Impact of Artificial Light Intensity on Nocturnal Insect Biodiversity in Different Environments from Multan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54536/aei.v2i1.7232Keywords:
Artificial Light Traps, Biodiversity, Noctuid Moths, Nocturnal Insect, Spodoptera ExiguaAbstract
Light intensity (adaptation), circadian periodicity and photoperiodism are highly associated with the behavioral responses of insects. Artificial light at night can interfere with the nocturnal behavior of insects and their growth and physiology. This study investigates the impact of artificial light on the diversity and community composition of noctuid moths in Multan, Pakistan, while considering the role of seasonal environmental factors and habitat. Moths were collected using light traps of different intensities installed in both crop and forest areas over a one-year period. Our results revealed a pronounced habitat-specific effect, with the maximum species diversity (H’=2.443), richness (4.152), and evenness (1.00) recorded from traps placed in crop areas. Conversely, the lowest diversity metrics were observed from traps in other locations, suggesting that light intensity interacts with habitat characteristics. A total of 16 noctuid species were identified, with community composition varying significantly between trap locations. The crop area harbored a more diverse assemblage, including species like Spodoptera exigua, Spodoptera litura, and Hadena trifoli while the forest area traps showed lower species richness. Seasonality was a critical factor, with peak moth populations observed in October and May. This period correlates with favorable environmental conditions and the presence of key host crops such as maize and wheat, which support noctuid populations. Conversely, minimal activity was recorded during the unfavorable conditions and host scarcity of December and January. The study concludes that while artificial light intensity is a factor in attracting and potentially disrupting nocturnal insects, its impact is strongly modulated by habitat type (crop vs. forest) and seasonal environmental conditions, particularly host plant availability. The findings highlight that crop areas, with their abundant food resources, can support higher moth diversity even under light trap pressure, underscoring the complex interplay of anthropogenic and natural factors in shaping nocturnal insect communities.
References
Adiroubane, D., & Kuppammal, P. (2010). Lepidopteran fauna of agri-horticultural ecosystem in Karaikal region. Journal of Biopesticides, 3(1), 1.
Acharya, L., & Fenton, M. B. (1999). Bat attacks and moth defensive behaviour around street lights. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 77(1), 27-33. https://doi.org/10.1139/z98-202
Aslam, M. (2009). Diversity, species richness and evenness of moth fauna of Peshawar. Pakistan Entomologist, 31(2), 99-102.
Ball, S. L., & Armstrong, K. F. (2006). DNA barcodes for insect pest identification: a test case with tussock moths (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae). Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 36(2), 337-350. https://doi.org/10.1139/x05-276
Benton, T. G., & Lehtinen, P. T. (1995). Biodiversity and origin of the non-flying terrestrial arthropods of Henderson Island. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 56(1-2), 261-272. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8312.1995.tb01090.x
Bhandari, G., Jha, S. K., Giri, Y. P., Manandhar, H. K., Jha, P. K., Devkota, N., & Thapa, R. B. (2017). Performance evaluation of locally developed black light trap for maize insects monitoring in Chitwan, Nepal. Journal of Maize Research & Development, 3(1), 98-107. https://doi.org/10.3126/jmrd.v3i1.18926
Bianchi, F. J., Booij, C. J. H., & Tscharntke, T. (2006). Sustainable pest regulation in agricultural landscapes: a review on landscape composition, biodiversity and natural pest control. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 273(1595), 1715-1727. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2006.3530
Bolliger, J., Hennet, T., Wermelinger, B., Bösch, R., Pazur, R., Blum, S., & Obrist, M. K. (2020). Effects of traffic-regulated street lighting on nocturnal insect abundance and bat activity. Basic & Applied Ecology, 47, 44-56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2020.06.003
Combita-Heredia, J. O. (2020). Biodiversity, Systematic relationships, Ontogeny, and functional morphology of Mesostigmata mites (Acari: Parasitiformes) associated with dung beetles or found on soil of Tropical Regions. The Ohio State University.
