Rajapuram: Seven new moths belonging to rare species have been found for the first time in Ranipuram forest in Kasaragod district during a survey. The survey was conducted in the forest under the Ranipuram tourism centre during December 2024 by Dr Safwan Kanancherry, a teacher at Soopykutty Naha Memorial Higher Secondary School, Parappanangadi in Malappuram and Dr A P Rashba, a faculty member of Farook College in Kozhikode district.

The survey report was published in the ‘International Journal of Entomology Research’ on May 31.

The moths belong to the families Noctuidae, Crambidae, Erebidae, Pyralidae, Oecophoridae and Tortricidae. Safwan earlier discovered 37 rare moths in other states of India over the last four years.

The survey report says that the diversity of moths has been shrinking due to excessive use of pesticides, climate change, environmental pollution and absence of host plants.