Pollination by nocturnal Lepidoptera, and the effects of light pollution: a review

1. Moths (Lepidoptera) are the major nocturnal pollinators of flowers. However, their importance and contribution to the provision of pollination ecosystem services may have been under‐appreciated. Evidence was identified that moths are important pollinators of a diverse range of plant species in diverse ecosystems across the world.

• Publication year

  2014

• Venue

  Ecological Entomology

• Publication date

  2014-12-13

• Fields of study

  Biology, Medicine, Environmental Science

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1111/een.12174PMID 25914438PMCID 4405039
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• Artificial light puts ecosystem services of frugivorous bats at risk

  2014cited by this paper
• Long‐term changes to the frequency of occurrence of British moths are consistent with opposing and synergistic effects of climate and land‐use changes

  2014cited by this paper
• Range of attraction of a 6‐W moth light trap

  2014cited by this paper
• Contrasting trends in light pollution across Europe based on satellite observed night time lights

  2014cited by this paper
• Artificial light at night causes diapause inhibition and sex-specific life history changes in a moth

  2014cited by this paper
• Macro‐moth families differ in their attraction to light: implications for light‐trap monitoring programmes

  2014cited by this paper
• The ecological impacts of nighttime light pollution: a mechanistic appraisal

  2013cited by this paper
• Nature's nocturnal services: Light pollution as a non-recognised challenge for ecosystem services research and management

  2013cited by this paper
• The robustness of a network of ecological networks to habitat loss.

  2013cited by this paper
• Artificial light pollution: are shifting spectral signatures changing the balance of species interactions?

  2013cited by this paper
• Shedding light on moths: shorter wavelengths attract noctuids more than geometrids

  2013cited by this paper
• Species richness declines and biotic homogenisation have slowed down for NW-European pollinators and plants

  2013cited by this paper
• The decline of moths in Great Britain: a review of possible causes

  2013influential reference
• Flower-visitor networks only partially predict the function of pollen transport by bees

  2013cited by this paper
• Wild Pollinators Enhance Fruit Set of Crops Regardless of Honey Bee Abundance

  2013cited by this paper
• Why flower visitation is a poor proxy for pollination: measuring single‐visit pollen deposition, with implications for pollination networks and conservation

  2013cited by this paper
• The Robustness and Restoration of a Network of Ecological Networks

  2012cited by this paper
• REVIEW: Reducing the ecological consequences of night‐time light pollution: options and developments

  2012cited by this paper
• Street lighting changes the composition of invertebrate communities

  2012cited by this paper
• Pollination patterns and plant breeding systems in the Galapagos: a review.

  2012cited by this paper
• Changes in nectar supply: A possible cause of widespread butterfly decline

  2012cited by this paper
• Attraction to light - from how far do moths (Lepidoptera) return to weak artificial sources of light?

  2012cited by this paper
• The state of the Dutch larger moth fauna

  2011cited by this paper
• The impact of artificial light on invertebrates.

  2011cited by this paper
• Native Pollinators in Anthropogenic Habitats

  2011influential reference
• The ‘night shift’: nocturnal pollen‐transport networks in a boreal pine forest

  2011cited by this paper
• Pollination and Floral Ecology

  2011influential reference
• Effect of spectral composition of artificial light on the attraction of moths

  2011cited by this paper
• Moths count: recording moths for conservation in the UK

  2011cited by this paper
• How many flowering plants are pollinated by animals

  2011cited by this paper
• Global pollinator declines: trends, impacts and drivers.

  2010influential reference
• The Dark Side of Light: A Transdisciplinary Research Agenda for Light Pollution Policy

  2010cited by this paper
• Nocturnal pollination of the endemic Silene sennenii (Caryophyllaceae): an endangered mutualism?

  2010cited by this paper
• Conservation of species interaction networks

  2010cited by this paper
• Light pollution as a biodiversity threat.

  2010cited by this paper
• Sex-Specific Attraction of Moth Species to Ultraviolet Light Traps

  2010cited by this paper
• Plant-pollinator networks: adding the pollinator's perspective.

  2009cited by this paper
• Ultraviolet and violet light: attractive orientation cues for the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella

  2009cited by this paper
• An unusual observation - attraction of caterpillars to mercury vapour light in the Abu Dhabi desert (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

  2009cited by this paper
• Experimental evidence for male biased flight‐to‐light behavior in two moth species

  2009cited by this paper
• Ecological networks--beyond food webs.