Cook, L. M., & Graham, C. S. (1996). Evenness and species number in some moth populations. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 58(1), 75-84. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8312.1996.tb01661.x
Covell, C. J. (1984). A field guide to the moths of eastern North America.
Delvare, G., Aberlenc, H. P., Adis, J., Springate, N. D., Stork, N. E., Didham, R. K., & Basset, Y. (1997). A review of methods for sampling arthropods in tree canopies. Canopy Arthropods, 27, 52.
Degen, T., Mitesser, O., Perkin, E. K., Weiß, N. S., Oehlert, M., Mattig, E., & Hölker, F. (2016). Street lighting: sex‐independent impacts on moth movement. Journal of Animal Ecology, 85(5), 1352-1360. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.12540
Franzén, M., Betzholtz, P. E., Pettersson, L. B., & Forsman, A. (2020). Urban moth communities suggest that life in the city favours thermophilic multi-dimensional generalists. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 287(1928). https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2019.3014
Frank, K. D. (2006). Effects of artificial night lighting on moths. In C. Rich, & T. Longcore (Eds.), Ecological consequences of artificial night lighting (pp. 305–344). Washington, D.C.: Island Press.
Franzén, M., & Johannesson, M. (2007). Predicting extinction risk of butterflies and moths (Macrolepidoptera) from distribution patterns and species characteristics. Journal of Insect Conservation, 11(4), 367-390. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-006-9053-6
Goldstein, P. Z. (2017). Review of the enigmatic genus Boalda with transfer of pulcherrima Köhler from Nephelistis and description of two new species (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Zootaxa, 4276(1), 139-144. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4276.1.10
Goretti, E., Coletti, A., Di Veroli, A., Di Giulio, A. M., & Gaino, E. (2011). Artificial light device for attracting pestiferous chironomids (Diptera): A case study at Lake Trasimeno (Central Italy). Italian Journal of Zoology, 78(3), 336-342. https://doi.org/10.1080/11250003.2010.534115
Hakbong, L., Yong-Chan, C., Sang-Woo, J., Yoon-Ho, K., & Seung-Gyu, L. (2021). Changes in nocturnal insect communities in forest-dominated landscape relevant to artificial light intensity. Journal of Ecology & Environment, 45(1), 24. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41610-021-00207-9
Hampson, G. F. (1896). Moths (Vol. 4). Taylor & Francis.
Jonason, D., Franzén, M., & Ranius, T. (2014). Surveying moths using light traps: effects of weather and time of year. PloS One, 9(3), e92453. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0092453
Kamei, M., Jikumaru, S., Hoshino, S., Ishikura, S., & Wada, M. (2021). Effects of replacing outdoor lighting with white LEDs with different correlated color temperatures on the attraction of nocturnal insects. Applied Entomology & Zoology, 56(2), 225-233. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13355-021-00729-7
Klem, C. C., & Zaspel, J. (2019). Pest injury guilds, Lepidoptera, and placing fruit-piercing moths in context: A review. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 112(5), 421-432. https://doi.org/10.1093/aesa/saz031
Kristensen, N. P., Scoble, M. J., & Karsholt, O. L. E. (2007). Lepidoptera phylogeny and systematics: the state of inventorying moth and butterfly diversity. Zootaxa, 1668(1), 699-747. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.1668.1.30
Ma, C. S., Ma, G., Chang, X. Q., & Yang, H. P. (2009). Environment friendly methods for controlling cotton bollworm moths, Helicoverpa armigera. China Journal of Environmental Entomology, 31, 220-226.
Mabrouk, M. S., & Mahbob, M. A. M. (2015). Effect of Different Coloured Light Traps on Captures and Controlling Wax Moth (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Egyptian Academic Journal of Biological Sciences. A, Entomology, 8(2), 17-24.
