Robson Creek Site, Far North Queensland, Moth Inventory At Canopy and Ground Level, 2009-2011 

The record contains information on the moth assemblages at canopy and ground level at five sites within a 25 ha plot, at Robson Creek Site, Far North Queensland. Data on moth taxonomic information and the number of individuals sampled from the ground and canopy are provided for the sampling years, 2009, 2010 and 2011. 

We at TERN acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians throughout Australia, New Zealand and all nations. We honour their profound connections to land, water, biodiversity and culture and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. 

Moths are a hyper diverse and ecologically important group and are good candidates as indicators for rapid categorization and monitoring of habitat quality and change. Moths have been used as indicators in a variety of different terrestrial ecosystems, such as rainforests, temperate forests and agro-ecosystems. 

Moth Sampling: Sampling occurred in three sampling sessions - November 2009, May 2010 and April 2011. Two Pennsylvania light traps were run simultaneously on each trapping night, with one trap at ground level and one in the canopy. Pennsylvania light traps with actinic black light bulbs are run on 12 volt lead acid batteries. Dicholorvos poison were used to kill moths and other insects in-situ. At each site one trap was raised to the canopy level and one trap was set at 1.5 m above the ground. Vertical stratification of moth species, between the ground and canopy levels can result in distinct ground and canopy fauna. Putting light traps at both the ground and canopy ensured the widest sampling of moth diversity (Beck et al., 2002).

All Lepidoptera with a wing length greater than 1 cm were collected, pinned and sorted to morphospecies. Identification of the specimens were conducted using the Queensland Museum collections. The collection is held at Griffith University, Nathan Campus, Brisbane. By-catch (i.e., all other insect groups encountered in the light traps), have been stored in ethanol and are also held at Griffith University, Nathan Campus. The preliminary results observed from sampling are significant differences in the moth assemblages at the canopy and ground levels. Further analysis investigating the taxonomic composition of canopy and ground assemblages is underway.