Diario del proyecto Waterton Lakes National Park Lepidoptera

A recent discovery by @netviper of Arctia virginalis is not only new for the park but a new record for the Alberta checklist. To view this exciting record visit: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/127130450#activity_identification_da566df0-401c-4dea-a91f-ac75937fda10

To date, survey work has led to the documentation of 804 species in the park, making it the most diverse place for Lepidoptera in Alberta. Of these, 96 are butterflies, 424 are macro-moths and 2284 are micro-moths. Of those collected, 208 were ranked as ‘rare’ and 112 as ‘uncommon’. A total of 107 species discovered in the park are found nowhere else in Alberta, with 3 being a new record for Canada. This works out to about 30% of the Lepidoptera species known in Alberta including 48 families of Lepidopterans. Though I suspect we have likely found the lion’s share of species that reside here, there are likely at least another 200 species or so that remain undiscovered as we try and explore some of the harder to reach habitats in the alpine and more isolated regions of the park.

To learn more about this project and to see a copy of the most recent species list and a draft of the project report visit: https://www.researchgate.net/project/Survey-of-the-Lepidoptera-of-Waterton-Lakes-National-Park