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Moth Blitz Facts Sheet:

• The twenty professional and amateur entomologists assembled in the Park for a 24-hour nature quest that began at 3:00 PM on Tuesday the 26th.

• By they end of the 24 hours a total of 706 species had been identified with numerous specimens yet to be determined. Once all these un-identified specimens can be more carefully researched through the literature, dissected, and compared to museum specimen collections this 706 species total is expected to climb. In addition, 30 to 40 caterpillars of yet-to-be-identified species were collected by volunteers, and some of these may metamorphose into species that were not seen by the team on the day of their quest.

• Of the 706 species, 301 species were previously unknown in the Park.

• 25 species new to science (never been given a Latin name) and one new genus to science were found.

Go to Species List

The scientists themselves were amazed by the high total. Prior to the count, each participant was asked how many species they expected to find during the blitz: their estimates ranged from 350 to 600. The 706 one-day total shattered the previous North American record of 507 butterflies and moths recorded by Richard Brown and students on Mississippi's Black Belt Prairie. The results underscored the fact that the Smokies are hyperdiverse—there are few places in North American where one could hope to see as many plant and animal species in a single day.

• Scientists rediscovered a ghost moth on Clingman's Dome that occurs at only two other sites in the world. Ghost moths are ancient creatures whose ancestry traces back to the time of dinosaurs. The group felt that this species was one of their most significant finds.

• Voucher specimens from the count will be deposited at the Park, Smithsonian Institution, and Field Museum where they will be available to the public and research.

• Moth specimens not required for current scientific purposes have been frozen for use in the park's environmental education programs. Students will be introduced to the natural biodiversity of the park and region by identifying these common moths using pictorial field guides.

• After the count, there was considerable discussion about what the total species diversity in the Smokies was likely to be. Most participants agreed that the total was likely to be in the vicinity of 3,500 butterfly and moth species.

Institutional Affiliations of Principal Team Volunteers:

James Adams - Dalton State University

John Brown - Systematic Entomology Lab, United States Department of Agriculture

Donald R. Davis - Smithsonian Institution

Marc Epstein - Smithsonian Institution

Paul Goldstein - Field Museum

John Himmelman - author and amateur lepidopterist

Keith Langdon - Great Smoky Mountain National Park

Buck Lewis - Systematic Entomology Lab, United States Department of Agriculture

Eric Metzler - Ohio Lepidopterists' Society

Becky Nichols - Great Smoky Mountain National Park

Michael Pogue - Systematic Entomology Lab, United States Department of Agriculture

Jerry Powell - University of California, Berkeley

Brian Scholtens - College of Charleston

Dale Schweitzer - The Nature Conservancy

Bo Sullivan - amateur lepidopterist

Paul Super - Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont

Mike Thomas - Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station

David L. Wagner - University of Connecticut