Moths Diversity in Barsuan Range, Bonai Forest Division, Odisha, India and their Ecological Importance
Sanath Kumar N. *
Office of the Divisional Forest Officer, Bonai Forest Division, Sundargarh, Odisha, India.
Ilarani Pradhan
Biodiversity and Conservation Laboratory, Ambika Prasad Research Foundation, Odisha, India.
Arun Kumar Mishra
Office of RCCF, Rourkela Circle, Rourkela, Odisha, India.
Sanjeet Kumar *
Biodiversity and Conservation Laboratory, Ambika Prasad Research Foundation, Odisha, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Moths are a group of insects belonging to Class Insecta and Order Lepidoptera. Butterflies are also coming under the Order Lepidoptera and moths can be mistaken as butterflies. Moths and their caterpillars are important food for many species of amphibians, small mammals (such as bats) and many birds. They pollinate flowers while feeding on their nectar, and therefore help in seed production. This includes wild plants, garden plants and food crops. Keeping the importance of moth, an attempt has been made to document the moth diversity of Barsuan Range, Bonai Forest Division, Odisha during 2021-2022. The results revealed that about 31 species of moths were observed. The ecological importance of the available moths is discussed in the present study. The paper highlights the importance of insects in balancing the ecology of Barsuan range, Bonai Forest Division, Odisha, India.
Keywords: Moth, lepidoptera, pollination, food of prey