Moth diversity of Guindy, Chennai, India and DNA barcoding of selected erebid moths

In this study, diversity of moths has been documented from Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu. During the study, over 100 specimens were collected from which 59 moth species were identified from the commercial hub of Chennai, Guindy. The species identified belonged to 52 genera, 11 families, and 25 subfamilies. Erebidae was a front runner, followed by Crambidae, Geometridae, Sphingidae, and Noctuidae. Furthermore, Eupterotidae, Uraniidae, Nolidae, Lasiocampidae, Pterophoridae, and Thyrididae were the least recorded families. Among 26 erebids, 14 species were subjected for identification through mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 gene to resolve the ambiguity. The sequences resulted were deposited in GenBank and BOLD system where they received accession numbers and process IDs. Further, phylogenetic analysis categorized Metanastria hyrtaca Cramer, 1782 in a separate clade.  

[1]  Y. Shouche,et al.  First record and DNA barcode of a scarab beetle, Adoretus kanarensis Arrow, 1917 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae), from Maharashtra, India , 2023, Journal of Threatened Taxa.

[2]  K. Jamal,et al.  First Report of Oleander Hawkmoth, Daphnis nerii (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) Feeding on Alstonia scholaris (Apocynaceae) from India , 2022, Transactions of the American Entomological Society.

[3]  Vikas Madhav Nagarajan,et al.  Diversity of moths from the urban set-up of Valmiki Nagar, Chennai, India , 2021, Journal of Threatened Taxa.

[4]  P. Shashank,et al.  Moths (Insecta: Lepidoptera) of Delhi, India: An illustrated checklist based on museum specimens and surveys , 2021, Biodiversity data journal.

[5]  Yun-peng Zhao,et al.  University campuses as valuable resources for urban biodiversity research and conservation , 2021 .

[6]  S. Sayed,et al.  Moth diversity, species composition, and distributional pattern in Aravalli Hill Range of Rajasthan, India , 2021, Saudi journal of biological sciences.

[7]  K. Jamal,et al.  Moth (Insecta: Lepidoptera) fauna of Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, India , 2021, Notulae Scientia Biologicae.

[8]  Monalisa Paul.  Impact of urbanization on moth (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Heterocera) diversity across different urban landscapes of Delhi, India , 2021 .

[9]  D. Wagner,et al.  A window to the world of global insect declines: Moth biodiversity trends are complex and heterogeneous , 2021, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[10]  Monsoon moths (Lepidoptera: Heterocera) of Midnapore town, West Bengal, India: a preliminary checklist with a note on their diversity , 2020, Environmental and Experimental Biology.

[11]  Hina Parwez,et al.  A preliminary study and new distributional records of family Erebidae (Leach, [1815]) (Lepidoptera: Noctuoidea) from Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India , 2020, Notulae Scientia Biologicae.

[12]  Maozu Guo,et al.  ENJ algorithm can construct triple phylogenetic trees , 2020, Molecular therapy. Nucleic acids.

[13]  Sohini Ghosh,et al.  Moth diversity (Lepidoptera: Heterocera) of Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India: a preliminary checklist , 2020 .

[14]  W. Terra,et al.  Evolutionary trends of digestion and absorption in the major insect orders. , 2020, Arthropod structure & development.

[15]  C. Hallmann,et al.  Declining abundance of beetles, moths and caddisflies in the Netherlands , 2019, Insect Conservation and Diversity.

[16]  N. Upadhyay,et al.  Rediscovery of an endemic Indian moth Gurna indica (Moore, 1879) (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae) after 125 years , 2019, Journal of Threatened Taxa.

[17]  B. Morgan,et al.  Trends and indicators for quantifying moth abundance and occupancy in Scotland , 2019, Journal of Insect Conservation.

[18]  T. Merckx,et al.  Beta diversity patterns reveal positive effects of farmland abandonment on moth communities , 2019, Scientific Reports.

[19]  K. Chandra,et al.  DNA barcoding of Geometridae moths (Insecta: Lepidoptera): a preliminary effort from Namdapha National Park, Eastern Himalaya , 2019, Mitochondrial DNA Part B.

[20]  K. Kunte,et al.  Moth diversity (Lepidoptera: Heterocera) of Shendurney and Ponmudi in Agastyamalai Biosphere Reserve, Kerala, India, with notes on new records , 2018 .

[21]  A. Zhang,et al.  A two-step DNA barcoding approach for delimiting moth species: moths of Dongling Mountain (Beijing, China) as a case study , 2018, Scientific Reports.

[22]  Sudhir Kumar,et al.  MEGA X: Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis across Computing Platforms. , 2018, Molecular biology and evolution.

[23]  M. P. Zari.  Regenerative Urban Design and Ecosystem Biomimicry , 2018 .

[24]  M. Jacoby,et al.  The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma , 1912, Nature.

[25]  J. Ahmad,et al.  Diversity of Moths (Lepidoptera) with New Faunistic Records from North East Jharkhand, India , 2017 .

[26]  H. Singh,et al.  Eight new records of family Erebidae (Lepidoptera: Noctuoidea) from India , 2017 .

