Mexican Lepidoptera biodiversity

Authors

J. B. Heppner, Florida state Collection of Arthropods, Bureau of Entomology, Division of Plant Industry, Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, Gainesville, FL

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

December 2002

Comments

Published in Insecta Mundi Vol. 16, No. 4, December, 2002. Copyright © 2002 Heppner.
Insecta Mundi, published by the Center for Systematic Entomology, is available online at http://centerforsystematicentomology.org/.

Abstract

Being among the most habitat diverse countries in the world (and plant diversity is about 22,000 sp.), Mexico has a Lepidoptera fauna recorded at about 14,385 species but is estimated to be over 22,000 species, if not much higher (some estimates go to 35,000 sp.). High Lepidoptera numbers in Mexico are also due to the large influx of tropical species from the border with Guatemala, as well as Mexican endemics. In this report, the Lepidoptera families are summarized for Mexico, giving known species and what experts estimate to be the true total for each family when all have been described. Many regions of Mexico are still poorly known for smaller moths.