Trap data of Bogong moths (Agrotis infusa) for traps operating across eastern Australia

This data underpins the publication "New insights from old data: the complex migration and breeding patterns of the bogong moth, Agrotis infusa (Boisduval) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in eastern Australia".

The data arises from the operation of fifteen light traps and one food trap across Victoria, NSW and South Australia. The traps ran within the period 1960-1990.

Trap details:

Victoria. Nine light traps were placed on farms in western, central, northeast, and eastern Victoria (Table 1). Traps followed the Pennsylvania design (Gregg & Wilson 1991, Smith & McDonald 1986) using a 20-watt backlight and insecticide strips, operating from 1980–1987 and emptied bi-weekly or weekly.

New South Wales. Six light traps were deployed in northern NSW. Two Robinson design traps (Gregg & Wilson 1991) fitted with upward-facing 160-watt blended mercury vapour lamps were mounted on mountain towers (~1,500 m) (Gregg et al. 1993). Four Pennsylvania design traps were mounted at ground level with an eight-watt blacklight fluorescent tube and carousel catch containers with 70% ethanol. A fermentation trap (modified Texas design) using fermenting port wine and sugar, primarily for M. convecta, was operated at Fowlers Gap research facility in southwest NSW and was sometimes effective in catching A. infusa (McDonald 1990a; McDonald & Farrow 1990).

South Australia. The trap was located at the Turretfield Research Centre, 45 km northeast of Adelaide (Oertel et al. 1999). The trap was fitted with a 125-watt mercury vapour lamp following the Robinson design.

Data blanks in the dataset indicate dates in which the traps did not operate rather than zero catches.