Ramp traps versus pitfall traps for collecting epigeal arthropods: a case study in a coniferous forest in Southwest Finland

ABSTRACT

Pitfall traps are commonly used to sample epigeal arthropods, but they are not ideal in areas where soil disturbance is restricted or not possible. Ramp traps are a less well known alternative that does not require excavation. To compare the performance of the two trap types in capturing epigeal arthropods, both ramp (n = 12) and pitfall traps (n = 12) were set up in four paired transects in Korkiakallio forest (Turku, Finland), in summer 2022. The project team identified adult spiders to the species level, and other arthropods to the family level. Ramp traps captured significantly more individuals of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), beetles (Coleoptera), true bugs (Hemiptera), and spiders of the species Minyriolus pusillus (Wider, 1834) (Araneae: Linyphiidae), while pitfall traps captured more myriapods (Myriapoda). Our findings provide additional evidence that ramp traps are not only a viable alternative to pitfall traps in challenging environments, but also complement (and should ideally be used alongside) pitfall traps.

KEYWORDS:

• Arthropoda
• spiders
• beetles
• ants
• myriapods
• true bugs

Acknowledgements

We thank Iida Österman (Turku, Finland) for helping with field work, Anssi Teräs (Turku, Finland) for practical help with materials, and Tuija Österman (Helsinki, Finland) and Mats Österman (Porvoo, Finland) for helping with construction of the ramp traps. We also thank The Finnish Expert Group on Araneae for providing funds for logistics and material costs of the ramp traps. The Alfred Kordelin Foundation funded Tapani Hopkins’s research (on Ugandan parasitoid wasps) when writing this article. This research is derived from the first author’s bachelor’s thesis in biology at the University of Turku, Finland.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Emil M. Österman

Emil M. Österman is a master’s student in biology at the University of Turku. His research interests include entomology and arachnology.

Tapani Hopkins

Tapani Hopkins studies Ugandan wasps at his home in western Finland and at the Zoological Museum of the University of Turku. His research interests include the diversity and taxonomy of tropical parasitoid wasps.

Alireza Zamani

Alireza Zamani is a postdoctoral researcher at the Biodiversity Unit of the University of Turku. His main research interests are the systematics and biogeography of spiders, primarily specializing in the fauna of the Caucasus, Middle East, and Central Asia.