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Subaquatic Light Traps for Insects and Other Animal Organisms

1955; Kansas Academy of Science; Volume: 58; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.2307/3626106

1938-5420

H. B. Hungerford, P J Spangler, Neil A. Walker,

Plant and animal studies

It is common knowledge that many kinds of insects are attracted at night to lights on land. Among the many moths, caddis flies, mayflies, midges and a host of other insects that come to our light traps are also water and water beetles. Indeed the giant water were called electric light bugs in the days of the old street arc lights because in their nocturnal flights from pond to pond they were so conspicuously attracted to the street lights in village and city. Many years ago the senior author found that at night corixids and notonectids would swim toward a flashlight held at the margin of a deep pool where they could be dipped out with a net. In 1931 at the University of Michigan Biological Station he had a simple underwater light trap made and with a student, Ralph W. Kober, demonstrated that Corixidae could be caught in numbers in the submerged light trap and that some other aquatics also entered the trap. This information was never pulished although it suggested a promising line of investigation. The trap used was indeed simple-a rectangular box-like frame, covered with 16 mesh/inch wire screen and fine mesh cheese cloth set upon a rectangular wooden platform. The top was made as a lid which could be unfastened and removed, to make easy entrance to the trap. The end piece could also be unfastened and removed. In this end was attached the cone shaped screen entrance. Directly behind this cone was an airtight mason jar, fastened to the bottom of the trap by a strap. A focusing flashlight was placed in the jar, in a position to send a beam of light directly through the hole in the cone entrance, which was one and one half inches in diameter. This light worked quite well and in clear water would throw a beam of light out twenty feet from the mouth of the trap. Iron weights were attached to the floor board to hold the trap on the bottom of the pool. The first night's trial in 1931 was not promising. The trap was set at 8:30 P.M. on August seventh on the north side of the bridge at Fontinalis Run, near Burt Lake, in a little over a foot of water. The end of the trap with the light cone was pointed north toward a clump of bushes.