Abstract
When estimating the species richness of a taxonomic group in a specific area, the choice of the trapping method is extremely important. In this study the effectiveness of Malaise and Moericke yellow pan traps for collecting flying Ichneumonidae was compared. Samples were collected in 5 habitats in the Cabañeros National Park: pastureland, shrubland and three types of woodland. Two traps of each type were placed in each habitat, and samples collected over a period of one year, replacing the pots every 20 days. The study focused on eleven subfamilies of Ichneumonidae. The results showed that the composition of the Ichneumonidae in the catches of the two traps differed. Malaise traps were more effective in collecting Ichneumonidae in all habitats, but especially in the ash woodland. Moericke traps yielded the most abundant catches in open areas with a wider field of vision. The subfamily Orthocentrinae occurred more frequently in the Moericke yellow traps. The Ichneumonidae caught by both trapping methods differed, especially in the relative abundance of the most common species. When compiling an inventory of species it is extremely important to use a combination of both trapping methods.
Highlights
Knowledge and conservation of biodiversity are a challenge for those of us who are responsible for the environmental legacy for future generations
The factor analysis (Fig. 1) showed that the samples from the pairs of Malaise traps placed in pastureland, ash and cork-oak woodland were very similar to each other
In an extremely diverse group such as the Ichneumonidae, the presence of rare species produces marked differences in the indices of abundance and richness of species caught by Malaise traps in a particular habitat, even for those caught by adjacent traps (Sääksjärvi et al, 2004; Fraser et al, 2007)
Summary
Knowledge and conservation of biodiversity are a challenge for those of us who are responsible for the environmental legacy for future generations. One of the most effective ways of preserving biodiversity is legal protection of habitats in areas such as national parks. Cabañeros is a vast area in central Spain, declared a National Park in 1995. Investigations of the fauna of this National Park have focused on vertebrates (García, 1997), with only few studies on insects (Jiménez-Valverde et al, 2004; Ricarte & Marcos-García, 2008). The Ichneumonidae is the largest family within the Hymenoptera, probably the most diverse order in the world (Grissell, 1999). They are important in ecosystem dynamics: since they are parasitoids of holometabolous insects, and regulate their hosts’ population. An appropriate choice of trapping methods is essential when estimating the richness of such a diverse insect group in a specific area
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