Two-year Inventory of Macrolepidoptera and Other Insects Inhabiting the Boston Harbor Islands National Park Area
Mello MJ. 2003. Two-year Inventory of Macrolepidoptera and Other Insects Inhabiting the Boston Harbor Islands National Park Area
Fourteen islands with the Boston Harbor Islands National Park Area were surveyed on 67 nights during 2001 and 2002 as part of a five-year inventory of the natural resources of the park. A total of 394 species of macrolepidoptera anbd 166 species of microlepidoptera were documented, as well as 51 species of butterflies, 11 odonates and one tiger beetle during daytime observations. Two moths and one odonate listed as rare in the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act were documented: Spartiniphaga inops Grote (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Amphipyrinae), Abagrotos nefascia Smith (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Agrotinae), and Anax longipes Hagen (Odonata: Aeshnidae). S. inops is resident on Worlds End, and A. nefascia on Lovells Island. A. longipes is likely only a migratory visitor. The total number of macrolepidoptera species seems low, given the sampling effort and variety of habitats present. The strong ambient light emanating from Boston and surrounding cities, as well as the high percentage of non-native vegetation on many of the islands, are two possible factors that could explain the reduced observed diversity.
- Type
- Unpublished Report
- Authors
- Mello, Mark
- Date of Issue
- 2003
- Units
- BOHA
- Keywords
- Animal Studies, annually mowed grassland, bait, BOHA, daylight survey, Insect, Lepidoptera, Light trap, macrolepidoptera, Marsh, microlepidoptera, mixed forest, native grassland, NPS, Odonata, odonate, Old Field, rocky outcrop, shrub swamp, wet meadow
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Terrestrial Invertebrates