The Dependence of Normal and Black Light Type Trapping Results Upon the Wingspan of Moth Species

Abstract

Abstract. In the last decade several researchers found relation between the wingspan size of moths and their light sensitivity. Generally, moths with larger wingspan have higher light sensitivity. We tested these findings using the catch data of 378 Macrolepidoptera species from 19 black light (BL, 125 W) and normal light trap (100 W) pairs of the Hungarian Light Trap Network. We have found that wingspan size of about 25 mm is the limit below which some species were trapped more effectively by normal light trap, compared to BL. However, BL trap catch ratio of moths with wingspan of over about 35 mm is nearly 100 %, compared to normal light trap. According to the catch results of a site where normal and BL traps were placed close enough for the moths to perceive both at the same time, 75 % of moths with even small wingspan were caught by BL traps. Regarding the fact that BL traps collected significantly more individuals of Macrolepidoptera species with their wingspan over 35 mm on all sites of observation, we can conclude that Wolfram light bulb of 100 W is hardly suitable to use for this purpose. Consequently, considering our results, the light trap type can more effectively be specialized to the purpose of the observation according to the wingspan of the targeted species from which fact plant protection applications and entomological research projects can successfully benefit.

Management of flying insects on expressways through an academic-industrial collaboration: evaluation of the effect of light wavelengths and meteorological factors on insect attraction

“…5c, d). These findings are consistent with the results of studies that showed that moths with relatively large eyes and a relatively large body mass were attracted to light dominated by shorter wavelengths [48,63,67], although the degree of attraction varied between moth taxa [46]. One might speculate that their distinct preferences are due to the distinct spectral sensitivities of the compound eye.…”

Advances in insect phototaxis and application to pest management: a review

“…Generally, moths with larger wingspans have a greater sensitivity to light . One study analyzed the wingspans of 378 species of moth caught by light traps equipped with different light sources, and the results suggested that the number of moths caught by light traps depended on the type of light source and the wingspan of the moths . A light trap equipped with a suitable light source can be somewhat adapted for the target insect species.…”

Attractivity of various artificial light sources to caddisfly (Trichoptera) species and its importance in their sampling and conservation

“…et Schiff. (Járfás 1977;Nowinszky 2013). Laboratory measurements showed two number of species and higher abundance (van Langevelde et al 2011;Barghini and Medeiros 2012;Kadlec et al 2016;Brehm 2017).…”

“…There are quite a lot of data on the effects of weather (temperature, wind strength, humidity, air pressure, etc. ), moon phases and other environmental factors on the efficiency of light traps (Kiss 2002;Nowinszky 2003;Nowinszky et al 2014), while spectral distribution is one of the most important parameters affecting the attractivity and selectivity of light sources (Nowinszky 2003). Light sources emitting relatively large amount of UV light generally perform better in catching of night-active insects than others (Blomberg et al 1976;Ashfaq et al 2005;Cowan and Gries 2009), since beyond the visibility and the spectral distribution of the lamp, at least a minimal amounts of UV radiation are a crucial factor of the attractiveness (Barghini 2008, Barghini andMedeiros 2012).…”

“…The most widely used mercury-vapour lamp is an appropriate tool for attracting species of Lepidoptera (van Langevelde et al 2011;Bates et al 2013;Brehm 2017;Infusino et al 2017), Coleoptera (Kádár and Szél 1995;Band et al 2019) and Trichoptera (Ward et al 1996;Kiss 2002;Nowinszky 2003;Blahnik and Holzenthal 2004;Calor and Mariano 2012) and even Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Diptera and Neuroptera (Ramamurthy et al 2010;van Grunsven et al 2014). Mercury-vapour lamps attract more species and individuals of moths than the UV light alone probably since they have high peaks both in the UV and in the visible spectrum (Jonason et al 2014;Tikoca et al 2016;Brehm 2017).…”