MOTHS OF CONBOY LAKE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE:

Results from 10 sites sampled 20-21 May 2017

Dana Ross 1005 NW 30th Street Corvallis, OR 97330 (541) 758-3006 [email protected]

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SUMMARY

Moths were sampled from Conboy Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Klickitat County, Washington on the nights of 20 and 21 May, 2017 as part of an ongoing inventory of that group. Blacklight traps were deployed for a single night at ten sites representative of plant communities throughout the refuge and captured a total of 613 individuals representing 65 species of moths. Of those, 44 species were new for the refuge and 15 species of macro-moths were documented for the first (6), second (5) or third (4) time from Klickitat County. The known number of macro-moths for the refuge now stands at 264 species, or over one-half of the expected total fauna. A few identifiable micro-moths were also captured and are included in the results. Additional sampling during April, June through mid-July, and September would be expected to document most of the remaining macro-moth species at the refuge.

INTRODUCTION

National Wildlife Refuges protect important habitats for many plant and species. Refuge inventories have frequently included plants, birds and mammals, but - arguably the most abundant and species- rich group in any terrestrial habitat - have largely been ignored. Small size, high biodiversity and a lack of identification resources have all likely contributed to their being overlooked. Certain groups such as moths, however, can be easily and inexpensively sampled and can be identified by regional moth taxonomists. Once identified, many moth species can be tied to known larval hostplant species at a given site, placing both moth and plant within a larger ecological context.

Moths along with butterflies belong to the insect Order . The larvae (caterpillars) are consumers of enormous quantities of plant biomass and help to recycle plant nutrients back into the soil. Most adult moths feed on nocturnally available flower nectar and in doing so pollinate many flowering plant species. As egg, larva, pupa or adult, moths are an abundant and essential food resource for myriad species of birds (especially nestlings), bats, rodents, reptiles, amphibians and other insects. Moths are, therefore, an essential component of a healthy and productive ecosystem.

Sampling that includes the physical collection of moth voucher specimens is necessary as part of any meaningful inventory. Vouchers added to regional collections serve as indisputable evidence of a study’s findings and contribute to a greater knowledge about wing pattern and general morphological variability. When moth information (species, date, location, etc.) is data-based and combined with existing data-sets it can lead to a more precise understanding of each species range, distribution, flight period and relative abundance.

Each refuge has a unique assemblage of insects where each species serves one or more ecological roles. Moths are a particularly rich insect group that remains largely unknown for most important wildlife areas including our national wildlife refuges. After sampling moths at Conboy Lake NWR on just two occasions – August 28-30, 2014 and July 26-28, 2016 - 191 species of macro-moths were documented, representing nearly half of the total expected macro-moth fauna for the site. Sufficient sampling throughout the early spring through fall time period will reveal many additional species and ultimately make the dataset useful as a robust baseline for future comparisons.

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METHODS

A total of ten trap sites were selected to capture macro-moth diversity by targeting a variety of plant communities and habitat types across a broad portion of the refuge. Sample sites were representative of quaking aspen, ponderosa pine, mixed conifer, Oregon white and upland meadow habitats. (Figure 1, Tables 1-2, Photos 1-5).

Sites were selected based on a Conboy Lake NWR habitat map and the author’s knowledge of the area. The impacts from a recent wildfire required that a new site (Site #17) replace the original ponderosa-bitterbrush site (Site #1) near the headquarters. High water levels excluded seasonally wet sites from being sampled.

For each site sampled, a 12 volt battery-powered light trap unit was run continuously over one full night (from dusk until dawn) with a 22 watt circular UV-blacklight bulb as a visual attractant. Moths hitting clear acrylic vanes mounted above the trap fall down through a funnel and into a collection bucket charged with a fumigant (“No Pest Strip”) which quickly dispatches them.

The sample period was chosen to coincide with the new moon, a time when interference from ambient moon light is minimal and the effectiveness of light traps is, therefore, optimal. While warm, calm nights with cloud cover are preferable to cold, rainy or windy nights, most moth species are capable of flying during adverse conditions, thus weather was considered secondary in importance to moon phase.

Samples from traps were collected early the following morning, placed in plastic baggies and labeled with location and date using a permanent marker. Samples were then transferred to a freezer until all refuge sampling was finished for the given sample period. After transfer to the lab in Corvallis, samples were placed again in a freezer until they could be processed.

