Effects of Pitfall Trap Lid Transparency and Habitat Structure on the Catches of Carabid Beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in Tame Pasture

Captures of insects in pitfall traps are affected by features of trap design that may confound the interpretation of data. One such feature is a lid suspended over the opening of the trap to exclude debris and rainwater. In this study, we tested whether use of these lids affected captures of carabid...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental entomology 2014-01, Vol.43 (1), p.139-145
Main Authors: Bell, Aaron J, Phillips, Iain D, Floate, Kevin D, Hoemsen, Brittney M, Phillips, Colin E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agonum cupreum
Carabidae
Coleoptera
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Captures of insects in pitfall traps are affected by features of trap design that may confound the interpretation of data. One such feature is a lid suspended over the opening of the trap to exclude debris and rainwater. In this study, we tested whether use of these lids affected captures of carabid beetles by altering the light conditions at the opening to the trap. In one experiment, we examined the effects of lid transparency (opaque, semitransparent, or transparent) on catch rates. In a second experiment, we manipulated the heights (high, medium, or low) of vegetation adjacent to the traps to test for lid transparency and vegetation height interactions. We found that significantly more carabids were captured with use of transparent lids compared with other lid transparencies. Fewest Agonum cupreum Dejean, 1831, were captured with use of opaque lids. No other effects were detected. Given these results, we advocate the use of transparent lids, which provide the benefits of traditional opaque lids while minimizing the effects of lid use on light conditions at the opening to the trap.
ISSN:0046-225X
DOI:10.1603/EN12177