Professor David Wagner of the Department of Ecololgy and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Connecticut is compiling data for a field guide to the Caterpillars of Western North America. The work will treat 1000 macrolepidopteran and key microlepidopterans caterpillars. Lepidoptera commonly of interest to land managers and/or the general public will be included: e.g., species of conservation interest, those that frequently find their way into classrooms and nature centers, those of medical importance, etc.
Researchers collecting and inventorying moths
Moth collecting: Adult moths will be collected by light trapping with black- and mercury vapor lights. We will use live traps and sheet collecting (to acquire live females which can be egged). Sheet collecting involves hanging a light in front of a white sheet in order to attract moths.
David’s group is gathering caterpillars and/or gravid females from locations across the Colorado Desert District (Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, Palomar Mountain State Park, Salton Sea State Recreation Area and Picacho State Recreation Area, etc.)