An Analysis of materials suitable for use as a pitfall trap in a desert environment

The purpose of this study is to identify a type of pitfall trap container that can withstand the temperature extremes of the Mojave Desert in which the terrestrial, or above ground, drift fence with pitfall traps will be utilized for trapping reptiles. A pitfall trap is a container, such as a plastic bucket with a plastic lid, that is buried in the ground up to the lip of the bucket and used to catch small ground dwelling fauna that fall into the trap. Many different pitfall trap materials have been utilized in the trapping of small ground-dwelling fauna. Plastic has been the most common material used in pitfall trap containers, or buckets, in many different climates around the world. However, plastic is probably a very inefficient material for pitfall trap containers utilized in a desert environment due to extremely dry conditions and extreme temperature fluctuations. Pitfall trap containers have been used for trapping small ground-dwelling fauna in many regions of the world. Plastic pitfall trap containers have been a common trapping method utilized for trapping small ground-dwelling fauna. Plastic buckets and other containers are used in reptile surveys in order for scientists to survey the health and well being of individual reptiles. Reptiles are examined, weighed and measured

New Wisconsin Record for \u3ci\u3ePterostichus Punctatissimus\u3c/i\u3e (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

A single specimen of Pterostichus punctatissimus (Randall) (Coleoptera: Carabidae) was recovered from an unbaited pitfall trap in northern Wisconsin in late May, 2013. This is the first recorded extant specimen of the species collected in Wisconsin

Pitfall trap sampling bias depends on body mass, temperature, and trap number: insights from an individual-based model

The diversity and community composition of ground arthropods is routinely analyzed by pitfall trap sampling, which is a cost- and time-effective method to gather large numbers of replicates but also known to generate data that are biased by species-specific differences in locomotory activity. Previous studies have looked at factors that influence the sampling bias. These studies, however, were limited to one or few species and did rarely quantify how the species-specific sampling bias shapes community-level diversity metrics. In this study, we systematically quantify the species-specific and community-level sampling bias with an allometric individual-based model that simulates movement and pitfall sampling of 10 generic ground arthropod species differing in body mass. We perform multiple simulation experiments covering different scenarios of pitfall trap number, spatial trap arrangement, temperature, and population density. We show that the sampling bias decreased strongly with increasing body mass, temperature, and pitfall trap number, while population density had no effect and trap arrangement only had little effect. The average movement speed of a species in the field integrates body mass and temperature effects and could be used to derive reliable estimates of absolute species abundance. We demonstrate how unbiased relative species abundance can be derived using correction factors that need only information on species body mass. We find that community-level diversity metrics are sensitive to the particular community structure, namely the relation between body mass and relative abundance across species. Generally, pitfall trap sampling flattens the rank-abundance distribution and leads to overestimations of ground arthropod Shannon diversity. We conclude that the correction of the species-specific pitfall trap sampling bias is necessary for the reliability of conclusions drawn from ground arthropod field studies. We propose bias correction is a manageable task using either body mass to derive unbiased relative abundance or the average speed to derive reliable estimates of absolute abundance from pitfall trap sampling

Orientation of \u3ci\u3eHylobius Pales\u3c/i\u3e and \u3ci\u3ePachylobius Picivorus\u3c/i\u3e (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) to Visual Cues

Pitfall traps with above-ground silhouettes of various colors and diameters were used in field tests to evaluate the role of vision in host orientation by adult pales weevils, Hylobius pales, and pitch-eating weevils, Pachylobius picivorus. White traps (11 em outer diameter) baited with ethanol and turpentine caught significantly more weevils than similarly baited black or green traps (11 cm outer diameter). Trap diameter (range of 6-22 cm outer diameter) did not affect trap catch. Pitfall traps can be used to monitor root weevil populations in young pine plantations and Christmas tree farms, where they are major pests. These results demonstrate that visual and chemical cues can be integrated to improve trap efficiency

Effects of Aprons on Pitfall Trap Catches of Carabid Beetles in Forests and Fields

