The moth genus Lasionycta (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), like several other genera that occur mainly in arctic and alpine areas, are highly sought but rarely encountered by noctuid enthusiasts. The diurnal species are occasionally seen by butterfl y collectors, who manage to get into these areas, but light trapping in these remote habitats is very difficult. The group has eluded a long-needed revision because many species are similar, exhibit a large amount of local and geographical variation, and insufficient material has been available for revisionary work. A large amount of material collected in the past 10 years has finally made a comprehensive revision of Lasionycta possible. Also, most of the species were evaluated using mitochondrial cytochrome c-oxidase (COI) DNA sequences, commonly called barcodes, a relatively new taxonomic tool that has only recently come into common usage. This revision treats the 43 species known to occur in North America, 17 of which are described as new. Three quarters of the North American species are involved in taxonomic changes and five species associated with Pacific Coast beaches are removed from Lasionycta and placed in Psammophila, a new genus. The revision includes 246 color images of adults and genitalia, as well as distribution maps for all species. The results will also be interesting for Palearctic researchers because four species are Holarctic and some of the other approximately 12 Old World species of Lasionycta are mentioned as occurring in Holarctic species complexes. Several Palearctic species are discussed in reference to excluding them from Lasionycta and returning them to the genera Lasionhada, Eriopygodes, and Clemathada.

The noctuidae of the world, a family with numerous important agricultural pests, comprises about a third of the entire order Lepidoptera. This new three-volume set is the first complete catalog for the world. About 38,000 named species (including known synonyms) are listed alphabetically under each genus name in over 1,000 pages of text. Genera area also listed alphabetically, but subfamily affiliations are noted for each of the valid names to enable users to segregate genera by subfamily. Valid names are noted in boldface. Synonyms are listed for each genus and species; the species synonyms are also listed alphabetically among the valid names, thus enabling users to make two kinds of searches in the text as well as in the index. The catalog provides citation data on all described names (other than infraspecific names), with references cited in the compete bibliography at the end. Reference is also made to more important papers on the biology, larvae, host plants, and illustrations for each species, again with full titles noted in the bibliography. The main host plants for each species, where known, are listed under each. Details of holotypes, where known, are also noted. The bibliography has entries for approximately 4,400 papers.