| Publication Type: | Unpublished |
| Year of Publication: | 2001 |
| Authors: | A. Darrouzet-Nardi |
| Series Title: | Biology and Geomorphology of Tropical Islands |
| Pagination: | 1-8 |
| Institution: | University of California, Berkeley |
| Keywords: | distribution, French Polynesia, Geometridae, LEPIDOPTERA, Moorea, Noctuidae, Pacific Insects, pollination, Society Islands, Sphingidae |
| Abstract: | Despite the unique biological opportunities presented by the island chains of French Polynesia, the biology of the area is poorly understood. Moths are among the many taxa with undocumented biodiversity. There is biological interest in documenting which moth species are present and how they interact with the plant community. I collected 161 macrolepidopteran moths at a range of elevations on the island of Moorea, French Polynesia to explore their diversity and study their role as pollinators. I assembled a pollen library of 27 common plant species and attempted to match these pollens with pollen grains that were removed from moths. Although identification to species was not possible with all of the moths that were collected, I grouped them into morphospecies by wing pattern; 35 morphospecies were found. There were more species found at higher elevations. The abundance of some species changed with elevation. The most abundant morphospecies at all sites were non-endemics that are widely distributed throughout the South Pacific. Many moths were found to feed on the invasive Lantana camara and some fed on plants in the Myrtaceae. This study suggests that the moth fauna on Moorea is dominated by non-endemics, but that there may be some relictual endemics, especially at the higher elevations. It also suggests that invasive plants have a considerable impact on the moth fauna. Future research on Moorean moths should focus on accomplishing a more comprehensive survey of moth biodiversity and examining the interaction of the moth fauna with native and introduced plants. |