Moth Fauna Research Articles

To the fauna of plume moths (Lepidoptera, Pterophoridae) of the Maluku islands with description of two new species of the genus Pterophorus Schдffer, 1766

To the fauna of plume moths (Lepidoptera, Pterophoridae) of the Maluku islands with description of two new species of the genus Pterophorus Schдffer, 1766

Additions to the Fauna of Moths and Butterflies (Lepidoptera) of the Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia

Collection of moths and butterflies in the city of Arkhangelsk, Solovetsky Islands, Pinezhsky and Kargopolsky districts carried out between 2017 and 2019, and identification of occasional samples resulted in the discovery of 47 species of Lepidoptera not previously reported from the Arkhangelsk Oblast; three more species were added to the regional fauna based on published data. Especially noteworthy are the findings of Coleophora proterella (a recently described species; the first record from Russia), Clostera albosigma (the westernmost European record) and Bryotropha affinis (a rare, mainly coastal species in Fennoscandia). We also confirmed the records of eight species known from old publications only, and we report new localities for 318 species. To date, the known fauna of the Arkhangelsk Oblast totals 1188 species of moths and butterflies (639 species of microlepidoptera and 549 species of macrolepidoptera); 62 of these are classified as threatened in Finland. We estimate that the regional fauna of Lepidoptera amounts to 1800 species.

New records of six moth (Lepidoptera: Erebidae, Lasiocampidae) species in south African countries, with comments on their distribution.

BackgroundSouthern Africa hosts a high diversity of ecosystems and habitats with a tremendous diversity of Lepidoptera. Although it is one of the most studied parts of the Afrotropics, the knowledge on diversity and distribution of south African moth fauna remains insufficient. To partly fill this gap, we surveyed macromoths by automatic light traps in five localities in two relatively less sampled south African countries.New informationWe reported six species and one genus (Remigioides) of moths which had not yet been recorded in Namibia or Zimbabwe. Although none of these records broadened the known distribution of individual species to a new biogeographical region, they still fill important gaps in their distributions. The known distributional ranges of two species have been substantially extended, although they are still within the same biogeographical regions: ca. 800 km southwards for Remigioides remigina (Mabille, 1884) and ca. 600 km westwards for Haplopacha cinerea Aurivillius, 1905.

Moth diversity (Lepidoptera: Heterocera) of Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India: a preliminary checklist

A study was conducted at the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) campus of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India to assess the moth fauna of the area. A preliminary checklist was compiled as a base-line contribution to the status of the Lepidoptera diversity of the campus. The campus was surveyed from January to December 2019 and moths were recorded through 83-night surveys and a large number of opportunistic visits in 18 different sites of the campus. The study has recorded a total of 1248 individual moths belonging to 99 morphospecies, 84 genera, and 11 families across different parts of the study area. The most species rich family was Erebidae with 35 species under 30 genera followed by Crambidae (33 species; 28 genera), Geometridae (15 species; 11 genera), Noctuidae (seven species; six genera), and others. However, family-wise abundance data indicated that Crambidae (38.70%) was the most abundant family having highest proportion of moths recorded followed by Erebidae (34.85%), Geometridae (10.73%), Noctuidae (6.81%) and others. This illustrated checklist and the results will improve our understanding of Varanasi’s biodiversity and can be used for improvement of the campus planning and developing strategies for conservation of moth diversity.

RAPID ASSESSMENT ON MACRO-MOTH DIVERSITY AT GUNUNG TAMBORA NATIONAL PARK, WEST NUSA TENGGARA

Rapid assessment on moth fauna with focus on macro-moths was conducted at Gunung Tambora National Park from 16 to 26 April 2015. The aims of the study were to acquire information on macro-moth diversity and to access the composition of the species at this area. The result showed that a short collecting time within two sampling sites recorded only about 77.8% of estimated value in this park (242 of 311 species). Index diversity based on Fisher’s α is low (97.21). In addition, the number of families recorded from this park is also low, only 17 families, or about one third of the moth families that occur in Indo-Malayan region. Camp II site was higher than the base camp Oi Marai sites in term of the diversity index. These two sites have a few species in common as indicated by Jaccard coefficient that was low (13.8%). In general, Noctuidae (26%), Pyralidae (20%), and Geometridae (19%) dominate across all sites. Noctuidae, Geometridae, Lymantriidae were higher in Camp II than those found in Oi Marai. On the other hand,Pyralidae was higher in Oi Marai than those found in Base Camp II.Keywords: Fisher’s α, index diversity, similarity.

Spatial and temporal sex ratio bias and Wolbachia-infection in New Zealand Crambidae (Lepidoptera: Pyraloidea).

