Armin Jagel, BUND-Kreisgruppe Bochum
Butterflies are among the insects that most people find particularly fascinating. Here in the Botanical Garden of the Ruhr University Bochum there are many different species, including magnificent species that are rare in Bochum (see also our page Butterflies in the Botanical Garden). What is often less well known is that the number of moths, which are closely to butterflies (same order Lepidoptera) is by far greater than that of butterflies. In fact, over 90% of all Lepidoptera species are moths!
With around 100,000 species, the Lepidoptera are the second largest order of insects after beetles. Of these, the conspicuous and much better known diurnal butterflies make up only about 9%. The remaining 91% of the species all belong to the moths. There are around 3700 Lepidoptera species in Germany, of which only 185 are butterflies. However, moths are not a natural unit. The differences between moths and butterflies are these: (1) moths are primarily noctural (i.e. active at night) whereas butterflies are primarily diurnal (i.e. active during the day); (2) moths have feathery or thread-like antennae whereas butterflies have thin antennae with clubbed tips, (3) when resting, moths spread their wings flat or form a "tent" with them over their body whereas butterflies hold their wings upright and together; (4) moths have fuzzy and robust bodies wheras butterflies have slim and smooth bodies; (5) at the pupal stage, moths form cocoons or stays underground whereas butterflies form a chrysalis.
The easiest way to distinguish between butterflies and moths is by their antennae: Butterflies have antennae that are club-shaped at the end, while moths have thread-like or feathery antennae. - From left to right: red admiral (Vanessa atalanta, butterfly with club-shaped antennae; photo: W. Stuppy), dark arches (Apamea monoglypha, moth with pointed antennae; photo: A. Jagel), peppered moth (Biston betularia, moth with feathered antennae; photo: A. Jagel).
Since almost nothing was known about the moths occuring in the Botanical Garden of the Ruhr University Bochum, a group of ten interested people met on the night of 9 to 10 July 2021 to fill this gap. Among them were Armin Dahl (Haan), Armin Radtke (Wuppertal) and Jonas Mittemeyer (Ennepetal), three recognised Lepidoptera experts from North Rhine-Westphalia.
Seven so-called ‘lighthouses’ were set up across the botanical garden to attract moths. As expected, the animals sat on the illuminated mesh from which they could easily be observed, identified and photographed. Some trees were also coated with a bait solution.
Top left: light crimson underwing (Catocala promissa); top right: black underwing (Mormo maura), bottom left: elephant hawkmoth (Deilephila elpenor), bottom right: pine hawkmoth (Sphinx pinastri) - Photos: A. Jagel
In the five hours that the nocturnal spectacle organised by Armin Jagel and Sabine Adler lasted, a considerable diversity of species was documented. A total of 133 species were identified, at least to genus level. Only 15 species could not be identified without microscopic examination. Particularly spectacular were, for example, the crimson underwing (Catocala promissa) and the black underwing (Mormo maura) as well as the elephant hawkmoth (Deilephila elpenor) and the pine hawkmoth (Sphinx pinastri).
Die komplette Liste der beobachteten Arten finden Sie hier (bitte klicken)
September thorn (Ennomos erosaria); photo: A. Jagel
The most significant find of this night-time campaign was probably the detection of the September thorn (Ennomos erosaria), which represents a new find for the Bergisches Land region. A total of 15 species are listed in one of the categories of the Red List of endangered species of North Rhine-Westphalia (Schumacher, H. & Vorbrüggen, W. 2021: Rote Liste und Artenverzeichnis der Schmetterlinge - Lepidoptera in Nordrhein-Westfalen. - Melanargia 33 (Contrib. 1): 3-174).
(click to enlarge!)