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In two recent studies, scientists from the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin have identified and described 40 previously unknown moth species from the Philippines. The newly discovered species belong to the snout moth family (Crambidae), a diverse and often overlooked group of moths that play vital roles in ecosystems.
Using integrative taxonomy—a method combining genetic data with physical characteristics—the research team was able to reliably distinguish these new species.
“The Philippines is one of the world's biodiversity hotspots, home to many endemic species found nowhere else,” says Dr. Théo Léger, a lepidopterist at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin. “At the same time, these habitats are under immense threat from deforestation and population pressure. That’s why documenting biodiversity in this region is so urgent—before it's lost.”
The first of the two studies, led by Théo Léger, focused on the Crambinae and Scopariinae subfamilies. The second study, conducted by Anne Müller as part of her bachelor’s thesis, examined species within the newly recognized subfamily Lathrotelinae. Both projects were based on nearly 700 moth specimens housed in collections in Berlin and Copenhagen.
The results were striking: over half of the studied specimens turned out to represent species new to science. The team also identified numerous cryptic species—moths that appear nearly identical but are genetically distinct.
Interestingly, the researchers didn’t need to travel to the tropics to make these discoveries. The moths were originally collected more than 30 years ago in the Philippines and were lying unexplored in the museum’s collections. This highlights the untapped scientific potential hidden in natural history archives.
Each new species described adds to our understanding of ecosystems, evolutionary processes, and species adaptation—particularly in response to climate. Some snout moths, such as the rice stem borer, are also of agricultural importance, being among the most destructive pests in rice cultivation across South and Southeast Asia.
The researchers stress that large parts of the Philippines, especially remote mountain regions, remain largely unexplored. Future expeditions are therefore likely to yield even more groundbreaking discoveries.
Publications:
Léger, T. (2024). Half of the Diversity Undescribed: Integrative Taxonomy Reveals 32 New Species and a High Cryptic Diversity in the Scopariinae and Crambinae of the Philippines (Lepidoptera: Crambidae). Bulletin of the Society of Systematic Biologists, 3(2). https://doi.org/10.18061/bssb.v3i2.9527
Müller, A, Hayden, J, Lees, DC, Léger, T (2025). Assessment of species diversity of the Lathrotelinae (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) from the Philippines using morphology and DNA barcoding reveals eight new species. Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity, 2025.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.japb.2025.01.012
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