ANNUAL FLIGHT PATTERNS AND DIVERSITY OF BARK AND AMBROSIA BEETLES (COL, SCOLYTIDAE AND PLATYPODIDAE) ATTRACTED TO BAIT LOGS IN ZAMBIA

The annual flight patterns and diversity of scolytid and platypodid beetles in miombo woodland in Zambia were observed by year-round trapping in 1979-80 and 1983-84. In the former year, window traps were baited with Brachystegia and Julbernardia logs, in the latter with Pterocarpus logs. Both families and some species of beetles are present throughout the year, but the major flight period for most species coincides with the onset of heavy rains in October or November. Numbers of individuals and species caught were significantly lower in 1983-84 for both families of beetles. This can probably be related in part to the greater resistance of Pterocarpus logs to attacks by the beetles. Despite the variation in numbers and species, the species-abundance relationships of the two beetle families were very similar in both years.