Surveys on detritivorous moths using bait traps in Japan

Abstract

Surveys on detritivorous moths were carried out at three locations in Kyushu, Japan, in 2019, using bait traps. The trap material consisted of dead leaves or rice straw, baited with dog food, chicken manure, or bat guano. A total of 293 moth individuals, comprising 25 species belonging to 17 families, were trapped during the experiment. The emerged moths included 285 detritivore individuals of 17 species in nine families and eight herbivore individuals of eight different families. Most moth individuals emerged from the traps made of dead leaves with dog food, which contains several nutrients, as the bait. Of these individuals, species such as Phaeoses sp. (Tineidae) and Pyralis farinalis(Pyralidae), which often emerge from bird nests but are difficult to collect, were also found. This is the first study to collect detritivorous moths using traps with different baits.

Keywords

• Bait trap
• Dead leaves
• Detritivore
• Lepidoptera