Diversity of moths communities (Insecta, Lepidoptera) above tree line in Belianske Tatry Mts. (Hlúpy transect), the Western Carpathians
Abstract
The research is focused on the evaluation of lepidopteran fauna investigated above the tree line in transect Hlúpy hill, which is situated in the central part of the Belianske Tatry Mountains. The investigation was carried out during 2016 and 2017. Light traps were used for trapping. Four to five traps were run simultaneously at different altitudinal gradients during four terms of night trapping. During the field investigation 203 species belonging to 30 families were identified. Many of the species were discovered over night using ultraviolet light. The most numerous test subjects came from the Noctuidae and Geometridae families. In total, 112 (55.72%) species and 2 127 (82.38%) individual moths were captured belonging to these families. A few eurytopic species, mainly Noctua pronuba, Apamea monoglypha and Noctua fimbriata (Noctuidae), were mos common, and significantly raised the proportion of all moth individuals. These three species comprised 46.65% of all individuals collected. The presence of these very abundant species may indicate disturbed habitats following the end of grazing in the 1950-60s.
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