Population Changes of Moths (Insecta: Lepidoptera) from Mt. Wolchul National Park, Jeollanam-do, Korea

We investigated the moth fauna and monthly changes in moth populations at three sites - Dogapsa, Gyungpodae and Muwisa - in Mt. Wolchul National Park, Jeollanam-do, South Korea. From February to October, 2006, we collected a total of 1677 individuals comprising 348 species in 14 families. Monthly changes in the abundance of species and individuals showed an M-shaped pattern, with the highest peak in June and a second high peak in August. The diversity of the three dominant families (Noctuidae, Geometridae and Pyralidae) at the three sites varied, possibly due to differences in vegetation and other environmental factors. Diversity at Dogapsa was relatively higher than Gyungpodae and Muwisa, but, the fauna at Dogapsa more closely resembled Muwisa than Gyungpodae. 28 species occurred at the same time in all three sites, included the families Geometridae (14 species), Noctuidae (9 species), Pyralidae (2 species), Arctiidae (1 species), Nolidae (1 species), and Limacodidae (1 species). The present study provided baseline information about biodiversity and phenological patterns of moth abundance and permitted evaluation of moth biodiversity as a monitoring tool for vegetation structure and environmental change.