21 Kas 2024 Perşembe
Environmental factors and moonlight influence on four major insect orders using light traps
Abstract :Insect attraction to light is an established phenomenon. Under present observation, the effect of lunar phases on insects belonging to four orders viz. Diptera, Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera and Homoptera trapped during the operation of light traps have been discussed along with other environmental factors. Analyzing lunar cycle impact, the catches were higher in first quarter of waxing moon and second quarter of a waning Moon as the Moon waxes from New Moon to full moon. The insect activity in the first quarter of waxing moon is higher in lunar cycles 1st, 3rd, 5th and 9th and then decreases in second quarter of waxing moon when the moon wanes from full moon to no moon. Contemplating the impact of temperature, morning R.H., the lunar cycles 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 11th show a positive response of insect catches but the lunar cycles 1st, 4th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 10th insect catches show negative but significant effect with negative correlation (r= -0.59) in 1st quarter of waxing moon and other quarters showing insignificant correlation. In case of evening R.H. insect catches shows negative but strong significant relation correlation in 2nd quarter of waxing moon (r= -0.61) at 0.05 level and 2nd quarter of waning moon (r= -0.67) whereas 1st quarter of waxing moon shows negative and significant correlation (r= -0.68 at 0.01 level) with evening R.H. Examining the impact of rainfall on insect catch, the five lunar cycles (1st, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 9th) shows negative but significant effect on insect catches in different lunar quarters. In these lunar cycles the higher catches were observed at low rainfall to that of low catches at higher rainfall.
Light traps, moonlight, lunar phases, waxing and waning of moon