A preliminary study and new distributional records of family Erebidae (Leach, [1815]) (Lepidoptera: Noctuoidea) from Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract

In the present study, we have documented 59 species representing 43 genera of moths under family Erebidae (Leach, [1815]) from Aligarh district, the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. The documented species represents 10 subfamilies of family Erebidae viz., Aganainae (5 species), Arctiinae (10 species), Calpinae (5 species), Ctenuchinae (3 species), Erebinae (22 species), Eulepidotinae (1 species), Hypocalinae (2 species), Lymantriinae (8 species), Pangraptinae (1 species), and Scoliopteryginae (1 species). Out of these 59 species, Sixteen species viz. are Asota plana Walker, 1854; Asota producta (Butler, 1875); Argina astrea (Drury, 1773); Olepa koslandana Orhant, 1986; Utetheisa pulchelloides Hampson, 1907; Eudocima homaena (Hübner, [1823]); Amata cysseus (Stoll, [1782]);  Eressa confinis (Walker, 1854); Ophiusa tirhaca (Cramer, 1777); Pericyma cruegeri (Butler, 1886); Anticarsia irrorata (Fabricius, 1781); Hypocala deflorata (Fabricius, 1794); Hypocala violacea Butler, 1879; Cyana puella (Drury, 1773); Lymantria mathura Moore, [1866] and Episparis liturata (Fabricius, 1787) are recorded for the first time from Aligarh district, which also represents their first record from the present state of Uttar Pradesh.