Lepidoptera of the ‘Foce Trigno–Marina di Petacciato’ Natura 2000 site, a European LTER area in Central Italy (Insecta)

Abstract

We present a faunistic list of both diurnal and nocturnal Lepidoptera sampled at the “Foce Trigno–Marina di Petacciato” Natura 2000 site (Molise, Central Italy, Adriatic coast), a protected coastal area that is also part of the European Long-Term Ecosystem Research (eLTER) network. Sampling was conducted over one year in both shifting and fixed dunes. UV light traps were used to collect moths, while butterflies were surveyed following the European Butterfly Monitoring Scheme. We identified 18 species of butterflies belonging to 5 families (Papilionidae, Hesperiidae, Pieridae, Lycaenidae, and Nymphalidae) and 204 species of moths belonging to 17 families (Tineidae, Alucitidae, Pterophoridae, Tortricidae, Coleophoridae, Cossidae, Yponomeutidae, Pyralidae, Crambidae, Drepanidae, Sphingidae, Lasiocampidae, Geometridae, Notodontidae, Erebidae, Nolidae and Noctuidae). 46 species are new records for the Molise region. Forty-two species (19%) were exclusive to the shifting dunes and 67 species (30%) were exclusive to the fixed dunes. 155 species were recorded in the shifting dunes and 180 in the fixed dunes. Although there were minor variations in species richness between the two zones for some groups, there was no consistent or statistically significant pattern across all families. Thus, the two zones support comparable levels of butterfly and moth diversity at the family level, although some weak trends may warrant further investigation. The resulting list, albeit likely not exhaustive, can serve as a valuable resource for entomologists, ecologists, conservation biologists, and environmental managers involved in biodiversity monitoring and conservation of the study area and Mediterranean dune ecosystems more broadly.