Moths of Bihar and Jharkhand

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Introduction: Lepidoptera is an attractive and fascinating group of Insects in terms of species diversity and economic importance. It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world. Lepidopteron species are mainly recognized due to the body and wings covered with scales (modified and flattened hairs which give the butterflies and the moths their extraordinary variety of colour patterns). The definition of Lepidoptera given before the advent of cladistics, for example by Imms, 1957, included many of the attributes which were not diagnostic for the Order Lepidoptera. Kristensen & Skalski (1998) recognized 27 Lepidopteron apomorphies out of which, Holloway et al. (2001) listed 10 easily observed attributes: median ocellus is lost; intercalary sclente on the antenna is found laterally in the membrane between the scape and pedicel, maxillary palpi has points of flexion between segments 1 & 2, and between 3 & 4. Terminal segment of the labial palpi has a sensillary depression at its apex (Vom Rath's organ) (Fig 1), first abdominal tergite is desclerotized, with lateral lobes extending to articulate with the anterior corners of the second sternite (Fig. 2), tibia of the foreleg with an epiphysis (Fig. 3,4). wings with dense covering of scales, metathoracic spiracle has a single, anterior, external lip; valvae of male genitalia is primarily undivided, though secondary division occurs in several lineages, and anal cerci lost in both sexes. Phylogenetically, order Lepidoptera is the sister group of order Trichoptera. Kristensen (1984) noted 20 probable synapomorphies with the Trichoptera. Order Lepidoptera and Trichoptera, together form the superorder Amphiesmenoptera. This in turn is sister group to superorder Antliophora that includes the Mecoptera (Scorpion-flies), Siphonaptera (fleas), and Diptera (true flies). Kristensen & Skalski (1998) suggested that the common ancestor of the Lepidoptera and the Trichoptera had larvae that lived in wet soil conditions. From where the Trichopterans developed the aquatic larval mode of life and majority of the Lepidopterans moved out of water and developed the terrestrial mode of life.

A common classification divides order Lepidoptera into moths and butterflies (including skippers). Both the groups can be separated due to the following characters: generally, butterflies are diurnal and moths are nocturnal, butterflies have the clubbed antennae and moths have different type of antennae, except clubbed, and moths have the frenulum or jugum as wing coupling apparatus whereas, butterflies lack these structures. Within Lepidoptera, having 1.58,570 species (Zhang, 2013), moths with 1.38,656 species (Zhang, 2011) constitute about 88% of the total Lepidoptera and about 9% of the total Animal kingdom. As far as Indian fauna is concerned, about 12000 moth species are known.

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