Documenting Moths (Lepidoptera, Heterocera) across Two Rural Landscapes in Uttar Pradesh, India
Keywords:
Macro-moths, Environmental Filtering, Agroecosystem, Refugia, Indo-Gangetic PlainAbstract
This study evaluated macro-moth (Lepidoptera: Heterocera) community structures across two contrasting rural landscapes in Uttar Pradesh, India, to assess the impacts of agricultural intensification on nocturnal insect biodiversity. Bi-monthly light-trap surveys conducted from May 2024 to September 2025 yielded a baseline checklist of 18 distinct genera spanning five families. Community composition diverged sharply between the two sites, with only six species shared.
In Study Area I (Chiraigaon Plains), an intensive monoculture matrix, severe environmental filtering restricted local richness to 10 species, heavily dominated by crop pests within Crambidae (40%) and Noctuidae (30%). Conversely, Study Area II (Chunar Fringe), a complex ecotone of smallholder agroforestry and dry deciduous scrub-forest, functioned as a biodiversity refuge hosting 14 species; here, Erebidae dominated (43%), alongside specialized lichen-feeders and large sphingids.
These findings demonstrate that while standardized monoculture farming simplifies insect communities and selects for resilient economic pests, preserving forest-fringe boundaries and mixed agroforestry matrices maintains critical ecological refugia within the heavily modified Indo-Gangetic Plain.
