Abstract
A checklist of the superfamily Noctuoidea (Erebidae, Noctuidae, Euteliidae, and Nolidae) from Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve and Kodaikanal Hills in Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu is presented. We collected noctuoid moths monthly from June 2010 to December 2014. We collected 9095 individuals (5242 males and 3853 females) belonging to 188 species, 106 genera, 5 subtribes, 25 tribes, 26 subfamilies and 4 families. The most species-rich families were Erebidae (106 species) and Noctuidae (51 species). The Erebinae was found to be the richest subfamily with 64 species. Additional sampling might reveal 2–3 times more species.
Highlights
IntroductionMoths belonging to the order Lepidoptera are probably the largest group of phytophagous insects (Scoble 1992)
Moths belonging to the order Lepidoptera are probably the largest group of phytophagous insects (Scoble 1992).They are one of the most-studied groups of organisms (Kristensen et al 2007)
The superfamily Noctuoidea comprises 43,000 described species which are classified into 3800 genera (Nieukerken et al 2011), but there are still many undescribed species, mostly from tropical regions
Summary
Moths belonging to the order Lepidoptera are probably the largest group of phytophagous insects (Scoble 1992). They are one of the most-studied groups of organisms (Kristensen et al 2007). The superfamily Noctuoidea (order Lepidoptera) comprises 43,000 described species which are classified into 3800 genera (Nieukerken et al 2011), but there are still many undescribed species, mostly from tropical regions. India has diverse ecosystems and hosts 3 biodiversity hotspots, the Western Ghats, the Himalayas, and IndoBurma region. The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, in the Western Ghats of South India, is one of the 18 biodiversity hotspots in the world. We provide a checklist of species of noctuoid moths from the Western Ghats.
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