New records of moths (Insecta, Lepidoptera) from urban gardens on Terceira Island with new data on recently introduced species to the Azores

• Main Author: Pérez Santa-Rita, Jose V.
• Publication Date: 2018
• Other Authors: Ros-Prieto, A., Vieira, Virgílio, Karsholt, Ole, Gabriel, Rosalina, Borges, Paulo A. V.
• Format: Article
• Language: eng
• Source: Repositórios Científicos de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (RCAAP)
• Download full: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.3/4859
• topic: Lepidoptera; Urban Gardens; Terceira Island (Azores)

The urban Duque da Terceira Garden, in the main town of Angra do Heroísmo (Terceira, Azores), was investigated to describe the species composition of moths (Insecta, Lepidoptera). Moths were sampled with two methods: SLAM traps (between April and September 2017) and light trapping (two sessions in the summer of 2017). A total of 42 taxa were sampled with the addition of 19 new records for Duque da Terceira Garden, five of which were also new records for Terceira Island. The five species recorded as new for Terceira were subjected to an exhaustive taxonomic analysis. In addition, we revised the colonization status of some species. Our results show that urban gardens may help the establishment of exotic species and that it is necessary to monitor and control how these species established in urban environments.