On the Number of Moths (Lepidoptera) that Occur in Trinidad and Tobago

Abstract

The number of species of moths known from Trinidad has increased from 242 in 1901 to 1,016 in 1927, 1,195 in 1950, and is presently around 2,275. Attempts to estimate the total number of species that occur on the island suggest a fauna of around 3,500 species. The moths of Tobago have been less well collected than those of Trinidad and currently only 259 species are known. This represents just 11% of the currently known Trinidad list, but in the best documented moth family from Tobago (Pyralidae) this increases to 18%. If this ratio is applied to the projected Trinidad total, this would give an estimate of 640 moth species for Tobago, but even this is likely to be an underestimate.