The moths (Lepidoptera: Heterocera) of the Maria Curie Skłodowska University Botanical Garden in Lublin a refuge within the city

Abstract

In 2012 and 2013, 418 species of moths at total were recorded in the Botanical Garden of the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin. The list comprises 116 speciesof Noctuidae (26.4% of the Polish fauna), 116 species of Geometridae (28.4% of the Polish fauna) and 63 species of other Macrolepidoptera representatives (27.9% of the Polish fauna). The remaining 123 species were represented by Microlepidoptera. Nearly 10% of the species were associated with wetland habitats, what constitutes a surprisingly large proportion in such an urbanised area. Comparing the obtained data with previous studies concerning Polish urban fauna of Lepidoptera, the moths assemblages in the Botanical Garden were the most similar to the one from the Natolin Forest Reserve which protects the legacy of Mazovian forests. Several recorded moths appertain to locally and rarely encountered species, as Stegania cararia, Melanthia procellata, Pasiphila chloerata, Eupithecia haworthiata, Horisme corticata, Xylomoia graminea, Polychrysia moneta. In the light of the conducted studies, the Botanical Garden in Lublin stands out as quite high biodiversity and can be regarded as a refuge for moths within the urban limits of Lublin.

Keywords

• biodiversity
• conservation
• rare species
• species composition
• city
• faunistics