  2009cited by this paper
• Disentangling the Web of Life

  2009cited by this paper
• The use of ecological traits in extinction risk assessments: A case study on geometrid moths

  2008cited by this paper
• Global change and species interactions in terrestrial ecosystems.

  2008cited by this paper
• Global warming and the disruption of plant-pollinator interactions.

  2007cited by this paper
• The dark side of light at night: physiological, epidemiological, and ecological consequences

  2007cited by this paper
• Networks in ecology

  2007cited by this paper
• Collapse of a pollination web in small conservation areas.

  2007cited by this paper
• The restoration of ecological interactions: plant-pollinator networks on ancient and restored heathlands

  2007cited by this paper
• The modularity of pollination networks

  2007cited by this paper
• Ecological Consequences of Artificial Night Lighting

  2006influential reference
• Ecological Determinants of Distribution Decline and Risk of Extinction in Moths

  2006cited by this paper
• Relative effects of nocturnal vs diurnal pollinators and distance on gene flow in small Silene alba populations.

  2006cited by this paper
• Rapid declines of common, widespread British moths provide evidence of an insect biodiversity crisis

  2006cited by this paper
• The state of Britain's larger moths 2013

  2006cited by this paper
• Structure of a plant-pollinator network on a pahoehoe lava desert of the Galapagos Islands

  2006cited by this paper
• Parallel Declines in Pollinators and Insect-Pollinated Plants in Britain and the Netherlands

  2006cited by this paper
• Ecological networks and their fragility

  2006cited by this paper
• The state of Britain's larger moths

  2006influential reference
• The identification of 100 ecological questions of high policy relevance in the UK

  2006cited by this paper
• Synergy between visual and olfactory cues in nectar feeding by wild hawkmoths , Manduca sexta

  2005cited by this paper
• Functional Diversity of Plant–Pollinator Interaction Webs Enhances the Persistence of Plant Communities

  2005cited by this paper
• Fruiting failure and limited recruitment in remnant populations of the hawkmoth-pollinated tree Oxyanthus pyriformis subsp. pyriformis (Rubiaceae)

  2004cited by this paper
• Tolerance of pollination networks to species extinctions

  2004cited by this paper
• Ecological light pollution

  2004cited by this paper
• Interaction strengths in food webs: issues and opportunities

  2004cited by this paper
• Pollination specialization and time of pollination on a tropical Venezuelan plain: variations in time and space

  2004cited by this paper
• Plant-pollinator interactions in New Caledonia influenced by introduced honey bees.

  2004cited by this paper
• Long-term population trends in widespread British moths

  2004influential reference
• The nested assembly of plant–animal mutualistic networks

  2003cited by this paper
• Diurnal and nocturnal pollination of Silene alba (Caryophyllaceae).

  2002cited by this paper
• Synergy between visual and olfactory cues in nectar feeding by naı̈ve hawkmoths, Manduca sexta

  2002cited by this paper
• Compartmentalization in plant–insect flower visitor webs

  2002cited by this paper
• Responses by the West Indian Herpetofauna to Human-Influenced Resources

  2001cited by this paper
• The first World Atlas of the artificial night sky brightness

  2001cited by this paper
• Pollen grain numbers, ovule numbers and pollen-ovule ratios in Caryophylloideae: correlation with breeding system, pollination, life form, style number, and sexual system

  2001cited by this paper
• Complexity and fragility in ecological networks

  2000cited by this paper
• Why do nocturnal orb-web spiders (Araneidae) search for light?

  1999cited by this paper
• Theoretical evaluation of pollen transfer by nocturnal and diurnal pollinators: when should a flower open?

  1999cited by this paper
• Bat attacks and moth defensive behaviour around street lights

  1999cited by this paper
• Mercury vapour lamps interfere with the bat defence of tympanate moths (Operophtera spp.; Geometridae)

  1998cited by this paper
• The relative performance of pheromone and light traps in monitoring the seasonal activity of both sexes of the eastern hemlock looper, Lambdina fiscellaria fiscellaria

  1998cited by this paper
• Why does the flower of Lonicera japonica open at dusk

  1998cited by this paper
• The value of the world's ecosystem services and natural capital

  1997cited by this paper
• Cockroach pollination and breeding system of Uvaria elmeri (Annonaceae) in a lowland mixed-dipterocarp forest in Sarawak.

  1997cited by this paper
• The Pollinators of the Malagasy Star Orchids Angraecum sesquipedale, A. sororium and A. compactum and the Evolution of Extremely Long Spurs by Pollinator Shift

  1997cited by this paper
• Density And Diversity Of Nontarget Insects Killed By Suburban Electric Insect Traps

  1996influential reference
• Functional diversity of neural organization in insect ocellar systems.

