Trap data of Bogong moths (<i>Agrotis infusa)</i> for traps operating across eastern Australia

This data underpins the publication "<b>New insights from old data: the complex migration and breeding patterns of the bogong moth, </b><b><i>Agrotis infusa</i></b><b> (Boisduval) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in eastern Australia</b>".The data arises from the operation of fifteen light traps and one food trap across Victoria, NSW and South Australia. The traps ran within the period 1960-1990. Trap details:Victoria. Nine light traps were placed on farms in western, central, northeast, and eastern Victoria (Table 1). Traps followed the Pennsylvania design (Gregg &amp; Wilson 1991, Smith &amp; McDonald 1986) using a 20-watt backlight and insecticide strips, operating from 1980–1987 and emptied bi-weekly or weekly.New South Wales. Six light traps were deployed in northern NSW. Two Robinson design traps (Gregg &amp; Wilson 1991) fitted with upward-facing 160-watt blended mercury vapour lamps were mounted on mountain towers (~1,500 m) (Gregg <i>et al.</i> 1993). Four Pennsylvania design traps were mounted at ground level with an eight-watt blacklight fluorescent tube and carousel catch containers with 70% ethanol. A fermentation trap (modified Texas design) using fermenting port wine and sugar, primarily for <i>M. convecta</i>, was operated at Fowlers Gap research facility in southwest NSW and was sometimes effective in catching <i>A. infusa </i>(McDonald 1990a; McDonald &amp; Farrow 1990).South Australia. The trap was located at the Turretfield Research Centre, 45 km northeast of Adelaide (Oertel <i>et al.</i> 1999). The trap was fitted with a 125-watt mercury vapour lamp following the Robinson design.Data blanks in the dataset indicate dates in which the traps did not operate rather than zero catches.