A Survey of Moths of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

Kloiber, Stephen; Rothauser, Blaine

The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (DEWA) consists of ~70,000 acres of diverse habitat along the Delaware River in eastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey. There have been a few invertebrate studies done in the park but no comprehensive moth list has been developed. For this study, we conducted surveys at various points in the Delaware Water Gap to develop an evidence-based moth list for the park from April-November 2014. Surveys were conducted using a combination of 1000 Watt and 400 Watt metal halide lights, a UV blacklight, and baiting. Approximately 89 hours were spent conducting 28 surveys at 9 locations within the park, yielding 617 species of moths from 37 families, and over 2,277 specimens. Of the 37 families observed, Noctuidae was the most species rich family followed by Erebidae, Geometridae, Tortricidae, and Crambidae. The Speckled Green Fruitworm, Petrophila fulicalis, Painted Lichen Moth, Elegant Grass-veneer, and Hickory Tussock Moth were the five most abundant species found on our surveys respectively. Of the 617 species identified, 289 were only documented on one of the 28 surveys and 235 species were represented by only one individual.