  1995cited by this paper
• POLLINATION BIOLOGY OF GNETUM (GNETACEAE) IN A LOWLAND MIXED DIPTEROCARP FOREST IN SARAWAK

  1995cited by this paper
• Startle and Habituation Responses of Blue Jays (Cyanocitta Cristata) in a Laboratory Simulation of Anti-Predator Defenses of Catocala Moths (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

  1993cited by this paper
• Habitat fragmentation and plant-pollinator interactions

  1993cited by this paper
• Insects and Flowers — The Biology of a Partnership

  1993cited by this paper
• Exploitation of Insects around Streetlamps by Bats in Sweden

  1992cited by this paper
• The Quality of Pollination by Diurnal and Nocturnal Insects Visiting Common Milkweed, Asclepias syriaca

  1991cited by this paper
• Predation of five species of Noctuidae at ultraviolet light by the western yellowjacket (Hymenoptera: Vespidae).

  1990cited by this paper
• The startle responses of blue jays to Catocala (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) prey models

  1985cited by this paper
• Reproductive biology of tropical lowland rain forest trees. II: Pollination systems

  1985cited by this paper
• Role of moth ocelli in timing flight initiation at dusk

  1983cited by this paper
• Contributions of diurnal and nocturnal insects to the pollination of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca L.) in a pollen-limited system

  1983cited by this paper
• The Distribution and Decline of British Bumble Bees (Bombus Latr.)

  1982cited by this paper

• Is Nocturnal Pollination Important for Crop Production? Experimental Evidence From Small Fruit Crops

  2026cites this paper
• Morphology, Development, Diversity, Ecological Functions, and Threats to Moths

  2026cites this paper
• Left in the dark: nocturnal pollinators and the flowers they service in a brightly lit world.

  2026cites this paper
• Light pollution: environmental and health impacts at high latitudes

  2026cites this paper
• Not just pests: unravelling the hidden role of Pyralidae and Crambidae (Pyraloidea: Lepidoptera) as pollen transporters in the Eastern Himalayan ecosystem

  2026cites this paper
• All night long: Activity times of moths as observed at artificial light sources

  2026cites this paper
• Light pollution: Should twilight be the focus of mitigations for biodiversity?

  2026cites this paper
• Strong diel variation in the activity of insect taxa sampled by Malaise traps

  2026cites this paper
• Recent Range Extension of Moths (Lepidoptera: Heterocera) in Moist Temperate Ban Oak (Quercus leucotrichophora A. Camus) Forests of Uttarakhand, Western Himalaya, from Neighbouring Sub-regions of Central and Eastern Himalaya, India

  2025cites this paper
• Nocturnal Moth Pollination in Montane New Zealand: Insights From Pollen Loads and Exclusion Experiments

  2025cites this paper
• Machine-Learning-Based Monitoring of Night Sky Brightness Using Sky Quality Meters and Multi-Source Remote Sensing

  2025cites this paper
• Arthropod biodiversity in European crops: Representative taxa for pest control and pollination

  2025cites this paper
• The effects of flower supplementation on pollinators and pollination along an urbanisation gradient

  2025cites this paper
• Among hawkmoths (Sphingidae, Lepidoptera), Macroglossinae dominate pollen transportation in central and East Himalaya (North-East India)

  2025cites this paper
• Wild ungulates and salvage logging modulate disturbance effects on moth communities in spruce‐dominated forests

  2025cites this paper
• Mitigating the light pollution problem via spectral adjustment: color-biased phototaxis in male glow-worms

  2025cites this paper
• Daily sperm release rhythms in wild geometer moths: comparative characteristics across ecologically diverse species

  2025cites this paper
• Urbanization weakens mutualisms without affecting antagonisms of a hawkmoth-pollinated plant species

  2025cites this paper
• Landscape Heterogeneity and Changing Bioclimatic Parameters Link to Potential Expansion of Gazalina chrysolopha (Lepidoptera; Notodontidae) in Nepal: A Possible Bioagent for Seasonal Hyperacute Panuveitis (SHAPU) in South Asia

  2025cites this paper
• Female moths call in vain: Streetlights diminish the promise of mating

  2025cites this paper
• A high resolution spatial modelling framework for landscape-level, strategic conservation planning

  2025cites this paper
• Comment on the paper “Citizens’ perceptions and willingness to pay for urban beekeeping: a case study in Northern Italy” by Notaro et al. (2025)

  2025cites this paper
• New evidence that blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) has floral traits that enable pollination at night

