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Diversity profiles of moths in relation to island characteristics in two archipelagos of the Mediterranean Sea

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Abstract

Diversity profiles of macromoth faunas in relation to island characteristics were studied at eight islets offshore Sardinia (one of the main Mediterranean islands) belonging to two distinct archipelagos which are included in two protected areas: Arcipelago di La Maddalena National Park and Marine Protected Area Tavolara-Punta Coda Cavallo. Night-flying macrolepidoptera were sampled using light traps with fluorescent tube, and their abundances per islet analysed through a suite of statistical tools. Overall, a total of 189 species were recorded across the various islands: 82 Noctuidae, 27 Erebidae, 1 Euteliidae, 2 Nolidae, 71 Geometridae, 5 Sphingidae and 1 Drepanidae. Neither area nor distance from Sardinia influenced the diversity profiles on each island, whereas a species–area relationship was clearly observed. Diversity profiles were comparable across islands, with Figarolo showing the highest evenness and Caprera the lowest one. Also, dominance, Simpson’s, Shannon’s and Chao’s estimates were not correlated with island area or distance from Sardinia. Management implications for the studied insular moth communities and habitats are provided.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Augusto Navone, Pier Panzalis, Massimo Putzu, Giovanna Spano (AMP Tavolara), Mirko Ugo, Luca Alfonso (Parco Nazionale La Maddalena) for cooperation in the field and Cristina Pizzutti (Corsica/Sardinia ferries), Irene Galante (CTS), Nicola Baccetti (ISPRA) and Associazione Oletepsiuché.

Funding

Logistic support was provided by Corsica/Sardinia ferries and Centro Turistico Studentesco e Giovanile (CTS), and funding was provided by CNR—Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems for ‘Curiosity Driven’ research projects. LL was supported by ENI s.p.a. Environmental department during the preparation of this manuscript. All animals were captured after legal authorization by the competent Parks authorities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CNR – Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems, Viale Dell’Universita’ 32, 00185, Rome, Italy

    Fabio Mosconi & Giovanni Amori

  2. CREA – DC Council for Agricultural Research and Economics - Research Centre for Plant Protection and Certification, Via Carlo Giuseppe Bertero 22, 00156, Rome, Italy

    Fabio Mosconi

  3. Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, UK

    Alberto Zilli

  4. Institute for Development, Ecology, Conservation and Cooperation, Via G. Tomasi Di Lampedusa 33, 00144, Rome, Italy

    Luca Luiselli

  5. Department of Applied and Environmental Biology, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, P.M.B. 5080, Rivers State, Port Harcourt, Nigeria

    Luca Luiselli

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  1. Fabio Mosconi
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Correspondence to Fabio Mosconi.

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Mosconi, F., Zilli, A., Luiselli, L. et al. Diversity profiles of moths in relation to island characteristics in two archipelagos of the Mediterranean Sea. Rend. Fis. Acc. Lincei 35, 205–212 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12210-023-01218-5

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