Unwanted guests: The first records of two established non-native moth species in the Caucasus, with notes on non-native fauna of Georgia

By

Japaridze, Lasha-Giorgi
Seropian, Armen

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2025-10-21

Original Publication

Caucasiana : journal on the biodiversity of the Caucasus and the adjacent regions

Volume

4

Pages

137--151

Subjects

Antheraea pernyi , Barcoding , Lepidoptera , Micromelalopha sieversi , new records , Notodontidae , Saturniidae , South Caucasus

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

[Sofia, Bulgaria] Pensoft 2022-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/caucasiana.4.e168433

 

Abstract

This study aims to expand our current knowledge of biological invasions of Georgia by reporting the first records of two non-native moth genera Micromelalopha Nagano, 1916 (Notodontidae), and Antheraea Hübner, 1819 (Saturniidae) from the South Caucasus, based on three male specimens of Micromelalopha sieversi (Staudinger, 1892) and five male specimens of Antheraea pernyi (Guérin-Méneville, 1855). These findings are based on recent field collections, supported by morphological examination and DNA barcoding, and contribute to a better understanding of the region's shifting lepidopteran fauna and potential bio-invasion risks. Additionally, we provide the first comprehensive list of non-native animal species recorded in Georgia, based on literary and online sources.