The Natural History of Moths

Cover......Page 1
Contents......Page 6
List of colour plates......Page 12
Preface......Page 14
CHAPTER 1 An Introduction to Moths......Page 16
A butterfly is just a moth by another name......Page 17
Counting species......Page 18
Moths are found everywhere......Page 19
The classification of moths......Page 21
Types of moths......Page 23
The life cycle of moths......Page 24
Laying eggs......Page 29
The structure of moths......Page 31
Moths and man......Page 33
The study of moths......Page 34
Recent studies......Page 36
The conservation of moths......Page 37
The last Ice-age......Page 38
The varied climate and vegetation since the last Ice-age......Page 40
What do we know of the current distribution of Britain's moths?......Page 42
'The Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland'......Page 44
Basic patterns of distribution of moths in Britain and their possible causes......Page 47
Habitat preferences of moths......Page 56
Anomalous distributions and their causes......Page 57
Recent changes in distribution......Page 58
Races, clines and subspecies......Page 64
The numbers of subspecies in different families of moths......Page 65
Coastal races......Page 66
Island races......Page 67
Races associated with specific habitats......Page 69
Clines......Page 70
Moving on or staying put......Page 72
Dispersal......Page 73
Patterns of movement within suitable habitats......Page 75
Which stages are dispersive?......Page 77
What starts migration?......Page 78
Definitions of orientation and navigation......Page 79
Cues used in orientation......Page 81
Confusing orientation – moths and candles......Page 84
Evidence for migration in moths......Page 87
Which species migrate?......Page 89
Where do migrants come from?......Page 91
Mass arrivals and years of abundance......Page 92
Return migration – does it work?......Page 93
Colonisation follows migration!......Page 94
Moths and climatic warming......Page 96
Continuous development or seasonal patterns?......Page 97
How many generations in each season?......Page 99
What controls the start of overwintering?......Page 102
Species requiring more than one year for each generation......Page 103
Northern and mountain species......Page 104
Synchrony of emergence in multi-year life cycles......Page 106
Delayed emergence from pupae – bet-hedging......Page 107
Aestivation......Page 108
Passing the winter......Page 110
Quiescence or diapause during adverse conditions......Page 114
Breaking diapause......Page 115
Choosing a hibernation site......Page 116
Avoiding predation and other overwintering losses......Page 117
Coping with freezing temperatures......Page 118
What do moths and their larvae feed on?......Page 121
What do plants provide as food for larvae of moths?......Page 122
Choosing which part of a plant to eat......Page 125
Choosing which species of plant to eat......Page 130
Oligophagy – feeding on only a small number of plant species......Page 131
Polyphagy – generalist feeders......Page 132
Why do certain species of plant have more than their share of moth herbivores feeding on them?......Page 133
Other factors that influence the choice of hostplant – 'apparency'......Page 136
Finding a foodplant......Page 138
Changing to new foodplants......Page 139
Changing a foodplant may allow a change of range......Page 140
Feeding strategies......Page 141
Leaf miners and their mode of feeding......Page 144
Specialised feeding habits......Page 146
Moths that do not feed on plants......Page 147
Do moths damage their foodplants?......Page 148
Physical defence......Page 149
Chemical defence......Page 152
Can moths detoxify plant chemicals?......Page 154
Ecological defence......Page 155
Plant responses to feeding damage – induced defence......Page 158
Talking trees?......Page 160
How do moths respond to plant defence?......Page 161
Green islands' and mining larvae......Page 179
Finding a mate......Page 181
Female pheromones – their chemistry and production......Page 184
Courtship and mating......Page 189
Pest control using pheromones......Page 193
Examples of moth control programmes using pheromones......Page 194
Monitoring populations of pest species......Page 196
What causes mortality in moths?......Page 200
Parasites as a cause of mortality......Page 203
How great is the mortality due to predators?......Page 207
Pine Looper population cycles......Page 210
How do moths avoid being eaten?......Page 212
Melanism in moths......Page 218
Changes in colour and pattern over very short distances......Page 219
Moths and bats......Page 220
The way moth populations are organised......Page 223
Early moth hunters and their apparatus......Page 226
Collecting and studying larvae......Page 227
Pupa-digging and other methods of collecting pupae......Page 231
Catching and studying adult moths......Page 232
Sallowing......Page 233
Attracting moths to sugar......Page 235
Light traps......Page 236
Marking moths for research......Page 238
Rearing moths......Page 239
Storing eggs and pupae and encouraging emergence......Page 242
Keeping adult moths......Page 243
The causes of recent reductions in Britain's moths......Page 244
Mapping rare species and recording key species......Page 248
Formal notification of rarity – the Red Data Books......Page 251
Coping with small and isolated populations......Page 253
Researching the habitat requirements of moths......Page 255
Examples of research on the conservation of moths......Page 256
Positive conservation action......Page 259
Practical conservation examples......Page 261
Recovery programmes and viability analyses......Page 263
Conservation in the wider countryside......Page 264
The future for moths in Britain......Page 265
References......Page 268
A......Page 282
B......Page 283
C......Page 284
D......Page 285
E......Page 286
H......Page 287
L......Page 288
M......Page 289
N......Page 290
P......Page 291
Q......Page 292
S......Page 293
T......Page 294
Z......Page 295
D......Page 298
H......Page 299
N......Page 300
S......Page 301
W......Page 302
The colour plate section......Page 162