The insect fauna of Ben Lomond, Tasmania, Australia: findings from an intensive survey, summer 2021–2022

An invertebrate fauna survey of Ben Lomond, in the Northeast Highlands of Tasmania, was conducted over the period November 2021 to February 2022 as part of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery’s Expeditions of Discovery program. The survey focused on insects in the higher-elevation parts of the mountain massif, taking in the sub-montane, montane and alpine zones. We identified numerous species that are noteworthy for their apparent rarity or biogeographical interest, including many that are endemic to higher-elevation parts of Tasmania. The Tasmanian Midlands, comprising lower-elevation, low-rainfall environments, have long been considered the source of a substantial discontinuity dividing Tasmania’s higher-elevation flora and fauna to the east and west, with the Northeast Highlands being considered depauperate relative to the higher-elevation parts of western Tasmania. Our survey recorded many species known previously from western Tasmania but not documented from east of the Midlands, including some 30 moth species. In doing so, it has greatly reduced this perceived east–west differential regarding Tasmania’s sub-montane to alpine insect fauna.

Key Words: insect biodiversity, Ben Lomond, Tasmania.