PREFACE
MOTH SPECIES THAT HAVE BEEN FOUND IN UTAH
This listing represents the culmination of a personal twelve year survey effort to increase the number of known and identified moths that have been found in the state of Utah. It is a summary of my own findings from intensive moth trapping expeditions over those years, together with the contributed findings of other lepidopterists who have collected in the state. This has added much to the list size and utility of this survey. For the most part, my own emphasis has been on the macro moths.
The list total here was usefully expanded by including species of moths culled from books, or special listings on moth groups, or regional studies on moths which were published with distribution maps or species range descriptions, which specify Utah, or a portion of the state, as part of the locality for the species. This study has included reference to pertinent MONA Fascicles. I have made use of such source material to the extent that I have been aware of its availability.
I have logged the source from where each Utah species was found listed, with an appropriate symbol, next to the moth's name and catalogue number, in my copy of the 1983 MONA Checklist, edited by R. W. Hodges. Most moths so logged for having Utah as a locality, are tagged with more than one source symbol, often with several. It has not been practical, for the purpose of this listing to indicate all of these sources for each given species. I have selected one source to print with each species on this tabulation, the priority for which was usually the list with earliest date of publication on which I found it; or being the sole contributor for that species; or having reason to consider the source selected to be of special interest as to the location where the specimen was collected.
The names of tagged species were then typed into the computer in the order found in the Catalogue with family, MONA catalogue number and a source symbol included with each name.
I counted the total number of species listed here as 1398.
March 2003
Joel M. Johnson
59 East 400 North
Payson, Utah 84651
PH. (801) 465-3526
E-mail:
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Many thanks are owed to my fellow members of the Utah Lepidopterist's Society for their encouragement, and for help in many ways that they have given over the years as I have worked on this Moth Survey project: for friendly interest, for company on collecting trips and to west Slope Conferences, for saving me moth specimens they had found on trips after butterflies, for loaning me their specimens of newly found moth species to photograph, etc.
The page "Key to Source Symbols" mentions several who made significant contribution to this Utah Moth List, whose special knowledge of a moth group has been of great value.
A number of friends from out of state had sent copies of their lists of species collected in Utah, adding many new moths to our known residents. Among these were: Ron Leuschner, Kelly Richers, Ron Robertson and Richard Brown from California; also Donald Bowman, Chuck Harp, and Paul Opler from Colorado. Ronald F. Rockwell, working for Carnegie Museum, had spent the entire collecting seasons of 1997 and 1998, running trap lines for moths and other insects in our Wasatch Mountains with great findings, which he has published, and shared.
A special debt of gratitude is owed to Ronald H. Leuschner of Manhattan Beach, CA for his able and willing help in providing expert identification on the many moths we send him, which makes our progress with moth study in our area even possible. Others who have helped very much with the study and identification of the moths of this region are: J.D. Lafontaine, D.C.Ferguson, F.H.Rindge, R.W.Poole. C.E.Harp, D.F.Hardwick, and E.L. Quinter.
I express my sincere appreciation to COL Clyde F. Gillette, the able President of the U.L.S., whose encouragment and his publication of the results of this survey in UTAHENSIS as the list has grown with time and input, has been an incentive to push the work forward and bring this listing to its present conclusion.
There remain hundreds of moth species yet to be found and added to the Utah list. Also, much more can be learned relating to those we already know of, as to their county distribution, their larval food plants and their habits.
Plenty of discovery challenges remain for those with the interest, and the time and ingenuity to pursue them. Webmaster’s Note: A SPECIALthanks is also due to Vernon E. Evans who spent countless hours converting this checklist from typewritten form to html.
KEY TO SOURCE SYMBOLS
For the indication of one prior list, or one primary reporter of a collection made, for each species reported as being found within Utah, and named in this Survey Report.
SYMBOLSOURCE
K-PThe George F. Knowlton - W. Levi Phillips 1980 List of UTAH Moths in USU Museum. Most ID's by J.D. Lafontaine.
CFGUTAHENSIS 1990 "Checklist of Utah Lepidoptera" Clyde F. Gillette, Editor. Much of moth list has prior sources.
RHLUTAHENSIS, 1996 Update Supplement to 1990 list. RHL is used as symbol as he contributed most of its new moths.
RFRRon Rockwell's detailed report on two year's collecting in Wasatch Mts for Carnegie Museum. Contains much new.
PAOPaul Opler's 2002 report,"Lepidoptera of Canyonlands & Capitol Reef N.P.s". Some good new moth species.
KMRKelly Richers sent a several page list of moths he had collected while at 1996 Pacific Slope Mtg in Ephraim Cyn.
UMGApprox. 400 major Utah moths illustrated on 20 color plates for projected Guide to Utah Moths. ID's by RHL.
JMJJ.M. Johnson collects Utah moths to be identified & photographed as part of ongoing survey of Utah moths.
JLRJohn L. Richards M.D., specialist on Sphinx Moths.
RCMRobert C. Mower, specialist on Arctiidae.
WHWDr. Wayne Whaley, specializing on Catocala.
CEHChuck Harp, Littleton, CO a specialist on the Flower Moths, Heliothinae. Has Distr. Maps, L.F.'s for most.
RLJRobert Johnson, Holden,UT has trapped moths, some rare, while employed at Dugway, P.G., Tooele Co., Utah
DCFDr. Douglas C. Ferguson, USNM, author of fascicle on the little green Geometrinae moths. 1985, F18.1
F25.11991 Fascicle 25.1, Plusiinae Noct., Lafontaine & Poole
F26.11995 Fascicle 26.1, Cuculliinae, etc., Dr. R. W. Poole
F27.21987 Fascicle 27.2, Genus: EUXOA, J. Donald Lafontaine
F27.31993 Fascicle 27.3, Noctuini, J.D. Lafontaine, Canada.