Migrating moths (Lepidoptera) collected in tower-mounted light traps in northern New South Wales, Australia: species composition and seasonal abundance

Abstract

Light traps were operated between September and April for five years on towers on mountain tops at two locations in northern New South Wales, Australia. The traps were designed so that their lights could only be seen from above, and therefore only insects engaged in high altitude flight, presumed to be migrants, were captured. The catch consisted mostly of Noctuidae and Sphingidae. Sweep netting failed to reveal local breeding, and for many species there were few host plants close to the traps. A total of 51,580 moths were trapped at Point Lookout and 10,223 at Mt Dowe. Sphingids, mostly Hippotion scrofa (Boisduval), comprised 26.9% of the catch at Point Lookout, but only 2.6% at Mt Dowe, and there were more species of noctuids at Point Lookout (44) than at Mt Dowe (15). The most common noctuid species were Agrotis infiisa (Boisduval), Mythimna convecta (Walker), Helicoverpa punctigera (Wallengren), H. armigera (Hiibner), Dasygaster nephelistis Hampson and A. munda Walker.Known or suspected migrants comprised 94.6% of the catch at Point Lookout and 99.9% at Mt Dowe. However, there were at least 24 species not previously suspected as migrants. The seasonal distribution of catches varied between sites and years. Some species showed peaks in both spring and autumn in some years, but only in spring in other years. Many of the less common species were caught only in summer and autumn. Large catches were usually obtained overs short periods (1-2 nights), separated by long periods when catches were very low. These large catches, which were thought to represent major migrations, accounted for 76% of the catch in 3% of the trapping period at Point Lookout, and 87% of the catch in 2% of the trapping period at Mt Dowe.

Using meteorological and lunar information to explain catch variability of Orthoptera and Lepidoptera from 250 W Farrow light traps

“…Only 10 species of moth were caught in all months, and only slightly more (17 species) were common to December-March and March-April. Persson (1976), Gregg et al (1993) and McQuillan et al (1998) have all reported considerable variability in the seasonality of moth catches in light traps.…”

Efficacies of Four Pheromone-Baited Traps in Capturing MaleHelicoverpa(Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Moths in Northern Florida

“…Larval feeding injury and plant damage is similar to that of H. zea, and worldwide annual control costs and production losses of over $5 billion have been estimated (Lammers et al 2007). This species also appears to have many of the same migration behaviors of H. zea (Westbrook et al 1995), moving long distances in Australia (Gregg et al 1993), northern and northeastern China (Feng et al 2009(Feng et al , 2010, and India (Riley et al 1992). Because of its host plant range, feeding behavior, and ability to move long distances, H. armigera is considered a serious threat to American agriculture (Venette et al 2003).…”

21. Biogeography of the Lepidoptera

“…Migrant taxa recorded (Sparks et al 1986) on unmanned oil platforms at 32-160 km off the coast of Texas include many of those listed for remote islands in Table 21.1. In mainland areas, light-trapping on high towers can provide good indications of migrant movements (Gregg et al 1993).…”