Processing entailed thawing moths on a large white sheet of paper and sorting/counting all macro-moths to species. Identifications of most moths were determined immediately. Less familiar moths were identified using the Oregon State Collection (OSAC, Dept. of Zoology, Oregon State University, Corvallis) and web-based resources such as the PNW Moths (pnwmoths.biol.wwu.edu) and Moth Photographers Group (mothphotographersgroup.msstate.edu). The most difficult identifications required assistance from other moth experts, particularly Dr. Paul Hammond of Philomath, Oregon.

One or more voucher specimens for each moth species sampled were retained, mounted and labeled. Each first voucher specimen was deposited in the OSAC collection. Additional specimens will be placed in the Conboy Lake NWR headquarters collection, as requested and available.

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Figure 1. Map of Conboy Lake NWR moth trap locations sampled in 2017.

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Table 1. GIS Attributes 1 – 2017 moth sample sites.

Trap # Trap Code Habitat Type Date Sampled 4 Oak 1 Oregon White Oak 5/20/2017 5 Mixed Conifer 1 Mixed Conifer 5/20/2017 9 Upland Meadow 2 Upland Meadow 5/20/2017 10 Aspen 2 Aspen 5/20/2017 11 Mixed Aspen-Conifer 1 Mixed Aspen-Conifer 5/20/2017 13 Mixed Conifer 2 Mixed Conifer 5/21/2017 14 Ponderosa 2 Ponderosa 5/21/2017 15 Oak 2 Oregon White Oak 5/21/2017 16 Conifer 3 Mixed Conifer 5/21/2017 17 Ponderosa 3 Ponderosa 5/21/2017

Table 2. GIS Attributes 2 – 2017 moth sample sites.

GPS Coordinates (10T) Trap # Easting Northing Elevation (feet) 4 628080 5087541 1875 5 629917 5088673 1900 9 632517 5091345 1825 10 632322 5091134 1835 11 631954 5091968 1825 13 635001 5093756 1880 14 633773 5091012 1940 15 631860 5090258 1870 16 628165 5091449 1900 17 627397 5093773 1880

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Photo 1. Blacklight trap in oak habitat (Site 15).

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Photo 2. Blacklight trap in mixed conifer habitat (Site 16).

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Photo 3. Blacklight trap in upland meadow habitat (Site 9).

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Photo 4. Blacklight trap in aspen habitat (Site 10).

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Photo 5. Blacklight trap in ponderosa pine-bitterbrush habitat (Site 2).

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RESULTS & DISCUSSION

A total of 613 individual macro-moths representing 65 species were sampled from all 10 refuge moth sites combined during the May 20-21, 2017 sample period (Table 4). As a result, this study added 44 new species to the refuge moth checklist and added 15 moth distribution records for the first (6), second (5) or third (4) time that a species has been recorded in Klickitat County, Washington (moth families , Geometridae and Pyralidae excluded). Individual trap samples (Table 3) ranged in size from 4 to 140 moths and included from 3 to 30 species. These numbers are generally smaller overall than for the previous July and August sample periods. They reflect a typical trend at a cooler time of year when fewer species are active and adult moth abundance is reduced.

The greatest numbers of individual moths and moth species were sampled from Site 14/Ponderosa 2 (140 individuals; 30 species) and Site 13/Mixed Conifer 2 (129 individuals; 30 species). The fewest moths were sampled from Site 9/Upland Meadow 2 (4 individuals; 3 species) (Table 3).

The most abundant moths sampled were the geometrid imitata (118 individuals across 9 sites), the introduced noctuid Noctua pronuba (104 individuals across 8 sites) and the geometrid exculpata (97 individuals across 5 sites).

One new trap site was added: Site 17/Ponderosa 3. The recent loss of Site 1/Ponderosa 1, the only location with a significant ponderosa pine-bitterbrush mix, made this addition critical for the documentation of a number of moth species. Worth noting is that the impressive giant silk moth euryalus (cover photo) and two other moth species were only sampled at Site 17.

Again, many of the more mesic sites could not be accessed due to high water.

A note on moth . As moths are better studied and as their genetic and evolutionary relationships are further understood, revisions to various moth genera and species inevitably occur. Of pertinence here are the following recent taxonomic changes. The former Speranza (family Geometridae) is now the genus . The former species Nedra dora () is now a synonym of Nedra stewarti.

Table 3. Numbers of moths and moth species by trap site-code.

Trap Site - Code # of Moths # of Species 4 - Oak 1 56 15 5 - Mixed Conifer 1 26 12 9 - Upland Meadow 2 4 3 10 - Aspen 2 87 21 11 - Mixed Aspen-Conifer 1 24 14 13 - Mixed Conifer 2 129 30 14 - Ponderosa 2 140 30 15 - Oak 2 99 14 16 - Conifer 3 30 10 17 – Ponderosa 3 18 8

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Table 4. Macro-moth abundance by trap site. New refuge species are in bold type. (*Micro-moth. County Records: 1= 1st, 2= 2nd, 3= 3rd).

