PROC. ENTOMOL. SOC. WASH. 105(4), 2003, pp. 1034-1042 STUDIES ON NEW GUINEA MOTHS. 1. INTRODUCTION (LEPIDOPTERA) SCOTT E. MILLER, VOJTECH NOVOTNY, AND YVES BASSET (SEM) Department of Systematic Biology, National Museum of Natural History, Smith- sonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560-0105, U.S.A. (e-mail: [email protected]. edu); (VN) Institute of Entomology, Czech Academy of Sciences and Biological Faculty, University of South Bohemia, Branisovska 31, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic; (YB) Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 2072, Balboa, Ancon, Panama Abstract.•This is the first in a series of papers providing taxonomic data in support of ecological and biogeographic studies of moths in New Guinea. The primary study is an extensive inventory of the caterpillar fauna of a lowland rainforest site near Madang, Papua New Guinea, from 1994•2001. The inventory focused on the Lepidoptera com- munity on 71 woody plant species representing 45 genera and 23 families. During the study, 46,457 caterpillars representing 585 species were sampled, with 19,660 caterpillars representing 441 species reared to adults. This introductory contribution is intended to provide background on the project, including descriptions of the study site, sampling methods, and taxonomic methods. Key Words: Malesia, Papua New Guinea, Lepidoptera, biodiversity, rearing, community ecology A very large portion of tropical biodi- 1992 and 1993 (Basset 1996, Basset et al. versity consists of herbivorous insects, and 1996). This paper represents the first in a among them, Lepidoptera are among the series of papers providing taxonomic doc- most amenable to study. To better under- umentation in support of the broader stud- stand the structure and maintenance of trop- ies, and is intended to provide general back- ical biodiversity, we undertook a series of ground, including descriptions of the study related inventories of Lepidoptera in New site, sampling methods, and taxonomic Guinea. Our most extensive data set is an methods. inventory of the caterpillar fauna of low- During 2002, we sampled an additional land rainforests near Madang, Papua New 19 woody plant species near Madang, Guinea, from 1994•2001. Our ecological bringing the total sampling universe to 90 analyses focus on the Lepidoptera com- species representing 58 genera and 32 fam- munity on 71 woody plant species repre- ilies. The sampling effort per plant was re- senting 45 genera and 23 families near Ma- duced according to the guidelines in No- dang. Of these species, 69 are native, while votny et al. (2002c). The insects from these 2 species of Piper are not native. But for surveys are still being analyzed. At the time taxonomic purposes we have evaluated of this writing, the Madang study is being specimens accumulated more broadly, in- expanded to include montane sites and a se- cluding the material resulting from a study ries of lowland sites, and material from focused on 10 woody plant species con- these studies will be discussed and de- ducted near Wau, Papua New Guinea, in scribed in later papers in this series. Sam- VOLUME 105, NUMBER 4 1035 pling began at our first montane site in June species are among the most important ones 2001 in primary and secondary forests and in local rainforests, with combined diversity partially deforested landscape around Mu of 579 species in New Guinea (Höft 1992). Village near Kundiawa town in Chimbu This selection of families includes all main Province (145°02'E, 6°05'S, 1,800 m). lineages of flowering plants, viz. gymno- sperms, monocotyledons, basal eudicots, MATERIALS AND METHODS euasterids and eurosids (APG 1998). Fur- Madang Study Area ther, locally common plants from all main habitats within the study area, including The study area is situated in Madang early and late stages of forest succession as Province, Papua New Guinea, extending well as riverine and seashore habitats, were from the coast to the slopes of the Adelbert represented (Leps et al. 2001). Mountains. Average annual rainfall in this Plants were identified by Wayne Takeu- area is 3,558 mm, with a moderate dry sea- chi at Lae Herbarium and many of them son from July to September; mean air tem- were subsequently verified by the best perature is 26.5 °C (McAlpine et al. 1983). available international specialists. Plant The area is covered with species-rich ev- vouchers are deposited in Bishop Museum ergreen rainforest (152 species of woody (BISH), Rijksherbarium (L), Lae Herbari- plants with diameter at breast height >5 cm um (LAE) and Smithsonian Institution (US) per hectare; Laidlaw et al., in press). Field- (herbarium acronyms follow Holmgren et work was concentrated in primary and sec- al. 1990). ondary lowland forests near Baitabag, Ohu, and Mis villages, and in a coastal area near Madang Insect Sampling and Rearing Riwo Village (145°41-8'E, 5°08-14'S, ca. All externally feeding caterpillars (Lepi- 0•200 m). Specific localities