Scientists discover new moth species in Armenia

PanARMENIAN.Net - A group of biologists from Germany's Institute for Ecosystem Research have discovered a previously unknown specimen of moth in Armenia's Urtsadzor settlement and called it Depressaria urtsadzorensis, the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets (FPWC) reports.

The main focus of interest for the scientists was the diverse fauna of invertebrates, moths and other insects, that are found in abundance in the Caucasus WildLife Refuge.

During their field trips, the scientists implemented their research through scientific methods and found a moth species, which was not known to inhabit Armenia before. The scientific article on the finding was published recently. Initially the state of preservation of this specimen showed that it generally corresponded with external appearance of D. kondarella and D. gaalhaszlerae, however further differential diagnosis of organs, as well as DNA barcoding showed this was a specimen unknown to science before.

"One female was collected in year 2020 in Armenia. The moth has been collected in late May, from Armenia, Ararat Province, Vedi river valley, Urtsadzor, light trapped near CWR Eco Lodge, 1250m a s.l. by scientists H. Roweck & N.Savenkov. It is located in an area recognized as Prime Butterfly Area, so the choice of this name intends to underline its importance for biodiversity research and protection," FPWC said in a statement.