ATTRACTION AND DIRECT MORTALITY OF PANDORA MOTHS, COLORADIA-PANDORA (LEPIDOPTERA, SATURNIIDAE), BY NOCTURNAL FIRE

The attraction of nocturnal moths to candles and other sources of ligh t has long been observed, but fire as a potential source of mortality to moths in ecosystems with frequent fire regimes has been overlooked. A prescribed burn was conducted shortly after dark in a central Orego n ponderosa pine forest during the flight period of the endemic defoli ator Coloradia pandora (Blake). Attraction to the fire and partial con sumption by flames caused direct mortality estimated at 2.2% to 17.1% of the local pandora moth population. In field tests with projected li ght, pandora moths did not discriminate among colors in the visible sp ectrum. Moths did not respond to projected light for at least 1 h afte r dusk, indicating that timing and duration of the prescribed fire may have limited the mortality. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.