A comparison of Malaise trapping and aerial netting for sampling a horsefly and deerfly community

A comparison was made of the effectiveness of Malaise traps and insect nets for sampling a community of 50 species of Tabanidae collected near Deer Lake, Boonton, New Jersey, in 1974. Five sites in the study area were sampled by Malaise traps and by sweeping an insect net around the head. Comparisons were made of 4 community and 4 population parameters. No significant difference existed between the species richness of the community of flies sampled by each method, but Malaise traps sampled the tabanid community with greater diversity and evenness than did insect nets. The species composition of the community trapped by each method differed substantially. Hybomitra and Tabanus were sampled in significantly greater numbers with Malaise traps while nets favoured the dominant species of Chrysops. Seasonal niche breadths, seasonal ranges and seasonal distributions were measured concordantly by each sampling method. Neither trapping method should be used alone in studies concerning the entire tabanid community, but they can be used effectively together.