McGavin, G. C. (2007). Expedition Field Techniques: Insects and other Arthropods. The centre for supporting field research, exploration and outdoor learning. Royal Geographical Society with IBG, 1.
Mutanen, M. (2005). Delimitation difficulties in species splits: a morphometric case study on the Euxoa tritici complex (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae). Systematic Entomology, 30(4), 632-643. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3113.2005.00296.x
Nasir, T. (2025). Pest Control on Pea Plant (Pisum sativum) in Greenhouse using Led Light Traps. Applied Entomology and Innovation, 1(1), 43-50. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/aei/article/view/5522
Nabli, H., Bailey, W. C., & Necibi, S. (1999). Beneficial insect attraction to light traps with different wavelengths. Biological Control, 16(2), 185-188. https://doi.org/10.1006/bcon.1999.0748
Pawson, S. M., Watt, M. S., & Brockerhoff, E. G. (2009). Using differential responses to light spectra as a monitoring and control tool for Arhopalus ferus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) and other exotic wood-boring pests. Journal of Economic Entomology, 102(1), 79-85.
Singh, S. K., Ahuja, D. B., Garg, D. K., & Bambawale, O. M. (2012). An Innovative Larval Parasitoids Multiplication Kit. Annals of Plant Protection Sciences, 20(1), 33-36.
Rich, C., & Longcore, T. (2013). Ecological consequences of artificial night lighting. Island Press.
Southwood, T. & Henderson, P., 2000. Ecological methods. Oxford, Blackwell Science.
Sridhar, V., & Kumaran, G. S. (2018). Light trap, an effective component of integrated management of Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) on Tomato. Journal of Horticultural Sciences, 13(1), 126-128. https://doi.org/10.24154/JHS.2018.v13i01.017
Szentkirályi, F. (2002). Fifty-year-long insect survey in Hungary: T. Jermy’s contributions to light-trapping. Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, 48(1), 85-105.
Truxa, C., & Fiedler, K. (2012). Attraction to light- from how far do moths (Lepidoptera) return to weak artificial sources of light?. European Journal of Entomology, 109(1), 77-84. https://doi.org/10.14411/eje.2012.010
Urge, M., Negeri, M., Demissie, G., & Selvaraj, T. (2020). Assessment of major field insect pests and their associated losses in maize crop production at West Hararghe Zone, Ethiopia. Journal of Entomology & Zoology Studies, 8(4), 2027-2037.
Varga, Z., & Ronkay, L. (2013). Structural constraints of secondary asymmetry in male external genitalia of Noctuidae. Insect Systematics & Evolution, 44(3-4), 349-372.
Van Langevelde, F., Van Grunsven, R. H., Veenendaal, E. M., & Fijen, T. P. (2017). Artificial night lighting inhibits feeding in moths. Biology Letters, 13(3). https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2016.0874
Wakefield, A., Broyles, M., Stone, E. L., Jones, G., & Harris, S. (2016). Experimentally comparing the attractiveness of domestic lights to insects: do LED s attract fewer insects than conventional light types?. Ecology & Evolution, 6(22), 8028-8036. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.2527
Yela, J. L., & Holyoak, M. (1997). Effects of moonlight and meteorological factors on light and bait trap catches of noctuid moths (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Environmental Entomology, 26(6), 1283-1290.
Zhang, L., Zhang, L., Mou, X., & Zhang, D. (2011). FSIM: A feature similarity index for image quality assessment. IEEE transactions on Image Processing, 20(8), 2378-2386. https://doi.org/10.1109/TIP.2011.2109730
Zahoor, M. K., Suhail, A., Iqbal, J., Zulfaqar, Z., & Anwar, M. (2003). Biodiversity of Noctuidae (Lepidoptera) in agro-forest area of Faisalabad. International Journal of Agricultura & Biology, 4, 560-563.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Talha Habib, Ashfaq Ahmed Zeb, Muhammad Ramzan, Usman Ghani, Muhammad Salman Noor, Muhammad Usama Intizar, Muhammad Daud
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
