Introduction

The Great Ussuri Island is located in the river Ussuri delta between the river Amur and the river duct formed by the confluence of the river Ussuri and Kazakevichevo branch of the river Amur. The western part (about 1/3) of this island is now a territory of China (named He¯ixia¯zi Dao), the other part is Russian territory. Different types of meadows from wet flood to xerophytous ones cover the island. Forests (Salix sp., Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gertn., Populus sp., Quercus sp., Ulmus sp., Maackia sp., Crataegus monogyna Jacq., Prunus padus L.) are scarce and form narrow bands, named “ryolka”. There are several small lakes, narrow river branches and artificial ditches across the island. This island is located a few kilometers to south from Great Khekhtsyr Nature Reserve.

The lepidopteran fauna of the Great Ussuri Island is poorly known. Butterflies were well studied by E. Novomodnyi: KOSHKIN & NOVOMODNYI (2008). The second author, V. Dubatolov, searched moths in different landscapes of the island in 2012-2014, and 2016 using light traps DUBATOLOV (2012). The most interesting records of macromoths were published in different articles concerning Macroheterocera of the Great Khekhtsyr Nature Reserve: DUBATOLOV et al. (2013, 2014); VASILENKO et al. (2014). Most surprising was discovering the species that prefer South Siberian steppes and xerophytous meadows, like Eogystia sibirica (Alpheráky, 1895) (Cossidae), Mythimna albiradiosa (Eversmann, 1852) (Noctuidae), and some micros, like Elethyia taishanensis (Caradja, 1937) (Crambidae); these findings were first for the Khabarovsk Province. The present article contains information about plume-moths of the Great Ussuri Island.

Five species of casebearer moths (Coleophoridae) from the Great Ussuri Island were noted for the first time in the Far East and one species (Casignetella graminicolella Heinemann, 1876) - in the Asian part of Russia (ANIKIN, 2015).

List of collecting localities

GUI-1: 48º 24.33’ N, 134º 53’ E, mesophytous meadow with solitary willow bushes, one side is fringed by reeds.

GUI-1-5: 48º 23.56’ N, 134º 52.65’ E, mesophytous meadow with single willow bushes.

GUI-2: 48º 23.35’ N, 134º 52.38’ E, xerophytous meadow with scarce poplars, along the road on embankment.

GUI-3: 48º 22.59’ N, 134º 50.48’ E, mesophytous meadow at the border between willow bushes and meadow with reeds.

GUI-4: 48º 22.215’ N, 134º 49.41’ E, xerophytous meadow with scarce poplars, along the road on embankment.

GUI-5: 48º 21.845’ N, 134º 48.58’ E, forest edge near a wide mesophytous meadow.

ryolka: 48º 24.78’ N, 134º 53.56’ E, open forest edge near a wide mesophytous meadow.

An annotated list of Pterophoridae of the Great Ussuri island (Khabarovsk suburbs)

Agdistis adactyla (Hübner, [1823])

Material: 1 ♀, 23-24-VII-2012, GUI-1; 1 specimen, 28-29-VII-2016, GUI-1-5.

Distribution: Temperate belt of the Palearctic.

Gillmeria pallidactyla (Haworth, 1811)

Material: 4 specimens, 2-3-VII-2013, GUI-1.

Distribution: Temperate belt of the Palearctic, North America.

Cnaemidophorus rhododactylus ([Denis et Schiffermüller], 1775)

Material: 1 ♂, 2-3-VII-2013, GUI-5.

Distribution: Temperate belt of the Palearctic, North America.

Capperia (?) jozana (Matsumura, 1931)

Material: 1 ♀, 18-19-VI-2012, GUI-3; 1 ♂, 28-29-VIII-2012, GUI-1; 1 ♂, 2-3-VII-2013, GUI-4; 1 ♀, 15-16-VIII-2016, “ryolka”.

Distribution: Southern regions of the Russian Far East (?); Japan.

Remarks: Status of the species is dubious. Morphological distinguishing characters from C. trichodactyla ([Denis et Schiffermüller], 1775) are insignificant. Additional investigations are needed to resolve taxonomic problems in the species group “trichodactyla”, including DNA comparison.

Fuscoptilia emarginata (Snellen, 1884)

Material: 2 specimens, 5-6-VIII-2013, GUI-4; 5 specimens, 28-29-VII-2016, GUI-1-5; 2 ♂♂, 15­-16-VIII-2016, “ryolka”.

Distribution: Baikal Region, Transbaikalia, southern regions of the Russian Far East; Mongolia, China, Korea, Japan.

Oidaematophorus iwatensis (Matsumura, 1931)

Material: 1 ♂, 1 specimen 4-5-VII-2012, GUI-1.

Distribution: Southern regions of the Russian Far East; North-Eastern China (Dunbei, or Manchuria), Japan.

Hellinsia albidactyla (Yano, 1963)

Material: 2 ♀ ♀, 18-19-VI-2012, GUI-3; 1 ♂, 8-9-VI-2013, GUI-5; 1 ♂, 19-20-VII-2016, GUI-1; 1 ♂, 15-16-VIII-2016, “ryolka”.

Distribution: Southern regions of the Russian Far East; China, Korea, Japan.

Hellinsia didactylites (Strom, 1783)

Material: 2 ♂♂, 23-24-VII-2012, GUI-1; 1 ♂, 28-29-VII-2016, “ryolka”.

Distribution: Europe, the Caucasus, Kazakhstan, Middle Asia, Siberia, southern regions of the Russian Far East; North China (Shaanxi, Jilin).

Hellinsia inulae (Zeller, 1852)

Material: 4 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, 2-3-VII-2012, GUI-2; 2 ♂♂, 18-19-VI-2012, GUI-1; 1 ♂, 7-8-VIII-2012, GUI-1; 17 specimens, 28-29-VIII-2012, GUI-1; 1 ♂, 2-3-VII-2013, GUI-5.

Distribution: North Africa, Europe, Kazakhstan, Middle Asia, South Siberia, southern regions of the Russian Far East; Mongolia, China (Xinjiang, Shandong).

Hellinsia lienigiana (Zeller, 1852)

Material: 1 ♂, 7-8-VIII-2012, GUI-1; 1 ♂, 8-9-VI-2013, GUI-5; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, 5-6-VIII-2013, GUI-4.

Distribution: North Africa, Europe, Transcaucasia (Armenia), Iran, India, South Siberia, southern regions of the Russian Far East; China (Shaanxi, Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, Shandong, Hunan, Guizhou, Taiwan), Korea, Japan, New Guinea, North and Central America.

Hellinsia nigridactyla (Yano, 1961)

Material: 1 ♂, 18-19.vi.2012, GUI-3; 5 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀, 15-16-VIII-2016, “ryolka”; 1 ♂, 2-3-VII-2013, GUI-5; 1 specimen, 5-6-VIII-2013, GUI-5.

Distribution: Eastern Transbaikalia, southern regions of the Russian Far East; China, Japan.

Emmelia argoteles (Meyrick, 1922)

Material: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, 19-20-VII-2016, GUI-1; 32 specimens, 28-29-VII-2016, “ryolka”.

Distribution: Transbaikalia, southern regions of the Russian Far East; China, Japan.

Conclusion

12 Pterophoridae species have been found in the Great Ussuri Island; but this number is not probably full. At least, 21 Pterophoridae species are known to occur in the Great Khekhtsyr Nature Reserve (a few km south from the Great Ussuri Island), 18 of them were mentioned by USTJUZHANIN & KOVTUNOVICH (2007), and 3 species were collected later: Gillmeria stenoptiloides (Filipjev, 1927), Hellinsia distincta (Herrich-Schäffer, 1855) (SE angle of the Nature Reserve and the neighbouring bog), H. nigridactyla (river Chirki valley). One species from the Great Ussuri Island, H. albidactyla is still not known from the Great Khekhtsyr Nature Reserve.

In general, the most part of the Pterophoridae species from the Great Ussuri Island prefers mesophytous meadows. Only few of them prefer open xerophytous biotopes, like Agdistis adactyla, Hellinsia inulae; they are not known in more eastern places.

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to Mr. V. Platitsyn for his assistance in setting light traps in Great Ussuri Island in 2012-2014. The investigation of the moths fauna in 2016 was made as a part of work on organizing the protected territory for serving Divina’s Blue, Schijimiaeoides divina (Fixsen, 1887) in the eastern part of the Great Ussuri Island realized by “Zapovednoe Priamur’e”.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

ANIKIN, V. V., 2015.– To the casebearer (Lepidoptera, Coleophoridae) moths fauna of Priamurie.– Amurian Zoological Journal, 7(1): 51-54. (in Russian).

DUBATOLOV, V. V., 2012.– Light trap usage for moth population studies (Insecta, Lepidoptera).– Euroasian Entomological Journal, 11(2): 186-188. (in Russian).

DUBATOLOV, V. V., DOLGIKH, A. M. & PLATITSYN, V. S., 2013.– New findings of macromoths (Insecta, Lepidoptera, Macroheterocera) in the Nature Reserve Bolshekhekhtsyrskii in 2012.– Amurian Zoological Journal, 5(2): 166-175, pl. III-V. (in Russian).

DUBATOLOV, V. V., DOLGIKH, A. M. & PLATITSYN, V. S., 2014.– Neothosea suigensis (Limacodidae), Catocala musmi (Noctuidae) and other new findings of macromoths (Insecta, Lepidoptera, Macroheterocera) in the Bolshekhekhtsyrskii Nature Reserve and its environs in 2013.– Amurian Zoological Journal, 6(1): 77­80, pl. IV. (in Russian).

KOSHKIN, E. S., & NOVOMODNYI, E. V., 2008.– Fauna of the butterflies (Lepidoptera, Diurna) of the Khabarovsk city and its vicinities.– A. I. Kurentsov’s Annual Memorial Meetings, 19: 66-83. (in Russian).

USTJUZHANIN, P. YA. & KOVTUNOVICH, V. N., 2007.– Plume and many-plume moths (Lepidoptera, Pterophoridae, Alucitidae) of the Bolshekhekhtsyrskii Nature Reserve (Khabarovsk suburbs).– Zhivotnyi mir Dal’nego Vostoka, 6: 92-94. (In Russian).

VASILENKO, S. V., BELJAEV, E. A., DUBATOLOV, V. V. & DOLGIKH, A. M., 2014.– Interesting records of the geometrid moths (Lepidoptera, Geometridae) in the Bolshekhekhtsirskii Nature Reserve and on Bolshoi Ussuriysky Island (vicinity of Khabarovsk).– Amurian Zoological Journal, 6(3): 265-270. (in Russian).

Author notes

*Autor para la correspondencia / Corresponding author petrust@mail.ru