Trap Number Family Taxon 4 5 9 10 11 13 14 15 16 17 Total nearctica 1 1 *Crambidae Saucrobotys fumoferalis 2 2 2 Drasteria ochracea 1 1 ornata 2 2 1 duplicata 2 1 3 2 Zale minerea 1 2 2 1 6 Anavitrinella clivinaria 1 1 Aplocera plagiata 2 2 Behrensia conchiformis 2 2 limitaria 1 1 dataria 1 1 2 muscariata 1 1 Digrammia neptaria 1 1 1 1 2 6 Digrammia ubiquitata 1 1 Drepanulatrix falcataria 1 1 2 Drepanulatrix foeminaria 2 2 4 2 10 annulata 1 1 Eupithecia nevadata 1 1 3 8 13 Eupithecia segregata 1 2 1 2 11 8 25 Eupithecia zelmira 1 1 2 Hydriomena exculpata 33 23 5 11 25 97 Geometridae Hydriomena renunciata 1 1 Leptostales rubromarginaria 1 5 6 simsata 1 1 Macaria adonis 1 1 1 1 6 2 14 2 40 25 23 4 2 118 costiguttata 1 1 1 3 Perizoma curvilinea 3 1 4 2 2 9 1 22 occidentalis 1 1 1 2 1 3 9 Stamnodes marmorata 1 1 Tetracis cervinaria 1 1 Thallophaga taylorata 1 1 haesitata 1 1 Venusia duodecimlineata 1 4 1 3 6 2 17 defensaria 1 1

(continued next page)

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Table 4. Macro-moth abundance by trap site (continued).

Trap Number Family Taxon 4 5 9 10 11 13 14 15 16 17 Total americana 2 6 1 9 1 Agrotis antica 1 1 Apamea cinefacta 1 1 Behrensia conchiformis 7 1 3 11 1 dolosa 1 1 1 2 3 3 1 2 5 6 1 1 16 3 Egira simplex 2 2 Leucania dia 1 1 Lithophane ponderosa 1 1 3 Nedra stewarti 1 1 Noctua pronuba 2 7 9 1 31 35 17 2 104 Noctuidae 1 revicta 1 1 3 Panthea virginarius 1 1 Parabagrotis exsertistigma 1 5 6 Parabagrotis formalis 1 2 3 11 17 Parabagrotis insularis 1 1 Perigonica tertia 1 1 2 2 Rhyacia clemens 1 1 1 Scoliopteryx libatrix 1 1 Spaelotis bicava 1 2 2 5 1 nupera 3 3 albosigma 0 Meganola miniscula 3 2 8 26 39 2 1 2 3 Gluphisia severa 5 1 4 1 11 Nadata gibbosa 1 1 *Pyralidae Sarata (unidentified species) 1 1 2 2 Hyalophora euryalus 1 1 Smerinthus ophthalmica 3 2 1 2 1 1 10 Sphingidae Sphinx vashti 1 1 2

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CONCLUSIONS

With a total of 264 species of macro-moths now documented at Conboy Lake NWR, over one-half of the expected macro-moth richness has been captured for the site. Continued sampling throughout the April to October time period will continue to add significant numbers of species, particularly at times which have not yet been targeted.

The current methodology – one that entails sampling 10 to 15 sites throughout a diversity of habitats each visit – will capture the majority of the more common moth species flying during the particular time sampled. The number of rare species – those that may be encountered only once or twice during an entire site inventory, and may be of greatest interest for conservation purposes – increases with the number of samples obtained. Sampling intensity thus determines the number and proportion of rare species that will be documented. As the accumulation curve for moth species begins to flatten over time, an informed decision can be made as to the value of seeking additional rare moth species. For the foreseeable future a continued “full steam ahead” approach is recommended.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I am indebted to regional Refuge Biologist Joe Engler (recently retired) and Inventory and Monitoring Coordinator Kevin Kilbride for their enthusiasm and consistent support for pollinator studies such as this one. I’d also like to thank refuge managers Lisa Wilson and Trevor Sheffels for their support and for the use of refuge housing facilities. I could not have made a number of moth identifications without access to OSAC provided by collection manager Dr. Christopher Marshall or without help from Dr. Paul Hammond on difficult moth identifications.

Cover photo: The impressive giant silk moth Hyalophora euryalus. 14