A systematic and synonymic checklist of the family Noctuidae (Insecta : Lepidoptera) of Indian origin is presented. In the last decades much taxonomic information have been generated for the enourmous number of Noctuid species, genera and subgenera. Systematics and nomenclature have undergone many changes (Nye, 1975; Kitching, 1984, 1987; Holloway, 1976, 1977, 1984, 1988). It was becoming difficult to find out the proper name of a species or a genus among the multitude of described taxes.
In the present endeavour the systematic arrangement and the nomendeture have been updated in accordance with recent progress made in systematic research (Poole, 1989; Owada 1995 and Scoble, 1995). This proposed checklist also includes synonyms; homonyms, misspellings, misidentification, genitalic description with sketches. Under the present systematic investigation, the author has studied in ail three hundred and forty six species referable to fifteen subfamilies during his stay at the Natural History Museum London under "Boyscast Overseas Fellowship", sponsored by the Deptt. of Science & Technology, New Delhi during 1996. |
