ROOPAK GOSWAMI
Shillong, Feb 7: A new scientific study by researchers from the Department of Zoology at North Eastern Hill University has documented 93 species of moths from 16 families within the university campus in Shillong, highlighting the rich but often overlooked insect diversity of Meghalaya.
Located in the Khasi Hills, the NEHU campus features a heterogeneous landscape comprising academic and residential areas, roadside vegetation, secondary growth and patches of semi-natural forest — habitats that support a surprising range of nocturnal insects.
The research was conducted by Tajo Kamra, Wadamon Suchiang and Tanmita Kakati, who carried out night-time surveys across different parts of the campus. Using light traps, illuminated cloth sheets and artificial light sources, the team attracted moths and documented them through photographic records.
During the surveys, the researchers recorded 172 individual observations, revealing a diverse moth community thriving within the campus landscape.
Among the recorded species, the Geometridae family showed the highest diversity with 16 species, followed by Crambidae and Erebidae with 15 species each. Other families documented include Sphingidae, Drepanidae, Pyralidae, Saturniidae and Lasiocampidae, indicating a broad taxonomic spread of moth fauna in the area.
According to the researchers, university campuses often contain a mosaic of habitats—including green spaces, vegetation patches and semi-natural forests—that can support significant insect diversity even within urban or peri-urban landscapes.
The study notes that moths play important ecological roles as pollinators, herbivores and as prey for many animals, yet they remain relatively under-documented in Northeast India despite the region being recognised as a global biodiversity hotspot.
The researchers used photographic documentation to record moth species, a non-invasive approach that allows repeated observations without collecting specimens. Such methods are particularly useful for generating preliminary species inventories and supporting future taxonomic and ecological studies.
The checklist generated by the study provides valuable baseline data on moth diversity in Meghalaya, where information on many insect groups remains limited. Researchers say the findings can support future biodiversity monitoring and help strengthen regional records of insect fauna.
The study also highlights that even everyday spaces such as university campuses can harbour remarkable biodiversity, and continued observations could reveal many more species from the region.
The researchers noted that documenting insect diversity is essential for building comprehensive biodiversity inventories and improving ecological understanding in the biodiverse landscapes of Northeast India.
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