Identified invertebrate bycatch from beetle pitfall traps at SJER and SOAP, 2017 - 2018

Normal protocol procedure results in species-level (where possible) identifications of all carabid beetles collected from pitfall traps deployed at distributed plots within terrestrial sites. Any vertebrate bycatch (herptiles and mammals) are also identified to species level (where possible) per IACUC requirements. However, incidental captures of non-carabid invertebrates are typically not enumerated or identified (except in the case of rare, threatened or endangered invertebrates). Because of California permitting requirements, NEON was obligated to enumerate and identify the contents of invertebrate bycatch samples to report to the state. Taxonomic analysis was coarse, typically breaking down identifications to order (for insects) and broader categories for non-insects. Groups included: Arthropoda sp., Myriapoda sp., Arachnida sp., Insecta sp., Collembola sp., Coleoptera sp., Diptera sp., Hymenoptera sp., Lepidoptera sp., Orthoptera sp., Thysanoptera sp., and Formicidae sp.