Most nocturnal Lepidoptera can be attracted to artificial light sources, particularly to those that emit a high proportion of ultraviolet radiation. Here, I describe a newly developed LED lamp set ...for the use in the field that is lightweight, handy, robust, and energy efficient. The emitted electromagnetic spectrum corresponds to the peak sensitivity in most Lepidoptera eye receptors (ultraviolet, blue and green). Power LEDs with peaks at 368 nm (ultraviolet), 450 nm (blue), 530 nm (green), and 550 nm (cool white) are used. I compared the irradiance (E e) of many commonly used light-trapping lamps at a distance of 50 cm. Between wavelengths of 300 and 1000 nm, irradiance from the new lamp was 1.43 W m-2. The new lamp proved to be the most energy efficient, and it emitted more radiation in the range between 300 and 400 nm than any other lamp tested. Cold cathodes are the second most energy-efficient lamps. Irradiation from fluorescent actinic tubes is higher than from fluorescent blacklight-blue tubes. High-wattage incandescent lamps and self-ballasted mercury vapour lamps have highest irradiance, but they mainly emit in the long wave spectrum. The use of gauze and sheets decreases the proportion of UV radiation and increases the share of blue light, probably due to optical brighteners. Compared with sunlight, UV irradiance is low at a distance of 50 cm from the lamp, but (safety) glasses as well as keeping sufficient distance from the lamp are recommended. In field tests, the new LED lamp attracted large numbers of Lepidoptera in both the Italian Alps and in the Peruvian Andes.
The body size of an animal is probably its most important functional trait. For arthropods, environmental drivers of body size variation are still poorly documented and understood, especially in ...tropical regions. We use a unique dataset for two species‐rich, phylogenetically independent moth taxa (Lepidoptera: Geometridae; Arctiinae), collected along an extensive tropical elevational gradient in Costa Rica, to investigate the correlates and possible causes of body‐size variation. We studied 15 047 specimens (794 species) of Geometridae and 4167 specimens (308 species) of Arctiinae to test the following hypotheses: 1) body size increases with decreasing ambient temperature, as predicted by the temperature–size rule; 2) body size increases with increasing rainfall and primary productivity, as predicted from considerations of starvation resistance; and 3) body size scales allometrically with wing area, as elevation increases, such that wing loading (the ratio of body size to wing area) decreases with increasing elevation to compensate for lower air density.
To test these hypotheses, we examined forewing length as a proxy for body size in relation to ambient temperature, rainfall, vegetation index and elevation as explanatory variables in linear and polynomial spatial regression models. We analysed our data separately for males and females using two principal approaches: mean forewing length of species at each site, and mean forewing length of complete local assemblages, weighted by abundance.
Body size consistently increased with elevation in both taxa, both approaches, both sexes, and also within species. Temperature was the best predictor for this pattern (–0.98 < r < –0.74), whereas body size was uncorrelated or weakly correlated with rainfall and enhanced vegetation index. Wing loading increased with elevation. Our results support the temperature–size rule as an important mechanism for body size variation in arthropods along tropical elevational gradients, whereas starvation resistance and optimization of flight mechanics seem to be of minor importance.
Abstract
Little is known about the diversity and distribution patterns of moths along latitudinal gradients. We studied macro-moths in Mongolia along an 860 km latitudinal climatic gradient to gain ...knowledge on community composition, alpha, beta, and gamma diversity as well as underlying factors, which can be used as baseline information for further studies related to climate change. We identified 236 species of moths of ten families. Our study shows that the diversity of moths increased with the latitude, i.e., low species richness in the south and higher richness in the north. Moth community composition changed along the gradient, and we revealed a breakpoint of beta diversity that divided grassland and desert communities. In the desert, beta diversity was driven by species loss (i.e., nestedness), and few tolerant species existed with high abundance. In contrast, in the grassland, beta diversity was driven by species replacement with more unique species, (i.e., species which occurred only in one site). We found the lowest species diversity in the transitional zones dominated by few generalist species such as
Agrotis ripae
and
Anarta trifolii.
Low precipitation and an increasing number of grazing goats are drivers of species loss. We suggest different conservation strategies regarding the contrasting patterns of beta diversity in desert and grassland.
