Records of industrial melanism in British moths

AbstractLight-trap samples of the Peppered Moth Biston betularia (L.) from the region of Bergen, western Norway, show that about 85-95 % of the individuals are non-melanic (typica) and of the melanics, the form insularia predominates over carbonaria which was found in six samples but in low frequencies (2-5 %) except in one locality (9 %). The darkest individuals, classified as carbonaria, have some white speckling on the forewings like the ancient carbonaria in Great Britain a hundred years ago. There was no clear pattern regarding the geographic distribution of melanism; the frequency of insularia possibly being higher in coastal and more oceanic localities. There is no clear evidence of industrial melanism although the highest frequency of carbonaria was found near the source of a local industrial pollution.

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Industrial Melanism in the Seasnake Emydocephalus annulatus

Current Biology ◽

10.1016/j.cub.2017.06.073 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 27 (16) ◽

pp. 2510-2513.e2 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Claire Goiran ◽

Paco Bustamante ◽

Richard Shine

Keyword(s):

Industrial Melanism

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Genetic convergence of industrial melanism in three geometrid moths

Biology Letters ◽

10.1098/rsbl.2019.0582 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 15 (10) ◽

pp. 20190582 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Arjen E. van't Hof ◽

Louise A. Reynolds ◽

Carl J. Yung ◽

Laurence M. Cook ◽

Ilik J. Saccheri

Keyword(s):

Twentieth Century ◽

Linkage Mapping ◽

Selective Sweep ◽

Selective Pressure ◽

Community Level ◽

Developmental Mechanism ◽

Phenotypic Response ◽

Developmental Mechanisms ◽

Industrial Melanism ◽

Geometrid Moth

The rise of dark (melanic) forms of many species of moth in heavily coal-polluted areas of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Britain, and their post-1970s fall, point to a common selective pressure (camouflage against bird predators) acting at the community level. The extent to which this convergent phenotypic response relied on similar genetic and developmental mechanisms is unknown. We examine this problem by testing the hypothesis that the locus controlling melanism in Phigalia pilosaria and Odontopera bidentata , two species of geometrid moth that showed strong associations between melanism and coal pollution, is the same as that controlling melanism in Biston betularia , previously identified as the gene cortex . Comparative linkage mapping using family material supports the hypothesis for both species, indicating a deeply conserved developmental mechanism for melanism involving cortex . However, in contrast to the strong selective sweep signature seen in British B. betularia , no significant association was detected between cortex -region markers and melanic morphs in wild-caught samples of P. pilosaria and O. bidentata , implying much older, or diverse, origins of melanic morph alleles in these latter species.

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The peppered moth and industrial melanism: evolution of a natural selection case study

Heredity ◽

10.1038/hdy.2012.92 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 110 (3) ◽

pp. 207-212 ◽

Cited By ~ 74

Author(s):

L M Cook ◽

I J Saccheri

Keyword(s):

Natural Selection ◽

Industrial Melanism

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MOTHS OF THE SEMIOTHISA SIGNARIA COMPLEX (LEPIDOPTERA: GEOMETRIDAE)

The Canadian Entomologist ◽

10.4039/ent106569-6 ◽

1974 ◽

Vol 106 (6) ◽

pp. 569-621 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Douglas C. Ferguson

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

North America ◽

Host Plants ◽

Similar Species ◽

Northeastern North America ◽

Coniferous Trees ◽

Two New Species ◽

Industrial Melanism ◽

The One ◽

Main Center

AbstractThe signaria group of the genus Semiothisa is a complex of 10 extremely similar species, most of which are host-specific on certain genera of coniferous trees An eleventh species, S. sexmaculata, is also treated in this revision because of its close resemblance to members of the signaria complex, although its true affinity appears to be with the liturata–bisignata group. The species are described and illustrated, and their synonymy, distribution, variation and biology are discussed in detail, including an account of industrial melanism in a population of S. pinistrobata. Two new species names are proposed, and eight lectotypes designated. The main center of distribution is northeastern North America, and all of the known species except S. fuscaria occur on this continent. The one Holarctic species, S. signaria, which is generally the commonest in collections, also has the widest range of host plants, feeding on at least six genera of coniferous trees.

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