Intercept Trap Research Articles

Puliciphora Dahl (Diptera: Phoridae) in Wales

A male of the scuttle fly genus Puliciphora Dahl was found in a sample from a flight interception trap at Dinefwr Estate NNR, Llandeilo, Wales. This is only the fourth Puliciphora record for Britain and the first outside the Oxford area. Dispersal of members of this genus is limited by the flightless females, which are carried by males a few metres to oviposition sites. It seems likely, therefore, that the Welsh occurrence involved transportation by human activity from another source.

First record of the genus Immanus Hulcr & Cognato (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae: Xyleborini) from China, with description of a new species.

Immanus Hulcr & Cognato, 2013 is reported from China for the first time, with the description and illustration of a new species, Immanus songi sp. nov., based on an adult female collected with a flight intercept trap from Yunnan province, China. A key to all known species of Immanus is given.

Time series DNA barcoding provides insight into factors influencing wood-boring and bark-feeding insect communities in Scots pine, Sitka spruce, and Noble fir stands.

Bark-feeding and wood-boring insect pests can have significant negative impacts on conifers and wood production. The damage they cause is expected to increase in the future due to climate change and the growth of international trade. This study employed DNA barcoding of beetle juveniles (Coleoptera) sampled from standing trap trees and cut log piles at regular intervals over a 2-yr period to monitor the beetle community dynamics and associated environmental factors. Tree species was found to have a major influence on beetle communities, most strikingly at the start of early decay stages. Lower species diversity was reported from standing trap tree samples compared to log pile samples, likely due to higher residual defences in dying and recently dead trees. While the species identified from standing trap trees are more likely to be a threat to the forestry sector, the species found in the log piles are more likely to be beneficial due to their high abundance and their ability to compete with pests for breeding substrate. The analysis of beetles collected inside trees revealed additional information on ontogenetic niches and host preferences beyond that acquired solely from flight interception trap data. Our results offer insights on community composition and dynamics of bark-feeding and wood-boring insect species in Welsh conifer forests and provide resources for monitoring and management of potential pest species.

A new species of the rare genus Rutaraphes Jałoszyński from Japan (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae).

To date, the stenichnine genus Rutaraphes Jałoszyński includes only two species: R. shikokuensis Jałoszyński (Japan) and R. taiwanicus Jałoszyński (Taiwan), both known from a single holotype male. Consequently, Rutaraphes can be placed among the rarest Palaearctic genera of Scydmaeninae. Three males of this remarkable genus were found recently during a museum survey, all collected in a flight intercept trap in Central Honshū, Japan. They represent a new species, described herein as Rutaraphes honshuensis sp. n., morphologically close to R. shikokuensis.

Complementary of Blacklight Trap and Flight Interception Trap in a Multi-Year Study of Flying Coleoptera near a Farm Pond in Southern Québec (Canada)

Complementary of Blacklight Trap and Flight Interception Trap in a Multi-Year Study of Flying Coleoptera near a Farm Pond in Southern Québec (Canada)

Pselaphinae of the Cameroon Volcanic Line. Part 1. New Pselaphinae (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae) from the island São Tomé

A new genus of Pselaphinae, Reichentomica gen. nov., and three new species, Reichentomica tasani sp. nov., Afroplectus turneri sp. nov., and Parasimus saotomicus sp. nov., are described for the first time from the island São Tomé. All three species were collected at the same locality close to Jardim Botânico do Bom Successo (00°16'31''N, 06°36'14''E) using flight intercept trap in the tropical forest at the elevation of 1324 m.

Comparison of intercept trap fluids and aerial spore collectors to survey fungal spores

Surveillance for early detection of non-native, invasive pathogens requires simple, sturdy, and easy-to-use collecting devices. In this study, we compared the fungal species detected in wet collection cups of Lindgren trapsvs. those detected on slides with oiled cheesecloth as aerial spore collectors. DNA was extracted and amplified from both using the primers ITS1F and gITS7, and Illumina sequencing was used for the metabarcoding of fungi present in samples. In 90 samples, there were 1,277 fungal operational taxonomic units (OTUs). For fungal OTUs only detected by one collection method, insect traps had three times the number of fungal OTUs compared to slides, and this pattern persisted when analyses were restricted to pathogens and forest pathogens. Annually, thousands of insect traps are deployed in North America and the associated trap fluids have added value to forest disease research and monitoring.