The vividly coloured Neotropical genus Callipia Guenée (1858) (Lepidoptera Linnaeus, 1758, Geometridae (Leach, 1815), Larentiinae (Leach, 1815), Stamnodini Forbes, 1948) is revised and separated into ...four species groups, according to a provisional phylogeny based on Cytochrome Oxidase I (COI) gene data and morphology. Fourteen new species are described using COI data and morphology: a) in the balteata group: C. fiedleri sp. nov., C. jakobi sp. nov., C. lamasi sp. nov.; b) in the vicinaria group: C. hausmanni sp. nov., C. walterfriedlii sp. nov.; c) in the parrhasiata group: C. augustae sp. nov., C. jonai sp. nov., C. karsholti sp. nov., C. levequei sp. nov., C. milleri sp. nov., C. sihvoneni sp. nov., C. wojtusiaki sp. nov. and d) in the constantinaria group: C. hiltae sp. nov., C. rougeriei sp. nov. One new subspecies is described: C. wojtusiaki septentrionalis subsp. nov. Two species are revived from synonymy: C. intermedia Dognin, 1914 stat. rev. and C. occulta Warren, 1904 stat. rev. The taxon hamaria Sperry, 1951 is transferred from being a junior synonym of C. constantinaria Oberthür, 1881 to being a junior synonym of C. occulta stat. rev. The taxon admirabilis Warren, 1904 is confirmed as being a junior synonym of C. paradisea Thierry-Mieg, 1904. The taxon languescens Warren, 1904 is confirmed as being a junior synonym of C. rosetta, Thierry-Mieg, 1904 and the taxon confluens Warren, 1905 is confirmed as being a junior synonym of C. balteata Warren, 1905. The status of the remaining species is not changed: C. aurata Warren, 1904, C. brenemanae Sperry, 1951, C. parrhasiata Guenée, 1858, C. flagrans Warren, 1904, C. fulvida Warren, 1907 and C. vicinaria Dognin. All here recognised 28 species are illustrated and the available molecular genetic information of 27 species, including Barcode Index Numbers (BINs) for most of the taxa is provided. The almost threefold increase from 10 to 28 valid species shows that species richness of tropical moths is strongly underestimated even in relatively conspicuous taxa. Callipia occurs from medium to high elevations in wet parts of the tropical and subtropical Andes from Colombia to northern Argentina. The early stages and host plants are still unknown.
We compared the performance of three entomological LED lamps that differed in intensity and wavelength composition by using them to catch 2257 individuals of 161 species and 11 families of nocturnal ...Lepidoptera in two grassland habitats (dry grassland and orchard meadow). The study was carried out in June and July 2020 in the Jenzig conservation area (Jena, Germany, 50°56'12"N, 11°37'37"E). In each habitat, we sampled three microhabitats that were either exposed, moderately sheltered or sheltered. Data were analysed using generalized linear mixed models. A lamp with high radiant fl ux (LepiLED maxi: 1.34 W mixed radiation) attracted 37% more moths and 5% more species than a lamp with a lower radiant fl ux (LepiLED mini: 0.55 W mixed radiation). The maxi lamp also attracted 17% more moths and 6% more species than the same lamp with UV radiation only (LepiLED maxi switch UV mode: 0.59 W). However, the maxi lamp only performed signifi cantly better in exposed microhabitats, whereas the UV lamp performed similarly in the sheltered and moderately sheltered sites. The number of individuals caught in the dry grassland habitat was greater than in the orchard meadow (1288 vs. 969), whereas the number of species was similar in both habitats (120 vs. 128). Higher numbers of individuals were caught in the moderately sheltered sites than in the sheltered and exposed sites (935 vs. 773 vs. 549). The same trend was seen in the number of species (119 vs. 113 vs. 110). The communities of moths caught by traps with different lamps were similar. We conclude that light-trapping is a robust method that delivers comparable results even when different lamps are used. The use of several weak lamps is more effi cient and results in larger catches than the use of a single strong lamp.
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•Moths followed a dynamic equilibrium model.•Grazing did not affect moth diversity in desert, but in grassland.•Specialist and generalist moths showed different responses in ...contrasting biomes.•At intermediate vegetation richness species turnover dominated.•In grassland, more indicator species were found than in desert.
Intensive land use, e.g. pastoralism, decreases biodiversity and leads to homogenization of habitats. However, the effect of land-use changes differs under varying climatic conditions. Thus, it is essential to study how land use affects biodiversity on a large scale. Moreover, species respond differently to environmental changes depending on whether they are specialists or generalists. We studied macro-moths in Mongolian pastures under two different grazing regimes (grazed and less grazed plots) in ten study sites that belong to two distinct biomes along a large-scale latitudinal gradient from desert to steppe. We explored 1) how livestock grazing affects macro moth diversity, species composition, and species richness, 2) how specialist and generalist moths respond to grazing in desert (Desert and xeric shrublands) and grassland (Temperate grasslands, savannas & shrublands). Moths are sensitive to environmental changes and suitable bioindicators. We also revealed a) indicators of grazing and b) indicators representative for certain sections of the latitudinal gradient. Totally, we recorded 80 species in the desert and 202 species in grassland in 2018 and 2019, which were DNA barcoded. In the desert, grazing did not affect macro-moth diversity, whereas grassland was negatively affected. However, not all moth families showed the same response to grazing. Species diversity, species richness, and abundance of Erebidae, Geometridae, and Noctuidae were significantly higher in the less grazed plots. Further, species dissimilarity between grazed and less grazed plots was mainly due to species replacement rather than species loss. In the desert, the species richness of both specialist and generalist moths did not differ between grazed and less grazed plots; in contrast, in grassland, the species richness of both groups was higher in less grazed plots. We found two indicator species of grazing in the desert: Hyles chuvilini in less grazed, and Cucullia splendida in grazed pasture. In grassland, we found ten indicator species exclusively for less grazed pastures: Catarhoe cuculata, Euxoa ochrogaster, Lacanobia thalassina, Megalycinia strictaria, Mythimna comma, Polia bombycina, Rhyacia simulans, Sideridis kitti, Sideridis egena, and Smerinthus caecus. These indicator species can be used as references for habitat quality and for moths' dispersal due to climate change in future studies. Among the environmental variables, plant species richness, altitude, and livestock number were the most important variables. Species composition of high altitudes in the desert was distinct, and higher species richness in this area indicated that high altitudes could serve as a refuge area during global warming and should receive conservation management.
