Materials to the Lepidoptera fauna of Tsimlyansk Sands in Rostov Region of Russia. Report I

Abstract

The study provides the latest information on the Heterocera fauna of Tsimlyansk Sands in Rostov Region. This sands near Don River (Rostov and Volgograd regions of Russia) have the fluvio-glacial Pleistocene origin, unique landscapes with sand dunes, halophytic biotopes and birch groves between the dunes; fauna of the area contains the diverse and atypical insects for the steppe zone of Europe. The territory of Tsimlyansk Sands has the great importance for protection of rare animals listed in regional, the All-Russian and the International Red Books. The species composition of Heterocera was summarized and updated for Tsimlyansk District and Rostov Region. In total, 323 species of butterflies from 12 families are registered in Tsimlyansk District. We collected 65 species, from which 28 ones collected for the first time in Tsimlyansk Sands (Nolidae (1), Erebidae (1), Noctuidae (7), Geometridae (7), Cossidae (3), Sessiidae (1), Sphingidae (2), Pyralidae (2), Crambidae (2), Zygaenidae (2)) and one species, Eilicrinia subcordiaria (Herrich-Schäffer, 1852) is recorded for Rostov Region for the first time. The majority of Noctuoidea species belongs to the following ecological groups: steppe xerophilous (29 species), steppe hemixerophilous (28 species) and forest mesophilous (22 species). The following ecological groups of Pyraloidea moths dominate: steppe mesophilous (27 species), polizonal eurybionts (23 species) and meadow mesophilous (19 species). Among Geometridae the most diverse species are from hemixerophilous (20 species) and meadow-steppe mesophiles (13 species) ecological groups.

Keywords

• lepidoptera
• heterocera
• species composition
• ecological groups
• don river fluvio-glacial sands