ABUNDANCE AND DIVERSITY OF HOMOPTERA IN THE CANOPY OF A TROPICAL FOREST

Abstract. 1. A series of samples of Homoptera was obtained by fogging the canopy of Luehea seemannii trees in tropical forest in the Panama Canal Zone at three different times of the year. 2. The peak of abundance occurs around July (at least 11.8 individuals/m2), in the early wet season, at a time when most of the trees in the forest, including Luehea are producing new leaves. 3. Minimum abundance occurs in March (at least 3.5 individuals/m2), in the late dry season. 4. The samples obtained are some 35% richer in species per given number of individuals than light trap samples taken simultaneously in a similar forest some 6 km away from the present sampling site. 5. The data show that the effect of intensive light trapping on the populations of Homoptera in the forest is virtually negligible. 6. For a given sample size the tropical samples are many times richer in species than samples from temperate areas. Copyright © 1979, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved