SHILAP Revista de lepidopterología

A first, provisional, annotated checklist of the microlepidoptera of Albania (Insecta: Lepidoptera)

Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0200

All available published data on the microlepidoptera fauna of Albania are collated and combined with the results of modern sampling to form the first known checklist of Albanian microlepidoptera. Published data are minimal as a consequence of the political history of the country; these historic reports are supplemented by active sampling during the present millennium. In total we record 1266 species across 46 families. Of these, a total of 932 species (72%) are recorded in the present millennium and are considered to be currently resident. A total of 314 taxa (24%) has not been recorded in the country for 100 years or longer. Some may be extinct, but the number more likely reflects the extremely poorly-recorded nature of the Albanian fauna in general, as does the fact that 289 species reported here are, apparently, completely new to the Albanian fauna.

Recent field observations of Eriogaster lanestris (Linnaeus, 1758) from northeastern Greece, with ecological notes (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae)

Angelos Tsikas, Paraskevi Karanikola — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0200

Eriogaster lanestris (Linnaeus, 1758) is reported for the first time from northeastern Greece. Multiple larval nests were discovered on Prunus spinosa L. and Ulmus minor Mill. near the village of Paradeisos (Kavala regional unit), within the boundaries of the Natura 2000 site GR1150010. The record fills a biogeographic gap in the southern Balkans and highlights the importance of riparian hedgerow habitats for larval development. Ecological and behavioral observations are discussed in the context of larval sociality and conservation threats

Distributional range extension of Genus Casminola László, Ronkay & Witt, 2010 in Deccan Plateau, India (Lepidoptera: Nolidae)

Rahul B. Bhende, Ashish D. Tiple, Rahul Joshi — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0200

The present study is the first to report the occurrence (and associated range extension) of genus Casminola László, Ronkay & Witt, 2010 from the state of Maharashtra, Deccan Plateau, extending its range towards South India. Images of adult and female genitalia are provided.

Two new species of the genus Acleris Hübner, [1825] from the Canary Islands (Spain) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae, Tortricinae, Tortricini)

Per Falck — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0200

Two species of the genus Acleris Hübner, [1825] (Tortricidae) are described from the Canary Islands (Spain): Acleris bencomiana Falck, sp. nov. from Gran Canaria and Acleris martinbruni Falck, sp. nov. from Tenerife. The hostplant of both species is Bencomia caudata (Aiton) Webb & Berthel. Their biology is briefly described. The paper is illustrated with photographs of adults and genitalia of both species. Analyses of DNA barcodes confirm the identifications and demonstrate that each species is well-supported and genetically isolated.

Cardepia affinis europaea Hacker, 1998 new to the Maltese Islands (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae, Noctuinae)

Jonathan Agius — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0200

This paper reports the first recorded presence of Cardepia affinis europaea Hacker, 1998 in Malta. Cardepia affinis europaea Hacker, 1998 belongs to the Noctuidae family, subfamily Noctuinae, and is adapted to xeric environments across the Palearctic. The addition of C. affinis europaea Hacker, 1998 to the Lepidoptera fauna of the Maltese Islands underscores the biodiversity of the region and the potentially expanding range of this species. This paper provides background on the species, including distribution, ecological role, possible larval foodplants and voltinism. A Maltese name is being proposed as well.

First record of Ecpatia spiculivalva Pellinen & Mutanen, 2019 from India (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae, Noctuinae)

Joslin Treesa Jacob, Abhilash Peter — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0200

Ecpatia spiculivalva Pellinen & Mutanen, 2019 is recorded for the first time from the Indian mainland. The specimen was collected from the Western Ghats Forest areas of Nelliyampathy, Palakkad district, Kerala, India.

Phylogenetic analysis of tribe Neptini Newman, 1870 based on COI gene (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae, Limenitidinae)

Neeraj Neeraj, Gurinder Kaur Walia, Avtar Kaur Sidhu — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0200

Papilionoidea Latreille, 1802 are widely recognized for their ecological significance, diverse morphology, and role as bioindicators of environmental health. Among the numerous tribes within the subfamily Limenitidinae Behr, 1864, the tribe Neptini Newman, 1870 comprises a distinct group of brushfooted species predominantly distributed across the Oriental and Palearctic regions. The tribe includes several genera, with Neptis Fabricius, 1807 being the most speciose and widespread. The current research aims to reconstruct the phylogenetic trees by amplifying the partial sequences of the mitochondrial gene COI to produce a DNA reference library and determine the evolutionary relationships among the species of tribe Neptini. Sequences of COI gene of eight species have been submitted to NCBI. The examination of nucleotide composition at the first, second, and third codon locations revealed a considerable A + T bias, particularly at the third codon position. Genetic divergence based on COI ranges from 5.0% to 11.4% of presently studies species. 1000 bootstrapped Neighbor-joining with Kimura-2 parameter and Maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree constructed based on COI gene sequences.