Axmacher, JC; Fiedler, K; (2004) Manual versus automatic moth sampling at equal light sources – a comparison of catches from Mt. Kilimanjaro. Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society , 58 (4) 196 - 202.

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Abstract

Nocturnal moth ensembles are frequently assessed using either catches from automatic light traps or manually collected samples at artificial light sources. Up to now, Few studies have compared the influence of these methodological differences on the samples. We compared such samples, attracted by identical light sources , using geometrid moths in the montane rainforest belt of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, as an example. The average number of moths caught manually from 1900 h to 2200 h at a light tower - a reflective gauze cylinder with a lamp placed in the middle - was more than ten times higher than that caught in a light trap, with more than half of all spccies only recorded at the light tower. With regard to individuals sampled, catches were biased towards the subfamily Ennorninac in the traps (.51 % versus 30%) and towards Larentiinae in the manual samples (68% versus 44%). It remains to be tested whether the relatively higher representation of larger-sized Ennominae in the trap catches is due to later flight activity m SOlne behavioral differences related to body size. Diversity (measured as Fisher's alpha) oT light tower catches decreased from clearings (22.4) and secondary forest (21.7) to mature forest (11.0), whjle in the traps, values increased in the same order (Fisher's alpha: 6.0, 12.0, and 14.2). Species composition of trap samples taken in clearings and secondary forcst differed strongly from manual catches, while manual and automatic samples from mature forest were more similar to each other. Manual moth sampling at light towers proved superior to automatic light traps in many ways and is hence recommended as a very useful standard method to record nocturnal inseds if sufficient man-power is available.

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