Checklist of the superfamily Noctuoidea ( Insecta , Lepidoptera ) from Tamil Nadu , Western Ghats , India

A checklist of the superfamily Noctuoidea (Erebidae, Noctuidae, Euteliidae, and Nolidae) from Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve and Kodaikanal Hills in Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu is presented. We collected noctuoid moths monthly from June 2010 to December 2014. We collected 9095 individuals (5242 males and 3853 females) belonging to 188 species, 106 genera, 5 subtribes, 25 tribes, 26 subfamilies and 4 families. The most species-rich families were Erebidae (106 species) and Noctuidae (51 species). The Erebinae was found to be the richest subfamily with 64 species. Additional sampling might reveal 2–3 times more species.


Introduction
Moths belonging to the order Lepidoptera are probably the largest group of phytophagous insects (Scoble 1992).They are one of the most-studied groups of organisms (Kristensen et al. 2007).The superfamily Noctuoidea (order Lepidoptera) comprises 43,000 described species which are classified into 3800 genera (Nieukerken et al. 2011), but there are still many undescribed species, mostly from tropical regions.The superfamily encompasses the families Oenosandridae, Notodontidae, Erebidae, Noctuidae, Euteliidae, and Nolidae.The larvae of many noctuoids are pests, typically associated with higher vascular plants, and collectively have a massive commercial impact annually (Kitching 1984), and adults of many noctuoid genera damage fruit crops by piercing the skins of fruits to suck juice (Banziger 1982).
Approximately 6000 noctuoid species are known to be commercially important (Zang 1994).Noctuoids are well represented in all the major zoogeographic regions and in a wide variety of habitats.Entomologists believe that approximately 100,000 species may exist word wide, with over 70,000 species described and recorded so far (Kitching and Rawlins 1998).
India has diverse ecosystems and hosts 3 biodiversity hotspots, the Western Ghats, the Himalayas, and Indo-Burma region.The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, in the Western Ghats of South India, is one of the 18 biodiversity hotspots in the world.The Indian subcontinent has an abundant moth fauna, with 4438 species recorded by Cotes andSwinhoe (1887-1889) and 5277 species recorded by Hampson (1892Hampson ( -1896)).Herein, we provide a checklist of species of noctuoid moths from the Western Ghats.

Methods
Study areas.The Nilgiri Hills, also known as the Blue Mountains, lie in the district of Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, India.The Nilgri Hills are between 2280 and 2623 m.Coonoor is the second largest hill station in the Nilgiris with an elevation of 1,858 m above sea level.Kodaikanal hill station is situated in the Dindugul district, Tamil Nadu on the eastern side of the Western Ghats with an elevation of 2130 meters.
Sample collection and analysis.Specimens of noctuoid moths were collected from the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and Kodaikanal Hills from June 2010 to December 2014.We sampled in the morning (between 05:00 and 06:00 h) and in the night time (between 18:30 and 22:00 h) at each site for 5 consecutive days each month.Specimens were collected using sweep nets and a mercury vapour light trap (220/200 W light source).Except a few specimens for taxonomic studies, moths were released in the field.Moths were least abundant during December and January.
The specimens collected for taxonomic study were rinsed in ethyl acetate and mounted.They were subsequently vouchered in Entomology Research Institute, Loyola College, Chennai, India.
The nomenclature used followed Kononenko andPinratana (2005, 2013) and Lafontaine and Schmidt (2010), except for the Catocalinae, which was based on the classification of Kitching (1984).

Results
In this study, 9095 individual moths (5242 males and 3853 females) of the superfamily Noctuoidea were collected.Included in this number are 188 species belonging  Material examined.Table 3; Figure 54.Remarks.This species was recorded by Holloway (2005) on the basis of survey from Borneo.This species is differentiated from other taxa mainly by characters of male and female genitalia.Externally it is similar to A. sundascribens.Holloway, 1976 Material examined.to 4 families, 26 subfamilies, 106 genera, 25 tribes, and 5 subtribes (Table 3).

Aegilia sundascribens
We report here a preliminary checklist of Noctuoidea from Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and Kodaikanal Hills in the Western Ghats, based on almost 5 years of study according to our analysis based on the body of literature (Holloway 1984, 1985, Park 2001, Holloway 2005, Kononenko and Pinratana 2005, 2013).
Remarks.Eudocima phalonia is a senior synonym of E. fullonia reinstated by Zill and Hogenes (2002).The species name E. fullonia was misspelled as E. fullonica by Linnaeus, 1767.Sexes are dimorphic.Males with usually lineated forewings and females with much more variable marks and red-brown specks.Female is having the triangular white mark usually present on the postmedial line.
Othreis abathyglypta Prout 1928: 264.Banziger (1985).A strongly sexually dimorphic species.The forewings resembles a green leaf and apex produced; an oblique black midrib line running from centre of the dorsum to the apex.

Eudocima homanea (Hübner, [1823])
Othreis homaena Hübner [1827] Material examined.Table 3; Figure 27, 28 Remarks.This is an oriental zone species with sexual dimorphism pattern in forewing.Male with forewing is having a variegated and transversely rippled purplish brown, with a sigmoid postmedial and straight antemedial and female with similar ground colour.

