A report on the moth (Lepidoptera: Heterocera) diversity of Kavvai River basin in Kerala, India

In the present paper, we report the presence of 503 species of moths (343 identified to species, 160 identified to genus) that belong to 371 genera under 42 families. The study was conducted at Kavvai River basin, northern Kerala, India for three years from 2015 to 2017. Traditional light trapping method was employed to collect the moths during the night. Among the families reported, Erebidae was the most dominant family followed by Crambidae, Geometridae, Noctuidae, and Pyraliade. The study highlights the significance of the riverbasin in conserving rich diversity of invertebrates.