Biodiversity Data Journal :
Taxonomic Paper
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Corresponding author:
Academic editor: Axel Hausmann
Received: 24 Nov 2015 | Accepted: 07 Jan 2016 | Published: 08 Jan 2016
© 2016 Olga Schmidt
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Schmidt O (2016) Records of larentiine moths (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) collected at the Station Linné in Sweden. Biodiversity Data Journal 4: e7304. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.4.e7304
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The island of Öland, at the southeast of Sweden, has unique geological and environmental features. The Station Linné is a well-known Öland research station which provides facilities for effective studies and attracts researchers from all over the world. Moreover, the station remains a center for ecotourism due to extraordinary biodiversity of the area. The present paper is aimed to support popular science activities carried out on the island and to shed light on diverse geometrid moth fauna of the Station Linné.
As an outcome of several research projects, including the Swedish Malaise Trap Project (SMTP) and the Swedish Taxonomy Initiative (STI) conducted at the Station Linné, a list of larentiine moths (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) collected on the territory of the station is presented. Images of moths from above and underside are shown. Of the totally 192 species registered for Sweden, 41 species (more than 21%) were collected in close proximity to the main building of the Station Linné. Malaise trap sampling of Lepidoptera is discussed.
Alvar, checklist, diversity, faunistics, geometrid moths, Larentiinae, malaise trap sampling, Öland, Skogsby
The island of Öland, at the southeast of Sweden, is famous for its dominant environmental feature, an Ordovician limestone pavement, which is called the Stora Alvaret (= the Great Alvar). Alvars are semi-natural grasslands which have been formed and developed due to long periods of human influence, including grazing (
The Swedish Malaise Trap Project (SMTP), funded by the Swedish Species Information Centre (ArtDatabanken), is based at the Station Linné. The project aims to provide species determinations for the specimens obtained from Malaise traps sampling at a wide range of landscapes and habitats. For many groups, including geometrid moths, the final data release is still awaited. The present paper is aimed to present a first list of the larentiine moths collected at the Station Linné.
Material for study was mainly collected using a UV light trap (UV), a mercury vapor light trap (MV) and net sweeping (NS) by O. Schmidt in 2014 (June 24-29, July 1-4) and 2015 (July 20-31) in the Mörbylånga kommun, Skogsby, Station Linné (56.6186 N, 16.4989 E). The UV light trap was placed between the tree and shrub rows along a walking path, with a meadow on one side and a swampy area on the other side (Fig.
Furthermore, material collected as part of the SMTP in 2007 and 2008 using a Malaise trap (MF) located close to the main building of the Station Linné (see http://www.stationlinne.se/sv/forskning/the-swedish-malaise-trap-project-smtp/traps/trap-id-2006-skogs, Trap ID 2006) was checked and the larentiine moths identified. This Malaise trap was placed on a lawn, about 100 m north of the Alvar edge (56.6190 N, 16.4973 E) and was running from April 2007 until November 2008. A note is given for the species recorded from Malaise trap samples only.
Additional material has been collected in the following locations: Borgholms kommun, Ismantorp; Borgholms kommun, Petgärdeträsk; Mörbylånga kommun, near Arontorp; Mörbylånga kommun, Gårdby; Mörbylånga kommun, Gillsättra_wet, Gillsättra_dry; Mörbylånga kommun, Jordtorpsåsen_wet, Jordtorpsåsen_dry; Mörbylånga kommun, Kalkstad; Mörbylånga kommun, Södra Sandby (Suppl. material
The genitalia of all small-sized moths were studied to correctly identify the species. The material was identified using the Lepidoptera collection of the Zoologische Staatssammlung München (ZSM, Germany) and publications by
Totally, 192 species of Larentiinae are recorded for Sweden (
Most of the larentiine species were collected using a UV light trap. The exceptions are as follows: one specimen of Eulithis testata and one specimen of Catarhoe cuculata were attracted only to the Mercury vapor lamp. The efficiency of different types of traps in this study should be compared with caution. The Mercury vapor trap and the surrounding vegetation was checked once at night between 11 p.m. and 12 p.m. and emptied in the morning, after completion of light trapping, whereas the UV trap has been checked continuously and the geometrid moths flying near the trap and sitting on the leaves of trees and bushes were collected permanently. Epirrhoe hastulata, E. tristata, Eupithecia exiguata and E. satyrata were recorded only in Malaise trap samples collected during July 24 – August 12, 2008, May 12 – June 5, 2008, June 5-21, 2008, and June 1-15, 2007 respectively.
A series of specimens presumably belonging to the species Gandaritis pyraliata have been collected. The specimens display variation in the wing pattern above and underneath, in the male genitalia (the shape of the saccus) and in the female genitalia (the length of the ductus bursae and the shape of the signum). The specimens require more detailed study.
Malaise traps are effectively used for collecting small flying insects for many decades, after the trap has been described by
The study has been conducted at the Station Linné (Öland, Sweden) and at the Zoologische Staatssammlung München (ZSM, Germany). Dave Karlsson, Pelle Magnusson and other participants of the Swedish Malaise Trap Project made additional material available for study. Axel Hausmann (ZSM) is thanked for providing access to the ZSM material and for acting as an academic editor of the manuscript. Jaan Viidalepp and Vladimir Mironov are kindly acknowledged for valuable comments on the manuscript. The present paper is a side product of research dealing with recording the fauna of Microhymenoptera related to the Swedish Taxonomy Initiative (STI) and conducted on the Station Linné. Christer Hansson (Lunds Universitet, Sweden) is thanked for discussions on the flora and fauna of Öland and assistance during field work. Stefan Schmidt (ZSM) is acknowledged for providing images of light traps and for advice and support.