2001 Volume 10 Issue 3 Pages 463-472
Pitfall sampling of terrestrial arthropods was carried out at an arable field in West Sumatran highland (all. 900-1000 m a.s.l.) during August 1994 - September 1995 and March 1996 August 1997 to study the seasonal population dynamics and community structure of terrestrial arthropods. Ants were the most abundant arthropods, followed by spiders, Orthoptera, Coleoptera, Dermaptera, and Isopoda. Less abundant were Chilopoda, Diplopoda, Blattodea, Heteroptera, and larval Lepidoptera. Other than arthropods, earthworms (Annelida) were captured frequently. All taxa showed more or less continuous activity throughout the year. Although no taxon showed strictly seasonal appearance, the captures for some taxonomic groups differed significantly among months and tended to be high in April-May and September-October. Rainfalls reduced the captures of most taxa, with time lags of a few weeks.
