A contribution to the fauna of nocturnal macrolepidoptera of La Maddalena and Asinara National Parks, Sardinia.

Background: The Mediterranean Basin is recognised as global biodiversity hotspot, with islands playing a crucial role in sustaining high levels of endemism due to their geological complexity, biogeographical history and habitat heterogeneity. Despite this, many Mediterranean islands remain underexplored from a faunistic perspective, particularly regarding nocturnal Lepidoptera. New information: This study provides new faunistic data on the nocturnal macrolepidoptera of two protected areas in the north of Sardinia: Asinara and La Maddalena islands. A total of 875 specimens were collected, representing 98 species across four families. Of these, 62 species were recorded on the La Maddalena and 78 on the Asinara islands. Notably, nine species are newly reported for La Maddalena, increasing the known macrolepidopteran fauna of the archipelago. Our study provides novel insights especially to the knowledge of the Asinara Island which remains poorly investigated due to its historical restricted access. This study offers a baseline for future ecological and biogeographical research and highlights the need for ongoing faunistic surveys in Mediterranean island systems. Furthermore, this study underscores the biogeographical importance of these islands which host rich moth communities despite their small size.