Delabye S. auteur aut IRD Rougerie R. auteur aut IRD Bayendi S. auteur aut IRD Andeime-Eyene M. auteur aut IRD Zakharov E. V. auteur aut IRD deWaard J. R. auteur aut IRD Hebert P. D. N. auteur aut IRD Kamgang R. auteur aut IRD Le Gall Philippe auteur aut IRD Lopez-Vaamonde C. auteur aut IRD Mavoungou J. F. auteur aut IRD Moussavou G. auteur aut IRD Moulin N. auteur aut IRD Oslisly Richard auteur aut IRD Rahola Nil auteur aut IRD Sebag David auteur aut IRD Decaens T. auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf born digital access Biodiversity research in tropical ecosystems-popularized as the most biodiverse habitats on Earth-often neglects invertebrates, yet invertebrates represent the bulk of local species richness. Insect communities in particular remain strongly impeded by both Linnaean and Wallacean shortfalls, and identifying species often remains a formidable challenge inhibiting the use of these organisms as indicators for ecological and conservation studies. Here we use DNA barcoding as an alternative to the traditional taxonomic approach for characterizing and comparing the diversity of moth communities in two different ecosystems in Gabon. Though sampling remains very incomplete, as evidenced by the high proportion (59%) of species represented by singletons, our results reveal an outstanding diversity. With about 3500 specimens sequenced and representing 1385 BINs (Barcode Index Numbers, used as a proxy to species) in 23 families, the diversity of moths in the two sites sampled is higher than the current number of species listed for the entire country, highlighting the huge gap in biodiversity knowledge for this country. Both seasonal and spatial turnovers are strikingly high (18.3% of BINs shared between seasons, and 13.3% between sites) and draw attention to the need to account for these when running regional surveys. Our results also highlight the richness and singularity of savannah environments and emphasize the status of Central African ecosystems as hotspots of biodiversity. specialized community ecology DNA barcodes Lepidoptera taxonomic deficit tropical Africa GABON ZONE TROPICALE 080 020 62 3 96-107 2019 0831-2796 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010075619 10.1139/gen-2018-0063 0831-2796 [F B010075619] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010075619 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/intranet/publi/2019/05/010075619.pdf Accès réservé (Intranet de l'IRD) IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2019-06-04 2025-02-24 fdi:010075619 fre