Moth diversity of Tawang District, Arunachal Pradesh, India

S. Sambath,Kailash Chandra

doi:10.11609/jott.o2718.966

Abstract

This paper documents results of an expedition to Tawang district (Arunachal Pradesh) by the Zoological Survey of India, during the period 27th September 2009 to 15th October 2009. Field camps were established at two places i.e. Lumla and Zemmethang. From these two camps, collections of moths were made at various localities by installing light traps. During the survey, more than 250 morpho-species were collected, of which 102 species pertaining to 15 families were identified. The analysis of the fauna revealed that the moth fauna of the area is dominated by the family Geometridae, followed by Arctiidae, Drepanidae, Crambidae, Lymantriidae, Noctuidae, Uraniidae, Lasiocampidae, Sphingidae, Pyralidae, Zygaenidae, Bombycidae, Saturniidae, Pantheidae and Notodontidae.

Highlights

Recent estimates report over 1,27,000 species of moths from all over the world (Alfred et al 1998)
Materials and Methods: Study area: The district of Tawang is located in Arunachal Pradesh, bordered by Tibet to the north, Bhutan to the southwest and the Sela ranges separate it from West Kameng District in the east
The moth fauna of the family Arctiidae of Arunachal Pradesh was studied by Arora & Chaudhury (1982)

Summary

Introduction

Recent estimates report over 1,27,000 species of moths from all over the world (Alfred et al 1998). Materials and Methods: Study area: The district of Tawang is located in Arunachal Pradesh, bordered by Tibet to the north, Bhutan to the southwest and the Sela ranges separate it from West Kameng District in the east. A rapid faunistic survey or assessment was carried out in the study area which included the Lumla Forest Range including Bukhiyong, Thrillum, Thonglong, and a few localities of the Zemmethang Forest Ranges. A 160 watt mercury vapour lamp was used as a light source through the ISSN Online 0974-7907 Print 0974-7893 night.

Results

Conclusion