PREY CAPTURE BY A CARNIVOROUS PLANT WITH HANGING ADHESIVE TRAPS - PINGUICULA-LONGIFOLIA

Arthropods captured by the hanging leaves of Pinguicula longifolia subsp. longifolia, a carnivorous endemic plant of the Pyrenees, have been analyzed. The size and taxonomic group of prey were compared to the available arthropods in the local environment, which were captured using artificial traps placed within and next to the plant populations. Unlike other Pinguicula species, its diet consists almost exclusively of flying insects (mainly diptera). Leaves caught basically small insects (1-4 mm length), and a higher proportion of diptera than traps. These results suggest that its diet is influenced by several factors: the spatial disposition of leaves, their restricted retention capacity of captured insects, and some attracting trait of leaves for certain insects.