Interception Strategies for Managing Exotic Ambrosia Beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Nurseries

Interception Strategies for Managing Exotic Ambrosia Beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Nurseries

First Report of Dere thoracica White (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae) in the United States, with Notes on Its Discovery, Recognition, Biology, and Habits

Dere thoracica White, a cerambycine longhorned beetle native to eastern Asia, is newly reported from Georgia, USA, where an established population was detected. A single female was collected in a flight intercept trap in Clarke County during early 2020, and 292 adults were excavated from their pupal chambers or reared from dead branches of mimosa tree, Albizia julibrissin Durazz. (Fabaceae), during early 2021. These are the first records of the genus and species in the Nearctic Region. Dere thoracica is considered to be a generalist dependent on recently dead or dying trees. It can be easily distinguished from the native Georgia fauna of longhorned beetles, and we have provided a description and diagnosis to differentiate it from one similar species.

Low-Cost Automated Flight Intercept Trap for the Temporal Sub-Sampling of Flying Insects Attracted to Artificial Light at Night.

Sampling methods are selected depending on the targeted species or the spatial and temporal requirements of the study. However, most methods for passive sampling of flying insects have a poor temporal resolution because it is time-consuming, costly and/or logistically difficult to perform. Effective sampling of flying insects attracted to artificial light at night (ALAN) requires sampling at user-defined time points (nighttime only) across well-replicated sites resulting in major time and labor-intensive survey effort or expensive automated technologies. Described here is a low-cost automated intercept trap that requires no specialist equipment or skills to construct and operate, making it a viable option for studies that require temporal sub-sampling across multiple sites. The trap can be used to address a wide range of other ecological questions that require a greater temporal and spatial scale than is feasible with previous trap technology.

Low-Cost Automated Flight Intercept Trap for the Temporal Sub-Sampling of Flying Insects Attracted to Artificial Light at Night

Low-Cost Automated Flight Intercept Trap for the Temporal Sub-Sampling of Flying Insects Attracted to Artificial Light at Night

Scaphisomatini of Arizona (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scaphidiinae) collected by V-Flight Intercept Traps

Records are given for 15 Scaphisomatini species captured by V-flight intercept traps in Arizona. Baeocera hamata Löbl & Stephan, B. nana Casey and Toxidium gammaroides LeConte are recorded for the first time from Arizona, B. arizonensis sp. nov., B. obscura sp. nov. B. vintercepta sp. nov. and Scaphisoma declivum sp. nov. are described as new. Scaphisoma dakotanum Fall is synonymized with S. desertorum Casey. The aedeagi of Scaphisoma desertorum Casey, S. rufulum LeConte, and S. rubens Casey are illustrated for the first time. A key to the Arizona species of Scaphisoma Leach is provided. A new iteration of the V-flight intercept trap is described and the diversity of Arizona Scaphisomatini is discussed.

Flight activity and spread of Xylosandrus crassiusculus (Motschulsky) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Brazil

The granulate ambrosia beetle (GAB) Xylosandrus crassiusculus is a polyphagous species with a worldwide distribution. The species is considered a serious pest in nursery, landscape and ornamental trees, and fruit orchards. The first specimens reported for Brazil were found along the coastal region in 2012. We report here the spread inland of GAB based on ethanol-baited flight intercept trap surveys throughout the country. It is now present in regions where orchards of several fruit tree species are planted, many of them known hosts of GAB. In this article, we also provide the first information on its flight activity in a subtropical climate in South America. In Barra do Ribeiro, state of Rio Grande do Sul (southernmost state), GAB showed two flight peaks, both in the warmest months of the year, while in Rio Branco, state of Acre (northern state), there were no clear peaks; these results indicate that GAB is multivoltine in both localities. In vertical stratification studies in Tartarugalzinho, northern state of Amapá, while GAB flew at up to 8 m high, flight was concentrated at ground level.

