of the evolutionary dynamics of each character complex is given in order to provide a basis for discussion of the evolutionary trends manifested within the superfamilies.4. In sections four and five of this work, the character complexes which were the subject of morphological study earlier are examined further with regard to their dynamics as manifested within each of the Ditrysian superfamilies. The formation of the concepts which are outlined here is based on consideration of all information derivable from all of these character complexes along with previously published information on other aspects of Lepidopterous anatomy. Resulting from this, a re-organization of the superfamilies has been possible on a phylogenetic basis. The chaotic state of the past literature on the classification of the Lepidoptera, the result of superficial taxonomic work, renders the comparison of the present system with previous ones clearly impossible within the scope of the present paper, but it is noted that many of the superfamily groupings do not differ very widely from those in some of the more comprehensive early studies, such as Forbes (1923). Through lack of material, no radical re-organization of the primitive Ditrysian superfamilies included in the Tinaeoid complex has been attempted, and for the same attempting to convey a very great deal of information by means of varied labelling of the two components of the suture. Reference both to the text, and to the figures given in the introductory (morphological) section of this paper, should however, enable anyone to appreciate these factors from the figures given. (3) Abbreviations used with reference to wing veins and pupal tracheae follow the standard Comstock-Needham system, apart from the identification of Cu2, which follows Tillyard's (1969) interpretation.</p><p>Note also that a few of the less common structures have been explained with the captions to the figures.</p>
Article, 1971
Journal of Natural History, 5, 1971, 29
Taylor & Francis, 1971