Evaluation of the type of bait in catching Nymphalidae in Van Someren-Rydon traps in the National Park Yanachaga-Chemillén-Paujil sector, Pasco, Peru (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea)

Abstract

The use of baited traps for the study of Lepidoptera has increased in recent decades, offering advantages and disadvantages compared to direct methods of capture. However, studies evaluating the attractiveness of different types of different baits are scarce, and published works are limited to using the standard bait consisting of fermented fruit with sugar. This study evaluates the variation in the attractiveness and effectiveness of three types of bait (fermented fruit, rotting fish, and human feces) in the capture of Lepidoptera in Van Someren-Rydon traps (VSR) in the National Park Yanachaga-Chemillén (PNYCh), sector Paujil, by the use of VSR located in sites with different canopy cover. Certain species were found to visit all three types of bait, e.g. Archaeoprepona demophon (Linnaeus, 1758) and Diaethria clymena (Cramer, 1775), others only two of these, e. g. Memphis glauce (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1862), Memphis moruus (Fabricius, 1775), Adelpha mesentina (Cramer, 1777), Temenis laothoe (Cramer, 1777), and some were unique to one type of bait, e. g. Zaretis itys (Cramer, 1777), Ancyluris etias (Saunders, 1859), Catoblepia berecynthia (Cramer, 1777), Catonephele numilia (Cramer, 1775). Furthermore, it was found that the fruit bait presents significant differences concerning the rotting fish and feces baits, however, it presented the least number of individuals and species attracted. Meanwhile, rotting fish and feces presented a similar attractiveness in species number and quantity of individuals. The results suggest the bait’s importance in capturing Lepidoptera and, consequently, their potential relevance in the elaboration of subsequent ecological studies