Professur für Forstzoologie Character patterns in a community of arctiid moths
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FZI's research goals at EBN
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Our research interests concentrate the diversity of ctenuchine moths with respect to species, larval hostplants, androconial organs, sounds, mimicry relationships. Particular attention receives the association of many ctenuchines with plants producing pyrrolizidine alkaloids this involves various species of Apocynaceae, Boraginaceae, Fabaceae and Asteraceae and their secondary chemistry, behavioural, morphological and taxonomic studies, all in an evolutionary context.
Poster presented at the 50th Anniversary Meeting of The Lepidopterists' Society, Yale University, New Haven/CO, 9-13 July, 1997
The institute has started to co-operate with the project El Bosque Nuevo in Costa Rica. The aim of this community project is re-forestation and sustainable management, considering conservation needs regarding biodiversity as well as sustainable co-existence with local communities. In a butterfly farm butterflies are reared and the pupae produced are sold to life butterfly exhibits in the US and in Europe.
Our research is also a contribution to the knowledge of the biodiversity at El Bosque Nuevo
We are greatly indebted to MINAE for granting a Research Permit and to John Fazzini and to Ernesto Rodriguez for providing infrastructure and much technical assistance; without that our studies would not be possible.