This study compared the efficacy of three types of pitfall traps in four forest and two field habitats. Two traps had aprons and one did not. The two apron traps were the same except for a gap between the trap and the plywood-apron, allowing captures from above or below. Traps were placed in a split-plot design and had three replicates of the three trap types per habitat. The traps were emptied each week from May to September. ANOVA\u27s were performed on 12 trapped species separately over habitats, weeks, and the in- teractions between them. The nonapron trap captured over 40% more individuals than either apron trap, though apron traps tended to be more effective in fields for species found in both habitats. Habitat-trap interactions were only significant in two species. Trap-week interactions were significant in four species

Ground Beetles From a Remnant Oak-Maple-Beech Forest and Its Surroundings in Northeastern Ohio (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

We report 66 ground beetle species in 14 tribes from a natural preserve in northeastern Ohio (Stark County). Six species are new state records. Data from pitfall trap transects across adjoining habitats suggest narrow habitat preferences in some species and broad tolerances in others. Trends toward flightlessness in forest species and macroptery in the fauna of disturbed agricultural sites are apparent

Effects of Pitfall Trap Preservative on Collections of Carabid Beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

Effects of six pitfall trap preservatives (5% acetic acid solution, distilled water, 70% ethanol, 50% ethylene glycol solution, 50% propylene glycol solution, and 10% saline solution) on collections of carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) were studied in a west-central Illinois deciduous forest from May to October 2005. A total of 819 carabids, representing 33 species and 19 genera, were collected. Saline produced significantly fewer captures than did acetic acid, ethanol, ethylene glycol, and propylene glycol, while distilled water produced significantly fewer captures than did acetic acid. Significant associations between numbers of captures and treatment were seen in four species: Amphasia interstitialis (Say), Calathus opaculus LeConte, Chlaenius nemoralis Say, and Cyclotrachelus sodalis (LeConte). Results of this study suggest that type of preservative used can have substantial effects on abundance and species composition of carabids collected in pitfall traps

Red Flour Beetle Response to Traps with Prior Captures

The red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum) is a major pest of food facilities such as flour mills and is often monitored using pitfall type traps with a food oil and pheromone attractant. Previous research had indicated that prior captures of beetles could increase beetle behavior captures in a trap. Here we used a more realistic bioassay to evaluate how the number of beetles previously captured include beetle captures in traps. Results showed no significant impact of prior captures on the number of red flour beetles captured in a trap. There were some trends suggested in the results that warrant further study to investigate, perhaps by focusing on individual beetle behavior at traps rather then using groups of beetles

Integrated pest management of black weevil in banana cropping systems

The black weevil, Cosmopolites sordidus (Coleoptera: curculionidae) is a major pest of banana in export farms and for smallholders in developing countries. New Integrated Pest Management strategies include the implementation of prophylactic cropping practices and the use of pheromone-pitfall traps. The combined use of pheromone-pitfall traps and fallows reduces the number of C. sordidus adults in the field and has significantly reduced insecticide use in the French West Indies and in the Canary Islands. Because of the patchy distribution of C. sordidus and the capabilities of weevils to invade neighbouring fields, these methods should be deployed at the farm and landscape scale, with special focus on their spatial and temporal organisation. To further refine the Integrated Pest Management of this pest in the longer term, we are evaluating biocontrol agents and modelling tools developed to simulate the spatial organisation of traps at the plot and landscape scales. (Résumé d'auteur

Jumping bristletail (Insecta: Apterygota: Microcoryphia) records in the southeastern United States

Few records of Microcoryphia exist for the southeastern United States, with named species being reported only from Arkansas, Tennessee, and the mid-Atlantic states, and with an unnamed species being reported from Georgia. Records are here provided from 291 specimens housed in the Mississippi Entomological Museum, including ten new species-level state records. This is also the first published report of the order Microcoryphia from Alabama and Mississippi. Species include the machilids Pedetontoides atlanticus Mendes in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, and North Carolina; Pedetontus cf. atlanticus in Kentucky; Pedetontus (Verhoeffilis) gershneri Allen in Arkansas; and Pedetontus (Pedetontus) saltator Wygodzinsky and Schmidt in Mississippi and North Carolina; and the meinertellid Machiloides banksi (Silvestri) in Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, and North Carolina