GAINS IN PERFORMANCE OF DIFFERENT METHODS OF COLLECTING ENTOMOLOGICAL MATERIALS IN ENVIRONMENTAL AND FAUNAL STUDIES ON COLEOPTERA

Abstract

The aim is to study the effectiveness of methods of collecting entomological materials for further ecological and faunal studies as well as to gain the main evidence in ecological and faunal studies carried out in the field. Collection of the evidence in the field is necessary for the identification of species composition and to study such aspects as the distribution of species, confinement of species to certain habitats, relations with the food objects (trophism), climate, soil and orographic environmental factors.

Methodology. We have used the traditional methods of collection (hand picking, pitfall traps, pitfall traps with increased light, light traps), processing and determination of materials. In recent years, the method of collection of soil invertebrates has introduced an innovation. In expeditionary studies in the island of Tyuleny new ways have been tested of using pitfall traps equipped with an incandescent light source. They provide a higher collection efficiency of Entomological materials. List of species composition of the discussed fauna has been composed by modern taxonomy with the use of directories.

Results. We have made a comparative analysis of the effectiveness of different methods of collecting entomological materials on Coleoptera (Carabidae, Scarabaeidae, Elateridae, Tenebrionidae) for environmental and faunal studies in the area of Irganayskaya arid basin of intramontane Dagestan. Not all species, registered in the studied habitat, have been identified by methods of soil sampling and pitfall traps. The greatest number of species has been identified by manual collection, and the least by soil sampling. The paper shows the effectiveness of different methods of collecting entomofauna against individual families and species of the groups studied.