Volume 24, Issue 74, July - December, 2023

Species composition and status of Hawkmoths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) in the Agroecosystem and Man-Made Mini Understory of Bayabason, Maramag, Bukidnon, Philippines

Jeanne Kuan¹, Dave P Mohagan², Alma B Mohagan^2,3

¹Undergraduate Student, Central Mindanao University, Maramag, Bukidnon, Philippines
²University Museum, Central Mindanao University, Maramag, Bukidnon, Philippines
³Faculty of the Biology Department, Central Mindanao University, Maramag, Bukidnon, Philippines

ABSTRACT

Hawkmoths are referred to as Sphinx moths, as they belong to family Sphingidae family, they play a vital role as ecological indicators and they exhibit remarkable diversity across the globe, with the exception of Antarctica and Greenland. In Bayabason, Maramag, Bukidnon, the chosen habitat types include a semi-urban agroecosystem disturbed area and a man-made understory garden, which have not been previously studied and there are no reported studies in this area. A light trap sampling technique was employed involving the use of a 4x4 white cloth and a 500-watt bulb in two habitat types. A total of eight species from eight genera were documented, none of which were endemic to the Philippines. The findings revealed eight species classified as very rare locally, seven species categorized as common, and only one species was considered rare on a national status. This study highlights the necessity for further research and an extended duration of time for the light-trapping sampling method to capture the full diversity of these species.

Keywords: Hawkmoths, Bayabason, Light trap, Disturbed area, Man-made

Species, 2023, 24(74), e67s1570

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi.v24i74.e67s1570

Published: 27 July 2023