An intensive three-year survey
found 635 species of Lepidoptera--moths and butterflies--at the
Marine Corps Air Station
Miramar in San Diego County, Calif., including one rare butterfly, 12 moths
new to science, and two moths new to the U.S.
Butterflies and moths perform a variety of positive "ecological
services" including the pollination of flowering plants and serving as
food or prey items for countless other invertebrates as well as larger animals.
In contrast, the larvae of many lepidopterans are economically important pests
of crops and ornamentals.
To capture the six-legged "unidentified flying objects," the
scientists' sampling methods included black light trapping for 364 nights,
daytime collecting for 148 days, and "baiting" with pheromones,
natural compounds that attract insects.
Inventories like Brown's document the country's rich biological heritage and
contribute to understanding biodiversity and natural resources present in the
United States. Among the 635 species found were 12 species of moths previously
unknown to science. The survey also uncovered the Hermes copper (Lycaena
hermes), a rare butterfly recognized as "sensitive" and declining
by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Two
moths--Dryadaula terpsichorella and Metapluera potosi--had never
before been found in the United States.
The air station's lepidopterans are even more diverse than the survey has
documented, according to Brown. He estimates that nearly 700 to possibly more
than 900 species call the station home.
Scientific contact: John W. Brown, ARS
Systematic Entomology Laboratory, Washington, DC., phone: (202) 382-1778, fax
(202) 786-9422, jbrown@sel.barc.usda.gov