Eudocima salaminia (Cramer, 1777)
Noctua salaminia Cramer [1777]: 117.Eudocima salaminia Cramer-Holloway 1976: 36.Material examined.Table 3; Figure 24 Remarks.This species was recorded from Oriental region by Hampson (1894).The diagnostic characters of the species: forewing is suffused golden green colour; the hindwing with black border and narrow.hind wings patterns.Forewing with an S-shaped brown mark on discocellulars.Hindwing with a large crimson patch with white centre at anal angle.

Ramadasa pavo (Walker, 1856)
Chasmina pavo Walker 1856: 147 Material examined.Table 3; Figure 37 Remarks.Forewing with costa is having five blueblack spots and oblique medial line vinous suffusion on its outer edge.A black striga from costa to the reniform and a blue-black beyond it from the costa to vein 6 where it is bent outwards to the margin as a streak.Holloway, 2005 Material examined.Table 3; Figure 40 Remarks.This species was described as a new species by Holloway (2005) from Borneo.This species also occurs in N.E.Himalaya and New Guinea.A voucher specimen is in the USNM.We have recorded as new in Western Ghats Tamil Nadu, India.Material examined.Table 3; Figure 3 Remarks.The listing of the name is valid based on Holloway (2005) and Kononenko and Pinratana (2005) classifications.This species differs from Hypocala subsatura based on the head, thorax and forewing paler colour.Hindwing with larger orange area.
Remarks.This species can be differentiated from other species based on the forewing and hind wing markings.Forewing with a submarginal black line in the form of two curves touching the margin at apex, centre and outer angle.Hindwing orange with marginal black band broad at costa and narrowing to anal angle.

Hypocala guttiventris (Walker, [1858])
Hypocala lattivitta Walker 1865: 929.Hypocala triphaenina Felder & Rogenhofer, 1874: 20.Material examined.Table 3; Figure 5 Remarks.This species differs from H. biarcuata and synonym of H. lattivitta.The forewing is darker with large patches of grey suffusion on inner area and on costa before apex.Hindwing with a black cell-spot prominent on underside.The male genitalia with uncus broad fringed with hairs composed of a curved terminal lobe and having a subapical beak-like part.

Hypocala subsatura (Guenée, 1852)
Hypocala aspera Butler, 1883: 164. Hypocala limbata Butler, 1889: 76 .Material examined.Table 3; Figure 4 Remarks.The classification was followed based on    Material examined.Table 3; Figure 12 Remarks.The name is based on the description of the adult forewings.This species differs from Pleurona falcata based on morphology.The male forewing apex which is more produced and acute.Outer margin of hind wing is angled in the female, but not in the male.
Material examined.Table 3; Figure 39 Remarks.This species resembles Hyperlopha crucifera in general fascia, even though is slightly larger.H. crucifera was described as a new species by Holloway (2005).He differentiated H. cristifera from H. crucifera based on the male genitalia.We have collected only female specimen of H. cristifera.More research is needed for this species.

Discussion
This study updates our knowledge of the moth fauna of the Western Ghats (Tamil Nadu, India) by providing new records of Noctuoidea.In India, exhaustive works on the Noctuidae were carried out by Hampson (1894) and Swinhoe (1885).Hampson (1894Hampson ( , 1895) ) included 166 species in his classic works.Recently, Francy (2000) recorded 163 species from Kerala.
In our study area, the Erebidae is the most species-rich family, with 106 species belonging to 6 subfamilies.The Noctuidae is the second-most species-rich family, with 51 species belonging to 9 subfamilies.Oxyodes scrobiculata and Lacera noctilio were the erebid species with most records in the Western Ghats.The possible occurrence of Hyperlopha cristifera in our study should be investigated because this is a species that is typical to Sri Lanka.
The superfamily Noctuoidea encompasses the families Oenosandridae, Notodontidae, Erebidae, Noctuidae, Euteliidae, and Nolidae.The Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu support a higher number of taxa belonging to the family Erebidae compared to a checklist of moths of the state of Maharastra, India (Sachin Gurule et al. 2011).This suggests that the Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu may favour high species diversity.This rich moth diversity in the Western Ghats highlights the need of protected areas, such as the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, in conserving the regional fauna.
Studies on the Noctuoidea of the southern part of the Western Ghats are very scanty.Given the variety of agroforest ecosystems and environmental gradients found in the Western Ghats, we expect more species will be found with more fieldwork.

Figure 1 .
Figure 1.Maps showing locations of Nilgiri and Dindigul District in Tamil Nadu, India.Not to scale.

Figure 2 .
Figure 2. Maps showing the collection locations in Nilgiri and Kodaikanal (Dindigul District).Not to scale.

Table 1 .
Sampling locations in the Nilgiri Biosphere, with geographic coordinates and elevation.

Table 3 .
Remarks.It can be distinguished from A. describens based on sinuous forewing fasciae, and whitish submarginal line at the tornus.

Table 2 .
Sampling locations in the Kodaikanal Hills, with geographic coordinates and elevation.

Table 3 .
Noctuoid moths collected from the Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu from June 2010 to December 2014.*First time record in Nilgiri Biosphere.