A preliminary checklist of moths (Lepidoptera: Heterocera) of Jahangirnagar university campus, Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Abstract

Lepidopterans (moths and butterflies) are one of the most suitable, best known groups of insects to study diversity, abundance and species richness as they constitute a major share of living organisms on this earth. The present survey was conducted from February 2022 to June 2022 to explore the diversity of moth species in Jahangirnagar University campus, Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Moths were collected using an 18W UV light trap powered by a 900 Watt generator. A total of 78 moth species under 50 genera and 9 families were recorded during the sampling period covering 60 trapping hours. The recorded moth families were Noctuidae, Erebidae, Pyralidae, Crambidae, Geometridae, Psychidae, Nolidae, Totrichidae and Cossidae. The highest number of species were recorded from the family Erebidae followed by Crambidae, Noctuidae and Geometridae. Only two species were identified from each of the family Pyralidae, Psychidae, Nolidae and Totrichidae, and a single genus from Cossidae. This is the first time report on moth fauna of Jahangirnagar University campus and amongst the reported 78 species, 61 species are new for the moth inventory of Bangladesh. Results of this study would be helpful to prepare a baseline data for the moth diversity of Jahangirnagar University campus.