Biosystematic Studies of Conifer-Feeding Choristoneura (Lepidoptera Tortricidæ) in the Western United States (UC Publications in Entomology)

Forest defoliators of the Spruce Budworm complex are the most extensively studied moths in the world, yet taxonomic relationships among western populations have been poorly understood. This work distinguishes species groups using a three-dimensional definition-reproductive isolation through intraspecific recognition (pheromone chemistry and correlated behavior), ecological separation (larval hosts), and morphometric analysis of adults where traditional study of museum specimens failed.