The New Zealand fauna of snout moths (Pyraloidea) predominantly consists of endemic species. During 2017 and 2018, 56 species of Pyraloidea in 1,749 individuals were collected at 14 localities. All species were screened for Wolbachia-infection, with specimens of eight species (14%) being positive, of which six species belong to Scopariinae. This is the first record of Wolbachia-infection amongst New Zealand Lepidoptera. The most common pyraloid species, Eudonia submarginalis and Orocrambus flexuosellus, were analysed for a larger set of individuals looking for sex ratio and Wolbachia-infection. There is a sex ratio bias towards females in both species, but it varies in space and time. Wolbachia is found in all populations of E. submarginalis with 10–80% of the tested individuals being positive, depending on locality. No Wolbachia-infection has been found in O. flexuosellus. Thus, sex ratio bias might be linked to Wolbachia-infection in E. submarginalis, but not in O. flexuosellus.

Diversity and Distribution Patterns of Geometrid Moths (Geometridae, Lepidoptera) in Mongolia

Geometrids are a species-rich group of moths that serve as reliable indicators for environmental changes. Little is known about the Mongolian moth fauna, and there is no comprehensive review of species richness, diversity, and distribution patterns of geometrid moths in the country. Our study aims to review the existing knowledge on geometrid moths in Mongolia. We compiled geometrid moth records from published scientific papers, our own research, and from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) to produce a checklist of geometrid moths of Mongolia. Additionally, we analyzed spatial patterns, species richness, and diversity of geometrid moths within 14 ecoregions of Mongolia and evaluated environmental variables for their distribution. In total, we compiled 1973-point records of 388 geometrid species. The most species-rich ecoregion in Mongolia was Daurian Forest Steppe with 142 species. Annual precipitation and maximum temperature of the warmest month were the most important environmental variables that correlated with NMDS axes in an analysis of geometrid assemblages of different ecoregions in Mongolia.

К фауне выемчатокрылых молей (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) Омской области

К фауне выемчатокрылых молей (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) Омской области

Contribution to the knowledge of butterfly and moth fauna (Insecta: Lepidoptera) of Gornje Plavnice, Bjelovar, Croatia – result of a one year photographic study

Contribution to the knowledge of butterfly and moth fauna (Insecta: Lepidoptera) of Gornje Plavnice, Bjelovar, Croatia – result of a one year photographic study

Fauna of nocturnal moth species collected in a semi-natural grassland at Kanpu-zan in northern Japan.

Semi-natural grasslands, which house species-rich ecosystems, have rapidly declined since the twentieth century due to land-use practices, such as agricultural intensification and abandonment. Owing to their diversity and known habitat associations, nocturnal moths are considered as one of the most suitable organisms to be studied for assessing the dynamics of species composition as a result of changes in landscape management of semi-natural grasslands. The present study provides the foremost description of nocturnal moth fauna of the semi-natural grassland at Kanpu-zan, northern Japan. Moth population data from 1987 were compared to the data collected in 2018 to evaluate the impact of decline in grasslands on species-richness. During the field sampling in 2018, a total of 226 nocturnal moth species were detected, which was nearly two-thirds of the number of species recorded in 1987, i.e. 396 species. The values obtained in 2018 were found to be nearly constant for different sites. For both periods, it was evident that moth fauna in Kanpu-zan mainly consisted of species that relied on woody plants. Amongst the species which were only recorded in 1987, 107 species were generalists that fed on plants that are commonly distributed in Kanpu-zan. No moth species were recorded that depended upon endangered or extinct plant food sources. Thus, it is unlikely that the decline in the number of moth species in Kanpu-zan was due to the loss in plant food sources. Our results suggest that environmental factors other than food plants may have caused decline and changes in nocturnal moth fauna. More studies on various organism fauna are needed for understanding the conservation of semi-natural grassland, considering that the loss of semi-natural grasslands is one of the major threats to biodiversity.

A Contribution to the Moth Fauna (Lepidoptera, Heterocera) of Elazığ Province, Turkey

This study contributes to the Heterocera fauna of eastern Turkey. The paper presents a faunal list of 208 moth species belonging to 15 families, Arctiidae, Ctenuchidae, Cossidae, Drepanidae, Lasiocampidae, Lemoniidae, Lymantriidae, Notodontidae, Noctuidae, Psychidae, Pyralidae, Sphingidae, Thaumetopoeidae, Thyatiridae and Zygaenidae from Maden district of Elazığ Province. Among these moths, 150 species are recorded for the first time in Elazığ Province.The moth fauna of Turkey is represented by 5158 species in 67 families (Koçak & Kemal, 2018). Information on the Turkish Lepidoptera fauna mostly based on the taxonomic and faunistic investigations. However, significant studies have been conducted in terms of finding out of the Turkish moth fauna. In this respect, examined and evaluated articles on the Heterocera fauna of Turkey and in point of the research region, are as follows: Staudinger .

