Cataloging metallic wood boring beetles (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) and clearwing moths (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

After eight years of collecting only 32 species of flat-headed borers (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) and 14 species of clearwings (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) have been documented in the GSMNP.  Some neighboring states have as many as 130 species of flat-headed borers alone.  The Park is likely to have at least as many species as surrounding states, given its plant diversity.  Modern trapping methods have the potential to dramatically increase park records for flat-headed borers by over 300%, based on records from surrounding states.  Clearwing moth records would also increase dramatically using the many different pheromone blends commercially available today.  Limited trapping in Cades Cove in 2008 netted 10 state buprestid records and 15 new Park records.  In addition, pheromone traps place alongside purple panel traps caught 10 clearwing records for the Park.  Using these trapping methods park-wide would potentially triple flat-headed borer records and double clearwing records currently known in the Park.