On Effective Usage of Mobile Automatic Light Traps for UV-attracted Lepidoptera Studies in Mountainous Conditions

Abstract

The usage of automatic light traps based on UV-sources for collecting material is currently a generally accepted trend in field studies of insects with nocturnal activity. Despite the widespread use of light traps, the methods of their use remain poorly developed. The aim of this study is to compare different methods of using light traps with different types of UV-radiation in the field and to develop the most optimal method for their usage. The study was carried out in three localities in Kyrgyzstan, each stage of the experiment included 4 observations (using one powerful light trap, then one powerful and two not powerful light traps with the same UV-radiation wavelength, then one powerful and two not powerful light traps with different UV-radiation wavelengths; up to 5 different light traps were used on the last night). It has been shown that the most efficient, both qualitatively and quantitatively, method of collecting material using light traps is the use of one light trap with a high-power UV-source and light traps with low-power UV-sources and different wavelengths located at the boundaries of its light spot. The smallest effective number of mobile automatic light traps is three, one of which is of high power, the other two are of low power and of different wavelengths. The results obtained in this study allow planning and making more efficient use of light traps in field research.