Long-Lasting Insecticide-Incorporated Netting and Interception Traps at Pilot-Scale Warehouses and Commercial Facilities Prevents Infestation by Stored Product Beetles

At any point along the post-harvest supply chain, commodities are vulnerable to insect infestation. This is due to a variety of factors, but includes landscape-scale movement of stored product insects to and from food facilities and natural refugia. Long-lasting insecticide-incorporated netting (LLIN) is an innovative tactic that may be used to intercept immigrating insects. LLIN can be used to cover gaps in architecture (e.g., vents, windows, eaves, or over pallets of goods) at food facilities. Another novel approach would be to use LLIN as a kill mechanism in attract-and-kill inspired interception traps on the perimeter of facilities. Furthermore, employing these two LLIN-based approaches together would create multiple protective barriers to reduce infestation in commodities. Therefore, the goal of the current study was to (1) examine the ability of interception traps to capture stored product insects at commercial wheat and rice food facilities, (2) assess whether LLIN deployment method affected efficacy in preventing infestation by stored product insects in pilot-scale warehouses, and (3) determine the success of using LLIN alone, interception traps alone, or both together to prevent infestations. Over 2 years, interception traps deployed for 48-h periods on the perimeter of commercial food facilities captured over 3,000 insects, representing 14 stored product insect taxa. Warehouses deploying LLIN exhibited an 89–93% and 98–100% reduction in insects reaching and progeny production in commodities, even after the release of 3,600 insects of three species over 12 weeks. The combined use of LLIN and interception traps did not improve control above LLIN alone, but this may be because insects could fly unencumbered, highlighting the importance of covering gaps with LLIN on food facilities.

Introduction and application of a composite insect trap for the National Ecosystem Survey of Korea

AbstractThis study aimed to establish the best applicable method for the National Ecosystem Survey (NES) guidelines by (i) verifying the efficiency of an insect trap that combined the Malaise trap, flight intercept trap, and pitfall trap (MFP trap) as part of the improvement for the terrestrial insect field in the fifth NES, and (ii) comparing the result with the currently used Malaise trap and pitfall trap (MP traps). We found that the efficiency of attaining species diversity was much higher with the added flight intercept trap function than the current Malaise trap alone for flying insect collection. For collecting ground insects, the efficiency of attaining species diversity of the pitfall trap from the MFP trap was lower than that from the MP trap. Besides, the Malaise trap of the MP trap showed superior efficiency than that of the MFP trap in species diversity. The results suggested that modification, supplementation, and re‐testing should be performed by analyzing various factors such as the trap material, barrier size, capturing container inlet, and mesh size, with consideration of the design of the current Malaise trap. Therefore, in survey‐based research, which aims at identifying insects species diversity and inhabiting status—such as the NES, it is necessary to introduce the MFP trap with the flight intercept trap function added to the Malaise trap function, and for the pitfall trap function of the MFP trap, it can be operated as a separate trap from the MFP trap.

Estimating population density of Nicrophorus quadripunctatus (Coleoptera: Silphidae) in Korea

AbstractEstimating the population density of organisms is of great concern to ecologists and much effort has been put into making accurate assessment of population levels in nature. We evaluated the trapping web (TW) method for the determination of the density of species of burying beetles. We found eight and six species of burying beetles at Beopjusa and Ssanggok‐ri areas, respectively. Most of the species population comprised Nicrophorus quadripunctatus, with densities of 65 and 195 per ha for Beopjusa and Ssanggok‐ri areas, respectively. Moreover, the flight intercept trap (FIT) method from 2003 to 2007 also revealed the same trend: Beopjusa temple (2928) to Ssanggok‐ri (5835). However, the differences in number of individuals were probably due to the differences in the methods and the length of the trapping period. The populations of N. quadripunctatus exist as metapopulations, making accurate assessment of the population densities extremely difficult. We hypothesized that the TW method could accurately estimate population densities extrapolated from patch population size per area.

Dung beetles collected using flight intercept traps in an Amazon rainforest fragment and adjacent agroecosystems

Dung beetles present a high specificity degree to certain habitat types and they are widely used as bioindicators of environmental changes. Pitfall traps usually baited with human feces are the main method for collecting these insects. However, despite dung beetles being good flyers and actively move in the environment, collections with flight intercept traps have been little used in inventories of these insects in the wild. The fact that the intercept trap usually does not use any attractants, randomly capturing individuals can minimize sampling artifacts related with bait, light or other attractive methods. Here, we use flight intercept traps to analyze the dung beetle assemblages in different habitats in the Amazon rainforest. Dung beetles were sampled weekly from March 2017 to February 2018 in an Amazon forest fragment under anthropic pressure, cupuacu orchard, and exotic pasture in Porto Velho, Rondonia, Brazil. A total of 1041 individuals belonging to 35 species of dung beetles were collected. The species accumulation curve showed no significant difference in the number of species among the three different habitats. The dung beetle species composition found in the forest fragment and cupuacu orchard was similar, but the community of these two habitats was different from the exotic pasture. Our study provides a list of dung beetle species sampled using a method that is still little used in ecological studies using dung beetles as a study model. Finally, the flight intercept trap is a useful tool for dung beetle inventories in different habitats in the Amazon rainforest.

