Luquillo Understory invertebrates Sticky Trap Samples

Sticky traps, designed to resemble resin globules that eventually could become amber, were coated with adhesive and placed on lower tree boles or on logs at one non-gap site at the LEF for 5 days during June 2004, January and July 2005, July 2006 and July 2007 (total 35 samples). Samples were dominated by Diptera (89% of specimens), with phorids representing 60%, mycetophilids 16%, dolichopodids 4%, sarcophagids 2%, cecidomyiids and chironomids 1% each, and other Diptera 5%. Other collected taxa included Hymenoptera (6% of specimens), with chalcidoid wasps 4%, little fire ant (Wasmania auropunctata) 1% and other Hymenoptera 1%; Coleoptera (2% of specimens), with curculionids 1% and other Coleoptera 1%; and a variety of other insects, spiders and mites representing 3%. Two small Anolis lizards and a small Eleutherodactylus frog also were captured.  Arthropod composition in sticky traps from the LEF and in Dominican amber were similar. Support for this work was provided by grants BSR-8811902, DEB-9411973, DEB-9705814 , DEB-0080538, DEB-0218039 , DEB-0620910 , DEB-1239764, DEB-1546686, and DEB-1831952 from the National Science Foundation to the University of Puerto Rico as part of the Luquillo Long-Term Ecological Research Program. Additional support provided by the University of Puerto Rico and the International Institute of Tropical Forestry, USDA Forest Service.