Preliminary checklist of moths (Lepidoptera: Glossata) of Annamalai Nagar, Tamil Nadu

The present research was carried out to document the moth fauna of Annamalai Nagar during December, 2015 to November, 2016 comprising four seasons for a period of one year, from agriculture and horticulture ecosystems using light traps and host rearing methods. The sheet method was used to record moth insects individually without any damage. Any moths that alight on the screen were recorded in jars just after sunset between 18.00 – 23.00 hr. A total of 2,679 moths were recorded using all the three types of methods employed in the study. Out of which, light trap was found with maximum of 2,253 moths followed by manual collection (369) and host rearing (57) from four different sites of observation. Among the sites, light trapping of moths were observed maximum (656) in Orchard followed by Experimental farm with 629 numbers. The diversity of moths was observed in the study area of Annamalai Nagar indicated the presence of 70 genera and 56 species identified under nine superfamilies of Clades viz., Obtectomera (Pyraloidea and Thyridoidea) Macroheterocera (Noctuoidea, Bombycoidea, Geometroidea, Lasiocampoidea) Apoditrysia (Pterophoroidea and Cossoidea) Ditrysia (Tineoidea). The families namely Crambidae, Erebidae, Noctuidae, Sphingidae, Bombycidae, Uraniidae, Thyrididae, Eupterotidae, Geometridae, Pterophoridae, Lasiocampidae, Cossidae and Psychidae were observed in the study area. Out of which, the family Erebidae alone had 28 genera and 25 species and found to be the superior family. From the results, it was clear that light trapping was superior in collection of moths during night times.

Additions to the plume moth fauna of The Bahamas (Lepidoptera: Pterophoridae) with description of four new species

Additions to the plume moth fauna of The Bahamas (Lepidoptera: Pterophoridae) with description of four new species

Contributions to the knowledge of Macroheterocera (Lepidoptera) Fauna of Mutki District (Bitlis Province, East Turkey)

This paper, contributes to the Macro-Heterocera fauna of Mutki district of Bitlis Province (East Turkey) as a list. All given 192 species are recorded for the first time from moth fauna of Mutki and likewise 85 species are recorded for the first time from moth fauna of Bitlis. Additionally, adult and genitalia of male Eupithecia gemellata Herrich-Schäffer, 1861 and Chondrostega palaestranum Staudinger, 1892 are illustrated.

The fauna of geometrid moths (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) of xeromorphic phytocoenoses in Central and North-Eastern Yakutia

The fauna of geometrid moths (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) of xeromorphic phytocoenoses in Central and North-Eastern Yakutia

К познанию фауны пядениц (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) Таджикистана

К познанию фауны пядениц (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) Таджикистана

Two moth species of Lasiocampidae (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampoidea) recorded for the first time in Bhutan

During our survey of the moth fauna at Tsirang, Sarpang, Dagana and Gelephu districts of Bhutan we recorded nine species of Lasiocampid moths. In the present paper, we report the records of two species, Kunugia siamka Zolotuhin, 2002 and Alompra roepkei Tams, 1953 which are new to Bhutan.

The fauna of plume moths (Lepidoptera: Pterophoridae) of the Republic of Khakassia

The fauna of plume moths (Lepidoptera: Pterophoridae) of the Republic of Khakassia

New data on the clearwing moth fauna of the Altai Mountains, Russia, with the description of two new species (Lepidoptera, Sesiidae).

The clearwing moth fauna of the Altai Mountains, Russia is reviewed. Two new species Synanthedon altaica sp. nov. and Bembecia aktashica sp. nov. are described and illustrated. Synanthedon polaris (Staudinger, 1877) is recorded as new for the region. New information on the bionomics and distribution of Dipchasphecia altaica O. Gorbunov, 1991 is provided.

Historical and Ecological Insights from a Relictual Sandplain: Reexamining the Insular Moth Fauna (Lepidoptera) of Martha's Vineyard, Dukes County, Massachusetts, USA

We summarize the primary records from more than 30 years of lepidopteran sampling across the largest of the southern New England offshore islands, Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. This island supports one of the highest concentrations of regionally unique or threatened Lepidopteran occurrences in the northeastern United States, including more than 75% of the ∼90 moth species formally protected in Massachusetts and Connecticut combined, perhaps the most intact moth fauna in the region associated with barrens, heathlands, and other sandplain communities. The array of first recorded regional occurrences and unique records of species previously believed extirpated, absent, or in decline throughout mainland New England includes: Lycia ypsilon (S.A. Forbes, 1885), Ptichodis bistrigata Hubner, 1818, Amphipoea erepta (Grote, 1881), Cycnia collaris (Fitch, 1856), Catocala pretiosa Lintner, 1876, Eacles imperialis (Drury, 1773), Eubaphe meridiana (Slosson, 1889), Heterocampa variaWalker, 1855, Metarranthis apiciaria (Packard, 1876), Phytometra rhodarialis (Walker, 1859), and Spilosoma dubia (Walker, 1855). Associates of grass-dominated and maritime wetland habitats in particular are overrepresented among species now believed extirpated from Martha's Vineyard itself, including Speyeria idalia (Drury, 1773), Digrammia eremiata (Guenee, [1858]), Pyrrhia aurantiago (Guenee, 1852), Papaipema stenocelis (Dyar, 1907).We explore the associations of threatened moths with various habitats in the context of regional decline, and emphasize the relevance of moth life history requirements to understanding their distributions across inland, coastal, and island barrens with varied ecological and land use histories.