In the Balearic Islands there are almost 1,000 different species of Lepidoptera.

PalmLepidoptera, which include both butterflies and beehive insects, are one of the most diverse and abundant groups of insects in the world. In the Balearic Islands, as elsewhere, they play a fundamental role in maintaining ecosystems: they are pollinators of numerous wild and cultivated plants, constitute an essential food source for birds, bats, and other animals, and act as sensitive indicators of the conservation status of habitats.

The project Lepidopib, led by researchers from the University of the Balearic Islands, was born precisely with this vision: to harness the potential of Lepidoptera as bioindicators to improve knowledge of Balearic biodiversity and provide solid data that allows us to assess the impact of environmental changes and guide long-term habitat management and conservation strategies.

To harness this potential, the UIB project has conducted an analysis that has allowed a total of 948 species to be documented, distributed across 22 superfamilies. This figure represents an increase of 63 species compared to the previous catalog published in 2024, reflecting the direct impact of the project on expanding knowledge about island biodiversity.

The increase in documented species has been especially significant in the Pitiusas Islands, where knowledge was until now very limited. In Ibiza, the number of recorded species has increased from 157 to 273. This represents a growth of over 60%. Formentera has also seen a notable increase, with 144 species identified, more than double the number known just two years ago.

In Mallorca and Menorca, where prior research had been more intensive, progress has also been significant. On the largest island, 765 species have already been recorded, while on Menorca the figure reaches 383. These results reflect the intensity of the fieldwork carried out and show that there is still ample room for new citations.

Beyond the creation of the catalogs, the project has enabled the creation of a database with more than 75,000 observations of Lepidoptera across the Balearic Islands, developed in collaboration with the Biodibal project of the University of the Balearic Islands. This database represents an essential scientific resource for increasing knowledge about island biodiversity and facilitating decision-making regarding management for the conservation of insect biodiversity.

The 'Lepidopib' project

The Lepidopib project also aims to deepen our knowledge of the richness and composition of nocturnal lepidopteran communities, identify species that can act as bioindicators, and analyze the spatial and temporal variations of these species and of the communities as a whole, among other conservation-related objectives.

This project was led by Dr. Samuel Pinya, principal investigator of the Consolidated Group of Interdisciplinary Ecology and deputy director of the Multidisciplinary Center for Balearic Biodiversity (CMB) at the University.

The work has provided valuable data that will allow progress in the conservation of ecosystems and in the knowledge of Balearic biodiversity. This work has represented a qualitative and quantitative leap in the knowledge of the lepidopterans of the Balearic Islands. We have moved from fragmented and incomplete knowledge to a solid foundation that allows us to better understand the Archipelago's biodiversity and lay the groundwork for its conservation. Furthermore, this research opens the door to future lines of inquiry in areas such as genetics, biogeography, and the definition of bioindicator species that allow monitoring the conservation status of island ecosystems.