Abstract Bait traps are a standard technique for studies of tropical butterfly community ecology and long-term assessment of population trends, with butterflies often regarded as biodiversity indicators. Fermented banana is the standard bait, but carrion baits, which may attract more individuals, species, and taxonomic groups, are also commonly used. However, the influence of carrion bait type on the butterfly sample is unknown. Here, we assessed the efficiency of three sources of carrion bait (shrimp, snapper, and tilapia), with banana as a comparison, in sampling butterflies in a west Ecuadorian premontane rainforest. Different carrion baits resulted in minor variation in sampled abundance and species diversity and minimal variation in species composition. All carrion baits recorded up to four times higher butterfly abundance than banana. Species composition was virtually identical among carrion baits, but only about half as similar to that sampled with banana. Choosing a consistent carrion bait for a monitoring scheme will facilitate temporal and spatial comparisons, but, given the minimal differences among carrion baits, practical considerations such as accessibility or cost may help determine bait choice. Finally, in agreement with other researchers, we support the simultaneous use of carrion and fruit baits to significantly increase sampled taxonomic diversity.
Salazar-Carrión et al. (Thu,) studied this question.
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