Common Moths and Their Ecological Importance in Bisra Range, Rourkela Forest Division, Odisha, India

Abstract

Rourkela Forest Division presents a sub-tropical climatic condition with high humidity and rainfall after the onset of the monsoon. Lepidopterans are a group of insects that are potent pollinators and protectors of different terrestrial ecosystems. Among all the Lepidopterans, moths are cosmopolitan and very important. Moths are mostly nocturnal pollinators and play a vital role in the pollination of different plant species and their seed production. Besides that, they play the important role of both prey and predator in a food chain. They are less known and have always been given less importance, unlike bees and butterflies, because very few studies have been done about moths and their importance in ecosystems. A field survey was done for the documentation of some common moths’ diversity in Bisra Range, Rourkela Forest Division, Odisha, India, during 2022–2023. About 20 species of common moths were reported from the study area. This study depicts the ecological importance of moths, how they are inevitable members of the food chain in different types of terrestrial ecosystems, and their interactions with other plant and animal species in the division. Macrobrochis gigas and Phocoderma velutina larvae are abundant and major defoliators of Shorea robusta during the rainy season; Lymantria mathura is a major defoliator of Mangifera indica, Shorea robusta, Terminalia, Mitragyna, and Eugenia spp.; Xyleutes strix and Xyleutes persona are stem borers; and Phocoderma velutina shows a relationship with a parasitic fungus.