are Baitabag doptera), including leafrollers and leaftiers, (145°47'E, 5°08'S, ca. 100 m), Ohu were collected by hand from foliage. Dur- (145°41'E, 5°14'S, ca. 200 m), Mis ing each sampling occasion, a collector (145°47'E, 5°11'S, ca. 50 m), Riwo Village spent one day walking throughout the study (145°48'E, 5°09'S, 0 m). area searching the foliage of the target tree species for caterpillars. The sampling in- Madang Plant Sampling cluded only more accessible branches, i.e., Seventy-one species of trees and shrubs those which could be reached easily by from 45 genera and 23 families (see appen- climbing or reached from the ground. Nu- dix), including 15 species of Ficus and 1 merous trees from various parts of the study species of Artocarpus (Moraceae), 6 species area were sampled during each sampling of Macaranga and 9 species representing 9 occasion. The number of tree inspections, other genera of Euphorbiaceae, 4 species of that is, a particular tree sampled at a partic- Psychotria and 12 species representing 12 ular time, was recorded, as well as the ap- other genera of Rubiaceae, 3 species of Sy- proximate area of the foliage sampled. Each zigium (Myrtaceae), 3 species of Piper (Pi- tree species was sampled continuously for peraceae) and 18 species representing 18 the period of at least one year between July other families of ñowering plants, were se- 1994 and December 2001. Sampling effort lected for the study of their associated cat- was equal for all plant species and amount- erpillars. Moraceae, Euphorbiaceae, and ed to 1,500 m? of foliage area examined per Rubiaceae, which were studied in detail, are species, while the number of tree inspec- important components of lowland rainforest tions exceeded 1,000 per plant species. This flora in the Madang area and elsewhere in sampling effort represented approximately New Guinea (Oatham and Beehler 1998). 2,000 person-days of fieldwork. In the lab- The five genera represented by multiple oratory, each caterpillar was provided with 1036 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON fresh leaves of the plant species from which and hosts, are recorded in a custom Access it was collected, and was reared to an adult database, described in Basset et al. (2000). whenever possible. Only the specimens that Background data and images are available fed were considered in the analyses. Cat- at www.nmnh.si.edu/new_guinea. erpillars and adults were assigned to mor- Our taxonomic studies also incorporate phospecies. Morphospecies were assigned material reared near Wau, Papua New seven character codes as permanent identi- Guinea by Yves Basset and assistants dur- fiers•four letters representing the family ing the precursor to the Madang project in and three digits•which remain unchanged 1992-1993 (Basset et al. 1996). Morpho- even if the field identification of the family species numbers for these specimens are was incorrect. distinguished by beginning with "LE." The Our sampling of the 71 plant species pro- plants from that study were identified by duced 46,457 caterpillars representing 585 Robert Höft and vouchers are deposited at species, with 19,660 caterpillars represent- LAE and L. ing 441 species reared to adults. Most of the field activities were carried out by par- Insect Identification ataxonomists, as described in Basset et al. In the laboratory, the morphospecies con- (2000). The numbers reported in our ana- cepts were confirmed by disection of geni- lytical papers are often lower, because var- talia (Clarke 1941, Robinson 1976) and ex- ious analyses included only a subset of the amination of other characters. Identifica- plant species or were adjusted to equalize tions were made using relevant literature, sample size per host plant. but especially by comparison to the collec- In addition to the basic locality data and tions of Smithsonian National Museum of adult morphospecies code, standard labels Natural History, Washington (USNM), including caterpillar morphospecies, host Bishop Museum, Honolulu (BPBM), and plant name, host plant abbreviation, and especially the rich historic collections of specimen number, were affixed to each The Natural History Museum, London specimen. The caterpillar morphospecies (BMNH), as well as less frequent compar- code begins with "CAT" and is used on isons to collections of Australian National specimens after 1995. The original host Insect Collection, Canberra (ANIC) and plant identification on the label sometimes Nationaal Natuurhistorisch Museum, Lei- has changed with further study, so should den (RMNH), and types in other collec- be used with care. For this reason, begin- tions. Because most of the types of New ning in 1996, the labels include a three let- Guinea moths are at BMNH, it has been the ter host plant abbreviation that does not critical resource, and we are especially in- change with subsequent identifications. In- debted to their staff, as well as research as- dividual specimen numbers are assigned to sociates J.D.