Recent lepidopteran records from sub-Antarctic South Georgia

No Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) are known to be residents of South Georgia. This paper presents new records of three lepidopterans on the island. Two, Agrotis ipsilon (Noctuidae) and Plutella xylostella (Yponomeutidae), are well-known migrants. The third, Plodia interpunctella (Pyralidae), is closely associated with human habitation. In the context of regional trends of climate warming P. xylostella may already possess the ecophysiological capacity to permit establishment on South Georgia.

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