European Moth Nights
The izeltlabuak.hu website primarily focuses on arthropods found in Hungary. This entry also deals with Hungarian fauna.
About the Event
European Moth Nights is an annual, European-level event. Its goal is the observation and data collection of moths (Heterocera, Macrolepidoptera).
The event has been taking place since 2004. Every year, during a specific period, information about observed moths is collected simultaneously across Europe.
The event is organized by the Lepidoptera Mundi website and its partners.
Hungarian Connection
The event has Hungarian roots. Originally created from the idea and organization of Dr. László Rézbányai, together with Mihály Kádár in Debrecen as the initiator.
Goals and Significance
Main Objectives
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Community Connections: The project has been bringing together European lepidopterists, conservationists, hikers, and everyone interested in butterflies for many years.
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Scientific Data Collection: The event aims to create a comprehensive snapshot of moths during a specific period. With special attention to protected and traditionally migratory species.
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Public Accessibility: All data and results become accessible to the general public.
Scientific Significance
The event aims to achieve a targeted boost in moth research and wants to draw attention to moths and their study.
How to Participate?
Event Duration
Participants have 5 nights available for observations. This ensures that bad weather or personal obligations do not prevent participation.
Data can be collected over several nights at the same location, or at multiple locations.
Each year a different period is designated, about which the organizers, and we also regularly inform.
Participation on izeltlabuak.hu
Why is it worth registering?
The izeltlabuak.hu community education and data collection platform, like the European Moth Nights organizers, considers it important to help each other in learning about moths.
Due to common goals, we facilitate data collection and forward the data of observed moths to the organizers.
Registration Process
We only forward observations to the organizers from those who specifically want to participate. Therefore, participation is optional but requires registration.
With this we want to bring the event to the foreground and encourage everyone to participate. Furthermore, this ensures the opportunity for participants to provide observation data that we would not otherwise collect on the izeltlabuak.hu site, but which the event organizers require.
Where can you register?
- In your profile settings on the events subpage
- During new observation recording
- During editing of existing observations
What needs to be provided?
- Observation method: detailed description of lamp type, observation duration, or baiting method
- Observer(s) names: in the format specified by the organizers
- Declaration: about data sharing with the organizers
Participation Rewards
If you register and record night moths during the event period:
- You get a unique badge on your profile page that proves your participation
- Your user appears prominently on the event summary page
- We automatically forward the necessary observation data to the organizers
Scope of Affected Butterflies
The organizers expect the sharing of species-level identified adult observations from all butterfly groups, except for families counted as butterflies and micro-moths.
Summary
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Registration on organizers' website: not required
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Registration on izeltlabuak.hu: required, you can do it in profile settings on the events editing subpage, or during new observation recording or editing existing ones.

Event appearance during observation recording
- Required for registration: providing default values for observation data requested by the organizers. These are: observation method and observer(s) names in the specified format. Also a declaration that we share the data necessary for the observation with the organizers.

Registration for the event
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Registration acceptance time on izeltlabuak.hu: immediate
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Data sharing with organizers: We undertake the sharing of necessary data with the organizers. You can find all the data required by the organizers in the event announcement.
The observation method and observer(s) names in the specified format are also required values that we request during observation recording. Other required values are either available or we take care of obtaining them.
- Benefits of event registration on izeltlabuak.hu: you get a badge on your profile page that proves your participation, and your observations will appear prominently on the event summary page

Badge on profile page
- Scope of affected butterflies: species-level identified adult observations from all butterfly groups, except for families counted as diurnal butterflies and micro-moths.