Robert Erickson, Utah Valley University
Life Sciences
Although the insect fauna of the Colorado Plateau region are somewhat well known, our specific understanding of the arthropod biodiversity in Capitol Reef National Park is sparse.
Objective: We carried out a survey of the insect diversity of the park and produced a pamphlet that is available for visitors to the Park and to the Capitol Reef Field Station, operated by UVU.
Methods: In addition to the previous collecting trips during 2011 and 2012, we carried out collection efforts this past summer (2013). We used the Utah Valley University Capitol Reef Field Station as our home base. General insect collecting efforts were conducted around the field station and the nearby Pleasant Creek, near the public campground, along trails, and in several other locations in the southern portion of the park. Additionally, we performed night collecting with a mercury vapor lamp trap on the nights we were in the park. The collected specimens were curated using methods of pinning, spreading, labeling, identifying, photographing, and organizing the insects.
Results: The collections contributed to an increased understanding of the parks insect diversity and resulted in a curated natural history museum collection. More than 2000 specimens have been collected within the park. Species counts of some of the orders with a large number of specimens include: 65 Lepidopteran species, 43 Coleopteran species, 29 Hemipteran species, 36 Hymenopteran species, 25 Dipteran species, and 18 Orthopteran species. Furthermore, a pamphlet of the common insects for the park was created and printed in order to serve as an educational tool for visitors to the park and field station.