Congratulations to the winners of the 2024 Royal Entomological Society Journal Awards.
Systematic Entomology is a Royal Entomological Society journal that focuses on publishing research papers concerning insect systematics, phylogenetics, and integrative taxonomy.
This journal seeks contributions with broad biological, evolutionary, or zoogeographical significance, making it particularly appealing to researchers interested in arthropods, biogeography, entomology, evolutionary biology, and insect-related topics. Descriptive morphology, phylogeny, systematics, and taxonomy are among the key areas covered, providing a comprehensive platform for advancing the understanding of insect diversity and evolution.
Systematic Entomology Winner
Kyung Min Lee: Complex evolution in thin air: Investigating female flightlessness and diel behaviour in geometrid moths (Lepidoptera) (49.4)
This article asks the question, how do insects survive in extreme mountain environments?
It explores how Alpine moths have adapted to life at high altitudes – often above 2,000 meters – where it’s cold, windy, and conditions are harsh.
“This research was led by an early-career researcher and integrated molecular, ecological and behavioural data to investigate the adaptive nature of diel activity patterns and female flightlessness in Gnophini, a tribe of geometrid moths, to high-elevation environments.
The study also revised the taxonomic classification of these moths. The paper was selected because of the innovative evolutionary questions addressed and its significant contributions to understanding how environmental pressure drive insect adaptations.”
– Judges’ comments
Kyung Min is a university researcher and Head of the DNA Laboratory at the Finnish Museum of Natural History (Luomus), University of Helsinki. Originally from South Korea, she earned her PhD at Chungnam National University, and later held a postdoctoral fellowship at Ghent University in Belgium. Since moving to Finland in 2015, she has focused on integrating genomic approaches into biodiversity research.
Light trap setup at Bschlaber Landesstraße (2,200 m), Tirol, Austria, on 22 July 2021
Her current work centres on Lepidoptera and Hymenoptera, applying tools such as ddRAD-seq and museomics to investigate species boundaries, evolutionary history, and environmental adaptation in both extant and historical specimens.
This tree shows how Alpine moths have repeatedly adapted to harsh mountain life by switching to daytime activity and evolving flightless females.
By analysing DNA from 157 moth species found in the European Alps, she and her co-authors discovered that some have evolved unique traits to cope: in several species, females have lost the ability to fly, while others have shifted from being nocturnal to diurnal, taking advantage of warmer daylight hours.
Remarkably, these changes evolved independently multiple times over millions of years, suggesting that moths repeatedly found similar solutions to survive in tough conditions.
Psodos quadrifaris (Alpine moth)In some cases, species even reversed course, switching back to night time activity after becoming active during the day. This study not only reveals how insects respond to extreme environments but also improves the scientific classification of Alpine moths, therefore refining our understanding of their evolutionary history.
Habitat of Sciadia tenebraria at Hafelekar (2,300 m), Innsbruck, Austria, on 22 July 2021
