Ditrysia
This tree diagram shows the relationships between several groups of organisms.
The root of the current tree connects the organisms featured in this tree to their containing group and the rest of the Tree of Life. The basal branching point in the tree represents the ancestor of the other groups in the tree. This ancestor diversified over time into several descendent subgroups, which are represented as internal nodes and terminal taxa to the right.
You can click on the root to travel down the Tree of Life all the way to the root of all Life, and you can click on the names of descendent subgroups to travel up the Tree of Life all the way to individual species.
For more information on ToL tree formatting, please see Interpreting the Tree or Classification. To learn more about phylogenetic trees, please visit our Phylogenetic Biology pages.
close boxReferences
Boggs, C. L., W. B. Watt, and P. R. Ehrlich, eds. 2003. Butterflies: Ecology and Evolution Taking Flight. University of Chicago Press, Chicago and London.
Dugdale, J. S., N. P. Kristensen, G. S. Robinson, and M. J. Scoble. 1999. The smaller Microlepidoptera-grade superfamilies. Pages 217-232 in: Lepidoptera: Moths and Butterflies. 1. Evolution, Systematics, and Biogeography. Handbook of Zoology Vol. IV, Part 35. N. P. Kristensen, ed. De Gruyter, Berlin and New York.
Kristensen, N. P. and A. W. Skalski. 1999. Phylogeny and paleontology. Pages 7-25 in: Lepidoptera: Moths and Butterflies. 1. Evolution, Systematics, and Biogeography. Handbook of Zoology Vol. IV, Part 35. N. P. Kristensen, ed. De Gruyter, Berlin and New York.
Minet, J. 1991. Tentative Reconstruction of the ditrysian phylogeny (Lepidiptera, Gloassata). Entomologica Scandinavica 22(1):69-95.
Regier, J. C., Q. Q. Fang, C. Mitter, R. S. Peigler, T. P. Friedlander, and M. A. Solis. 1998. Evolution and phylogenetic utility of the period gene in Lepidoptera. Molecular Biology and Evolution 15(9):1172-1182.
Wahlberg, N., M. F. Braby, A. V. Z. Brower, R. de Jong, M.-M. Lee, S. Nylin, N. E. Pierce, F. A. H. Sperling, R. Vila, A. D. Warren, and E. Zakharov. 2005. Synergistic effects of combining morphological and molecular data in resolving the phylogeny of butterflies and skippers. Proceedings of the Royal Society Series B 272:1577-1586.
Weller, S. J. and D. P. Pashley. 1995. In seach of butterfly origins. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 4(3):235-246.
Title Illustrations
| Scientific Name | Actias luna |
|---|---|
| Comments | Luna moth (Bombycoidea: Saturniidae) |
| Acknowledgements | Photograph courtesy InsectImages.org (#3225050) |
| Specimen Condition | Live Specimen |
| Copyright | © Ronald F. Billings, Texas Forest Service |
| Scientific Name | Vanessa annabella |
|---|---|
| Location | San Leandro (Alameda County, California, USA) |
| Comments | West coast lady butterfly (Papilionoidea: Nymphalidae) |
| Creator | Photograph by T. W. Davies |
| Acknowledgements | Photograph courtesy CalPhotos |
| Specimen Condition | Live Specimen |
| Copyright | © 1999 |
| Scientific Name | Ectypia clio |
|---|---|
| Location | 4 miles south of Knoxville (Napa County, California, USA) |
| Comments | Clio moth (Noctuoidea: Arctiidae) |
| Creator | Photograph by T. W. Davies |
| Acknowledgements | Photograph courtesy CalPhotos |
| Specimen Condition | Live Specimen |
| Copyright | © 1999 |