Many studies suggest that global warming is driving species ranges poleward and toward higher elevations at temperate latitudes, but evidence for range shifts is scarce for the tropics, where the ...shallow latitudinal temperature gradient makes upslope shifts more likely than poleward shifts. Based on new data for plants and insects on an elevational transect in Costa Rica, we assess the potential for lowland biotic attrition, range-shift gaps, and mountaintop extinctions under projected warming. We conclude that tropical lowland biotas may face a level of net lowland biotic attrition without parallel at higher latitudes (where range shifts may be compensated for by species from lower latitudes) and that a high proportion of tropical species soon faces gaps between current and projected elevational ranges.
Light trapping is the most widely used tool for determining the diversity of nocturnal Lepidoptera, but UV LEDs have yet to be used as light sources for the large-scale monitoring of Lepidoptera. We ...assessed the effi ciency of this novel light source for sampling moths using a Heath type moth equipped with a strip of 150 high brightness UV LEDs (emission peak 398 nm, ~15 W) powered by a 12 V battery. We compared the number of individuals, the number of species and the Geometridae /Noctuidae ratio recorded for the samples collected using UV LED traps with those collected in two monitoring programs carried out in the same geographic region using two different light sources: a 200 W incandescent lamp (Rothamsted trap) and a 160 W mercury vapour lamp (manual catch). The total catch consisted of 61,120 individuals belonging to 699 species. The species richness rarefaction curves revealed that the Rothamsted trap collected fewer species and individuals than UV LED traps. Furthermore, the median numbers of species and individuals caught by UV LED traps fell within the range of those caught by mercury vapour lamp traps. In addition, the community composition recorded using incandescent lamps and UV LEDs was similar. The data obtained using UV LED traps, in absolute terms and in comparison with the other light sources and different sampling methods, clearly reveal that this light source is suitable for sampling macro-moth communities. For fi eld work UV LEDs have many advantages, as they are resistant to mechanical damage, easily protected from heavy rain and energy efficient.
On tropical mountains, predation pressure decreases with elevation. Accordingly, one expects an elevational decay in the prevalence of costly defensive traits such as aposematic coloration. Using ...light-trap catches of Arctiinae moths (353 species, 4466 individuals), assembled along a forested gradient in the megadiverse tropical Andes of southern Ecuador, we show that the incidence of aposematic coloration decreases strongly between 1040 and 2670 m asl. While over 60% of Arctiinae moths were warningly colored at lowest sites, this fraction decreased to less than 20% in montane forest, yet increased slightly again at the highest sites in the very open Purdiaea nutans forest. In parallel, the incidence of hymenopteran mimics and of species that mimic chemically defended beetles decreased with elevation. Hymenopteran mimics accounted for less than 5% of Arctiinae moths at sites above 2100 m, and beetle mimics were essentially lacking at high elevations. These patterns coincide with a change in gross taxonomic composition of Arctiinae ensembles and with an increase in average body size towards higher elevations. Representatives of Euchromiina and Ctenuchina became scarce with altitude, whereas the prevalence of Lithosiinae increased. Our findings suggest that the variable selective pressures along the elevational gradient favor warning coloration primarily at lower sites, whereas cryptic appearance of adult moths dominates in the tropical upper montane forest.
In this study we report on the sequencing of the COI barcode region from 96 historical specimens (92 type specimens +4 non-types) of Eois. Eois is a diverse clade of tropical geometrid moths and is ...the target of a number of ongoing studies on life-histories, phylogeny, co-evolution with host plants or parasitoids, and diversity patterns across temporal and spatial dimensions. The unequivocal application of valid names is crucial for all aspects of biodiversity research as well as monitoring and conservation efforts. The availability of barcodes from historical type specimens has the potential to facilitate the much-needed acceleration of species description. We performed non-destructive DNA extraction on the abdomens of Eois specimens between 79 and 157 years of age. We used six primer combinations (recovering between 109 and 130 bp each) to target the full-length barcode sequence of each specimen. We were able to obtain sequences for 91 of 96 specimens (success rate 94.8%). Sequence length ranged from 121 bp to full barcode sequences (658 bp), the average sequence length was ~500 bp. We detected a moderately strong and statistically significant negative correlation between specimen age and total sequence length, which is in agreement with expectations. The abdomen proved to be an exceedingly valuable source of DNA in old specimens of Lepidoptera. Barcode sequences obtained in this study are currently being used in an effort towards a step-wise taxonomic revision of Eois. We encourage that DNA barcodes obtained from types specimens should be included in all species descriptions and revisions whenever feasible.
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