Species of Copitarsia are pests of crops in Central and South America and are of concern to U.S. agriculture. Unfortunately, its confused taxonomy and lack of phylogenetic information compound these issues. Though C. incommoda (Walker) is reported to be a pest of many crops in Peru, Mexico, and other countries in Central and South America, it appears that this species has been misidentified. Additionally, the genus Copitarsia has been placed in the Cuculliinae; preliminary morphological and molecular evidence indicates that it is more closely related to members of the Noctuinae. Finally, the monophyly of Copitarsia will be examined using morphological and molecular evidence.
Species 1: Lepidoptera Noctuidae Copitarsia incommoda
Species 2: Lepidoptera Noctuidae Copitarsia turbata
Species 3: Lepidoptera Noctuidae Copitarsia naenoides
Keywords: Phylogeny, Morphology
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