  2025cites this paper
• Artificial light at night alters morphology, phenology, and reproductive capacity in an annual herb

  2025cites this paper
• Understanding the role of moths (Insecta: Lepidoptera) as pollinators of apple (Malus domestica)

  2025cites this paper
• Geobotanical monitoring of light pollution in urban nature protected areas (the case study of the Vorobyovy gory nature reserve in Moscow)

  2025cites this paper
• Herbivory rate is elevated but orb-weaver spider growth unaffected by artificial light at night in subtropical forest

  2025cites this paper
• Taxonomic notes on lichen moths (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Lithosiini) from Mizoram, India

  2025cites this paper
• Insights on the nutritional ecology of a nocturnal pollinating insect.

  2025cites this paper
• Slugs hide in the dark: Artificial light at night alters fitness and activity of dominant herbivores with consequences for ecosystem functioning

  2025cites this paper
• Moth‐pollination through the looking glass: Structure of a flower‐settling moth network reveals functional groups

  2025cites this paper
• How the diet influences lepidopteran reproduction: Morpho-functional, behavioral, and endocrine aspects.

  2025cites this paper
• Insect floral visitors vary spatiotemporally and influence fruit production in mango orchards

  2025cites this paper
• Complementary roles of agricultural and natural habitats in supporting moth diversity in semi-arid landscapes of Morocco

  2025cites this paper
• Diversity and Relevance of Non‐Sphingid Moths as Pollinators in the Neotropics

  2025cites this paper
• Guild structure in assemblages of forest macro-moths is maintained regardless of the level of anthropogenic disturbance

  2025cites this paper
• Exploring the Floral Interactions of Diurnal Arctiid Moths Using Citizen Science

  2025cites this paper
• The neglected pollinators: settling moths are keystone floral visitors essential to network connectivity and tropical forest recovery.

  2025cites this paper
• Automated 24-h surveys of flower-visiting communities reveal temporal complementarities and overlaps among strawberry pollinators

  2025cites this paper
• Nocturnal pollinators significantly contribute to tree bean (Parkia timoriana (DC.) Merr.) reproductive success compared to diurnal pollinators

  2024cites this paper
• Shedding light with harmonic radar: Unveiling the hidden impacts of streetlights on moth flight behavior

  2024cites this paper
• Addition of nocturnal pollinators modifies the structure of pollination networks

  2024cites this paper
• Electrostatic pollination by butterflies and moths

  2024cites this paper
• Beyond butterflies: integrating frugivorous moths into conservation and biodiversity monitoring

  2024cites this paper
• Short-term effects of clearing restoration on the relationship of plant and moth communities

  2024cites this paper
• Inventory and Analysis of Diversity of Insect on Shallot Cultivation in Saruran Hamlet, Enrekang Regency

  2024cites this paper
• Macro Moth (Lepidoptera: Heterocera) Diversity in the Southern Assam Region: A Study in Cachar District, India

  2024cites this paper
• Combined demographic, ecological and genetic tools reveal connectivity within a fragmented butterfly population

  2024cites this paper
• Transect walks and malaise traps differ in temperature sensitivity but reveal consistent drivers of pollinator richness

  2024cites this paper
• UV-LEDs outperform actinics for standalone moth monitoring

  2024cites this paper
• Macromoths (Erebidae: Lepidoptera) and Geometer Moths (Geometridae: Lepidoptera) Species Diversity in Central Sindh, Pakistan

  2024cites this paper
• DNA barcoding elucidates ecological dynamics regulating the diversity of Theretra, Hübner 1819 (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) from northernmost Western Ghats

  2024cites this paper
• Circadian pattern in attendance of aphid colonies by ants

  2024cites this paper
• Light dependent host plant choice, foraging and oviposition site selection in common Indian grasshopper Spathosternum prasiniferum (Orthoptera: Acrididae)

  2024cites this paper
• Generalist southern African temperate forest canopy tree species have distinct pollinator communities partially predicted by floral traits

  2024cites this paper
• Potential Regional Pollination Services of Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Migrants as Evidenced by the Identification of Attached Pollen

  2024cites this paper
• Multi‐method approach to assessing the floral‐visiting insect assemblage of rare, ambophilous plant Baccharis vanessae in Southern California

  2024cites this paper
• Pulsed artificial light at night alters moth flight behaviour

  2024cites this paper
• Diet influence on male sexual maturation through interplay between insulin signaling and juvenile hormone in insects.

