Insect faunistics

Past research

My studies of insect faunistics have been restricted to the subarctic and arctic regions of Eurasia. Beginning in 1980, I systematically collected insects in the Kola Peninsula in north-western Russia. After nearly 40 years of my research, this area has become one of the best studied regions of Russia in terms of moth and butterfly fauna. During the past two decades I explored insects of the Taymyr Peninsula in Siberia and of the Arkhangelsk oblast of Russia, including the Nenets Autonomous Okrug.

Ongoing research

I am processing materials collected in Polar Ural and in the Taymyr Peninsula, and I seek for financial support to explore moths and butterflies in tundra of Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. In the future, I hope to conduct a biogeographic analysis of Arctic Lepidoptera.

Featured publications

Kozlov, M. V., Kullberg, J. & Zverev, V. (2019) Moths and butterflies (Insecta: Lepidoptera) of the continental part of the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russia. Entomologica Fennica, 30, 72‒89 (doi: 10.33338/ef.82923).

This paper includes the first regional checklist of moths and butterflies of the continental part of the Nenets Autonomous Okrug (NAO), which includes 324 species (169 species of microlepidoptera and 155 species of macrolepidoptera), 178 of which are reported from NAO for the first time. We estimate that 40 to 180 species remain to be found in the study region. The recorded species mostly belong to residents of northern boreal forests and bogs. The fauna of moths and butterflies of NAO clearly differs from the fauna of Fennoscandia, due to the relatively higher proportion of East Palaearctic and Beringian species.

Kullberg, J., Filippov, B. Yu., Spitsyn, V. M., Zubrij, N. A. & Kozlov, M. V. (2019) Moths and butterflies (Insecta: Lepidoptera) of the Russian Arctic islands in the Barents Sea. Polar Biology, 42, 335–346 (doi: 10.1007/s00300-018-2425-z).

We report the occurrence of 60 species of moths and butterflies on Kolguev, Vaygach and Dolgij Islands and on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago. The faunas of Kolguev and Dolgij Islands (19 and 18 species, respectively) include typical moths of the northern taiga. By contrast, the fauna of Vaygach Island (22 species) includes several high Arctic species, such as Xestia aequaeva, X. liquidaria and X. lyngei. The fauna of Novaya Zemlya totals 30 species, including Plutella polaris, which was recently re-discovered in Svalbard. The fauna of the Russian Arctic islands in the Barents Sea is dominated by holarctic species, many of which are confined to tundra habitats.

Kozlov, M. V., Kullberg, J. & Zverev, V. (2017) New records of Lepidoptera from Arkhangelsk oblast of Russia. Entomologica Fennica, 28, 169‒182 (doi: 10.33338/ef.84685).

Faunistic studies conducted in multiple localities across the Arkhangelsk oblast during 2014–2016 resulted in the discovery of 104 species of Lepidoptera not previously reported from this region. Especially noteworthy records include Phyllocnistis saligna, Depressaria ultimella, Dichrorampha insperata, Eversmannia exornata and Eublemma amasina. The known fauna of the Lepidoptera of the Arkhangelsk oblast now includes 1,140 species (604 species of microlepidoptera and 536 species of macrolepidoptera), which we presume to represent slightly more than a half of the potential diversity of Lepidoptera of the oblast.

Kozlov, M. V., Zverev, V. & Kullberg, J. (2014) Moths and butterflies (Lepidoptera) of the Arkhangelsk oblast of Russia: an annotated checklist. Entomologica Fennica25, 113–141. (PDF)

The first regional checklist includes 1,036 species of moths and butterflies (538 species of microlepidoptera and 498 species of macrolepidoptera), 496 of which have been found in the Arkhangelsk oblast for the first time.

Kullberg, J., Filippov, B. Yu., Zubrij, N. A. & Kozlov, M. V. (2013) Faunistic notes on Lepidoptera collected from arctic tundra in European Russia. Nota Lepidopterologica36, 127-136. (PDF)

We report the results of a survey made on KaraSea coast near Amderma (N 69°46′, E 61°40′) from 18 June to 3 August 2012. This survey yielded 156 specimens of 29 species of Lepidoptera, 16 of which are new for the Nenets Autonomous Okrug.

Kozlov, M. V. & Kullberg, J. (2011) New and interesting records of Lepidoptera from the Kola Peninsula, Northwestern Russia, in 2000-2009. Entomologica Fennica, 21, 254–272. (PDF)

We report 65 species of Lepidoptera that are new for the fauna of the Kola Peninsula. Critical revision of published data added further 59 species to the regional fauna, while 60 species are excluded as erroneous or doubtful records. The fauna of moths and butterflies of the Murmansk region now totals 813 species.

Paukkunen, J. & Kozlov, M. V. (2015) Stinging wasps, ants and bees (Hymenoptera: Aculeata) of the Murmansk region, Northwest Russia. Entomologica  Fennica26, 53-73. (PDF)

The first regional checklist includes 123 species of aculeate Hymenoptera reported from the Murmansk region.

Co-authors

V. Dubatolov
B. Filippov
P. Ivinskis
†J. Jalava
J. Kullberg
N. Shutova
S. Sinev
N. Zubrij
V. Zverev
V. Spitsyn
J. Paukkunen

Co-operating scientists

I. Bolotov
L. Kaila
A. Lvovsky
O. Makarova
A. Matov
V. Mironov
E. J. van Nieukerken
†M. Podbolotskaya
A. Popov
A. Tikhomirov
E. Tsvetkov
M. Tähtinen
†L. Zelenova

Funding

Academy of Finland
Otto Malm Foundation
Finnish Lepidopterological Society
Percy Sladen Memorial Fund

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