[27]  T. Brereton.  Akshay Kumar Chakravarthy and Shakunthala Sridhara (eds): Economic and ecological significance of Arthropods in diversified ecosystems. Sustaining regulatory mechanisms , 2017, Journal of Insect Conservation.

[28]  P. Goldstein.  Diversity and Significance of Lepidoptera: A Phylogenetic Perspective , 2017 .

[29]  V. P. Uniyal,et al.  A Prefatory Estimation of Diversity and Distribution of Moths in Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, Western Himalaya, India , 2017 .

[30]  S. Sondhi,et al.  A partial checklist of moths (Lepidoptera) of Dehradun, Mussoorie and Devalsari in Garhwal, Uttarakhand, India , 2016 .

[31]  P. J. White,et al.  The Technical and Performance Characteristics of a Low-Cost, Simply Constructed, Black Light Moth Trap , 2016, Journal of insect science.

[32]  V. P. Uniyal,et al.  Moth Assemblages (Lepidoptera: Heterocera) as a Potential Conservation Tool for Biodiversity Monitoring - Study in Western Himalayan Protected Areas , 2015 .

[33]  S. Ignacimuthu,et al.  A report of Erebidae (Lepidoptera: Noctuoidea) from the Tamil Nadu part of the Western Ghats, India , 2014 .

[34]  N. Wahlberg,et al.  Timing and Patterns in the Taxonomic Diversification of Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths) , 2013, PloS one.

[35]  Zhi-qiang Zhang.  Phylum Arthropoda. In : Zhang, Z.-Q. (Ed.) Animal Biodiversity: An Outline of Higher-level Classification and Survey of Taxonomic Richness (Addenda 2013) , 2013 .

[36]  S. A. Gurule,et al.  The moths (Lepidoptera: Heterocera) of northern Maharashtra: a preliminary checklist , 2013 .

[37]  K. Chandra,et al.  Moth diversity of Tawang District, Arunachal Pradesh, India , 2013 .

[38]  I. Kitching,et al.  Molecular phylogenetics of Erebidae (Lepidoptera, Noctuoidea) , 2012 .

[39]  J. Lawrence,et al.  Order Coleoptera Linnaeus, 1758. In : Zhang, Z.-Q. (Ed.) Animal biodiversity: An outline of higher-level classification and survey of taxonomic richness , 2011 .

[40]  L. Prendini.  Order Palpigradi Thorell, 1888. In: Zhang, Z.-Q. (Ed.) Animal biodiversity: An outline of higher-level classification and survey of taxonomic richness , 2011 .

[41]  D. Janzen,et al.  DNA barcodes distinguish species of tropical Lepidoptera. , 2006, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[42]  P. Hebert,et al.  The promise of DNA barcoding for taxonomy. , 2005, Systematic biology.

[43]  Lisa M. Ritter,et al.  Forest moth taxa as indicators of lepidopteran richness and habitat disturbance: a preliminary assessment , 2004 .

[44]  Jeremy R. deWaard,et al.  Biological identifications through DNA barcodes , 2003, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences.

[45]  C. Hawes,et al.  Relationships between insect diversity and habitat characteristics in plantation forests , 1999 .

[46]  Bin-cheng Zhang,et al.  Index of Economically Important Lepidoptera , 1995 .

[47]  Kevin J. Gaston,et al.  Measuring geographic range sizes , 1994 .

[48]  M. Kimura.  A simple method for estimating evolutionary rates of base substitutions through comparative studies of nucleotide sequences , 1980, Journal of Molecular Evolution.

[49]  Natalie D. Enright Jerger,et al.  Moths , 1890, Hall's journal of health.

[50]  K. Jamal,et al.  Preliminary checklist of moth fauna (Lepidoptera: Heterocera) of Rajasthan, India , 2021, Journal of Entomological Research.

[51]  Phylum Arthropoda,et al.  Phylum Arthropoda , 2019, Thorp and Covich's Freshwater Invertebrates.

[52]  A. Hausmann,et al.  Towards creating a DNA barcode reference library of geometrid moths from western Himalaya, India (Lepidoptera, Geometridae) , 2019 .

[53]  A. Chakravarthy,et al.  Economic and Ecological Significance of Arthropods in Diversified Ecosystems , 2016, Springer Singapore.

[54]  S. K. Jalali,et al.  DNA Barcoding for Identification of Agriculturally Important Insects , 2015 .

[55]  M. Bogan,et al.  Minor Insect Orders , 2015 .

[56]  Shri K. S. Pradhan,et al.  RECORDS OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA , 2013 .

[57]  V. Shubhalaxmi,et al.  Inventory of moth fauna (Lepidoptera: Heterocera) of the northern Western Ghats, Maharashtra, India. , 2011 .

[58]  E. V. Nieukerken.  Order Lepidoptera Linnaeus, 1758. , 2011 .

[59]  M. Swamiappan,et al.  Species diversity and seasonal abundance of fruit piercing moth complex in Tamil Nadu , 2010 .

[60]  A. V. Sviridov,et al.  Optimization of taxonomic keys by means of probabilistic modelling , 1986 .

[61]  P. Sinu,et al.  Moth pests collected in light traps of tea plantations in North East India : species composition , seasonality and effect of habitat type , 2022 .