  2024cites this paper
• A global dataset of diel activity patterns in insect communities

  2024cites this paper
• Artificial light at night increases top-down pressure on caterpillars: experimental evidence from a light-naive forest

  2023cites this paper
• Marvellous moths! pollen deposition rate of bramble (Rubus futicosus L. agg.) is greater at night than day

  2023cites this paper
• A Novel Lepidoptera bioassay analysed using a reduced GUTS model.

  2023cites this paper
• Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Insect Pathogens: Implications for Plant Reproduction

  2023cites this paper
• The Contribution of Singletons and Doubletons Captured Using Weak Light Heath Traps for the Analysis of the Macroheteroceran Assemblages in Forest Biotopes

  2023cites this paper
• Environmental metagenetics unveil novel plant‐pollinator interactions

  2023cites this paper
• Cross-Regional Pollination Behavior of Trichoplusia ni between China and the Indo-China Peninsula

  2023cites this paper
• Distinct diurnal and nocturnal flower visitor communities provide pollination services in urban gardens

  2023cites this paper
• Artificial light at night alters predation on colour-polymorphic camouflaged prey

  2023cites this paper
• Study of the pollen type in Neotropical hawkmoths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae: Macroglossinae) collected in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest.

  2023cites this paper
• Does artificial light at night alter moth community composition?

  2023cites this paper
• Mitigating the impacts of street lighting on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning

  2023influential citation
• Optimization algorithms for light pollution management based on TOPSIS-non-linear regularization model

  2023cites this paper
• Negative effects of urbanisation on diurnal and nocturnal pollen‐transport networks

  2023cites this paper
• Distribution Patterns of Insect Pollinator Assemblages at Deva Vatala National Park, Bhimber, Azad Jammu and Kashmir

  2023cites this paper
• Dying of thirst: Osmoregulation by a hawkmoth pollinator in response to variability in ambient humidity and nectar availability

  2023cites this paper
• Regional Pollination Activity by Moth Migration in Athetis lepigone

  2023cites this paper
• Impact of reserve area on reproduction of a moth‐pollinated Stackhousia Sm. (Celastraceae) species in a fragmented landscape

  2023cites this paper
• A global meta‐analysis reveals contrasting impacts of air, light, and noise pollution on pollination

  2023cites this paper
• Pollen Molecular Identification from a Long-Distance Migratory Insect, Spodoptera exigua, as Evidenced for Its Regional Pollination in Eastern Asia

  2023cites this paper
• Endangered Bogong moths (Agrotis infusa) Forage from Local Flowers After Annual Mass Migration to Alpine Sites

  2023cites this paper
• How artificial light at night may rewire ecological networks: concepts and models

  2023cites this paper
• Sedum as host plants for caterpillars? Introducing gut content metabarcoding to green roof research

  2023cites this paper
• The role of adult noctuid moths (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and their food plants in a nocturnal pollen-transport network on a Mediterranean island

  2022influential citation
• Using DNA Metabarcoding to Identify Floral Visitation by Pollinators

  2022cites this paper
• Visiting Plants of Mamestra brassicae (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Inferred From Identification of Adhering Pollen Grains

  2022cites this paper
• The diversity of moths (Erebidae: Arctiinae: Arctiini) from threatened mountain cloud forests in the Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot

  2022cites this paper
• Moths can transfer pollen between flowers under experimental conditions

  2022cites this paper
• Bee and non-bee pollinator importance for local food security.

  2022cites this paper
• DNA Barcoding of Lepidoptera Species from the Maltese Islands: New and Additional Records, with an Insight into Endemic Diversity

  2022cites this paper
• Settling moths are the vital component of pollination in Himalayan ecosystem of North-East India, pollen transfer network approach revealed

  2022cites this paper
• First Detection of Honeybee Pathogenic Viruses in Butterflies

  2022cites this paper
• Pollinator sharing between reproductively isolated genetic lineages of Silene nutans

  2022influential citation
• Scented at day and night: floral scent chemistry of the threatened tree Amburana cearensis (Leguminosae)

  2022cites this paper
• Streetlights affect moth orientation beyond flight-to-light behaviour

  2022cites this paper
• Protected areas and the future of insect conservation.

  2022cites this paper
• Impact of light pollution on nocturnal pollinators and their pollination services

  2022cites this paper
• Moths complement bumblebee pollination of red clover: a case for day-and-night insect surveillance

  2022cites this paper
• Towards a mechanistic understanding of the effects of artificial light at night on insect populations and communities.

  2022cites this paper
• Moth community responses to woodland creation: The influence of woodland age, patch characteristics and landscape attributes

  2022influential citation