The results of the study of species composition of pyralidae moth (Lepidoptera, pyralidae) of nature reserve «Mykhailivska tsilyna»

Abstract

Studies of the night butterflies fauna of the «Mykhailivska tsilyna» reserve were fragmentary until 2000. The species composition of the most groups of these butterflies is still unexplored. A number of papers, including Klyuchko Z.F., contain information about Noctuidae family of that locality. Based on our research, the total list of Noctuidae species of the reserve includes 91 species, which is almost 50% of the potential in the region. In addition to the butterflies of the bombicoid complex, the fauna of Gelechiidae moth was also studied (14 species) on the territory of the reserve, as well as a number of night butterflies families, including Pyralidae moth. The study of pyralid moths species composition of the «Mykhailivska tsilyna» reserve was started in 2002 and continued in 2018.

The aim of this work was to continue the study of butterflies fauna of the territories of the «Mykhailivska tsilyna» reserve in 2019 under the program of the Research Laboratory «Monitoring of Populations of Animals and Plants of Sumy Region».

Pyralid moths were collected during three expeditionary trips: May 2-4, July 19-21 and September 6-8,2019 inthe village Velyki Luky on the estate site for visitors of the reserve (50 ° 44′44 ″ N, 34 ° 9′48 ″ E). With the onset of twilight (21.00-21.30) 2 arc-mercury lamps of 250 W were switched on (on July 19-21 and September 6-8, another lamp was replaced with a more powerful one - 500 W). Lamps were fixed at a height of 2-2.5 mfrom the ground surface against white screens. Caught butterflies were immediately placed in mordants filled with ethyl acetate. At dawn (4.00-5.00) the light was switched off. Insects were mounted on entomological needles or inserted into mattresses for further determination.

Butterflies were also collected by the manual method at the day-to-day locations (vegetation, trunks and stumps, fences, walls of buildings, warehouses, etc.). Thus some species that did not fly into the light were collected. We also managed to collect material at points where it was impossible to use the light of the lamps.

Species identification was performed by external morphological features, in particular wing pattern and genital apparatus preparations.

In total, in 2019, 360 species of night butterflies were collected in the reserve, and about 100 of which were pyralid moths. Thus there were detected 44 species of pyralid moth from 6 subfamilies. 11 species of them are indicated for this territory for the first time.

The generalized list (taking into account previously published data) of pyralid moths in the territory of the «Mykhailivska tsilyna» reserve is 78 species. In 2019, the list was supplemented by 11 species: Synaphe punctalis, Sciota rhenella, Eurhodope rosella, Isauria dilucidella, Anagasta welseriella, Cadra furcatella, Scoparia subfusca, Agriphila poliellus, Pyrausta purpuralis, Uresiphita gilvata, Phlyctaenia coronata. It is worth noting that A. welseriella, a common species in southernUkraine, was found inSumy region for the first time.