A comparative survey of mouthpart morphology in tiger moths (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae)

Tiger moths are known around the world for their vibrant coloration as well as their unusual feeding behaviors. In particular, some tiger moths engage in sequestering chemicals for their non-nutrient value. This feeding behavior has been linked to other behaviors such as mating behaviors and self-medication. While tiger moth behavior has been extensively studied, their morphology and evolution has not. This study documents mouthpart structures in tiger moths using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). SEM images of 40 representative arctiine species were taken and resulting images were used to describe proboscis morphology for all taxa included in this study. Proboscis character descriptions will be used in future tiger moth phylogenetic and comparative studies.