Aphelonotus schuhi sp. nov., the first s--pecies of the family Pachynomidae from Puerto Rico (Hemiptera: Heteroptera).

Aphelonotus schuhi sp. nov. (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pachynomidae: Aphelonotinae) is described from Puerto Rico based on a single male collected by flight interception trap. The new species is morphologically similar to A. taino Schuh, Weirauch Grillo, 2015 and A. xenos Schuh, Weirauch Grillo, 2015, being distinguished from them by the combination of the presence of a stout subapical spine on the protibia and the characteristic shape of the parameres. An informal A. xenos species-group is proposed to accommodate these three species.

Impact of intercept trap type on plume structure: a potential mechanism for differential performance of intercept trap designs for Monochamus species

Studies have demonstrated that semiochemical-baited intercept traps differ in their performance for sampling insects, but we have an incomplete understanding of how and why intercept trap design effects vary among insects. This can significantly delay both the development of new and optimization of existing survey and detection tools. The development of a mechanistic understanding of why trap performance varies within and among species would mitigate this delay. The primary objective of this study was to develop methods to characterize and compare the odor plumes associated with intercept traps that differ in their performance for forest Coleoptera. We released CO2 and measured fluctuations of this tracer gas from 175-point locations arranged in a 2-by-3-by-2-m grid cuboid downwind of a standard multiple-funnel, a modified multiple-funnel, a panel, a canopy malaise trap, and a blank control (i.e., no trap) in a greenhouse. Significant differences in trapping efficacy between these different trap designs were observed for Monochamus scutellatus (Say) and Monochamus notatus (Drury) in a field trial. Significant differences were also observed in how CO2 accumulated in time at different positions downwind among these different trap designs. Turbulent dispersion is the dominant force structuring odor plumes and creates intermittency in the odor plume that is important for sustained upwind flight in insects. Methodological and instrumental limitations resulted in the inability to determine instantaneous plume structures and vortex shedding frequencies for different intercept trap designs. Although we observed differences in the odor plumes emanating downwind of the different intercept trap designs, we were unable to reconcile these differences with capture rates of the different trap designs for M. scutellatus and M. notatus.

Comparison of Trap Designs for Detection of Euwallacea nr. fornicatus and Other Scolytinae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) That Vector Fungal Pathogens of Avocado Trees in Florida.

Laurel wilt and Fusarium dieback are vascular diseases caused by fungal symbionts of invasive ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae). Both diseases threaten avocado trees in Florida. Redbay ambrosia beetle, Xyleborus glabratus, is the primary vector of the laurel wilt pathogen, Raffaelea lauricola, but in recent years this symbiont has been transferred laterally to at least nine other species of ambrosia beetle, which now comprise a community of secondary vectors. Dieback disease, caused by Fusarium spp. fungi, is spread by shot hole borers in the Euwallacea fornicatus species complex. In this study, we conducted field tests in Florida avocado groves to compare efficacy of four trap designs for detection of Scolytinae. Treatments included an 8-funnel Lindgren trap, black 3-vane flight interception trap, green 3-vane interception trap, white sticky panel trap, and an unbaited sticky panel (control). In two tests targeting E. nr. fornicatus and X. glabratus, traps were baited with a two-component lure (α-copaene and quercivorol). In a test targeting other species, traps were baited with a low-release ethanol lure. For E. nr. fornicatus, sticky panels and black interception traps captured significantly more beetles than Lindgren traps; captures with green traps were intermediate. With ethanol-baited traps, 20 species of bark/ambrosia beetle were detected. Trap efficacy varied by species, but in general, sticky traps captured the highest number of beetles. Results indicate that sticky panel traps are more effective for monitoring ambrosia beetles than Lindgren funnel traps, the current standard, and may provide an economical alternative for pest detection in avocado groves.