Comparison of two population sampling methods used in field life history studies of Mesovelia mulsanti (Heteroptera: Gerromorpha: Mesoveliidae) in southern Illinois

Abstract

A field life history study of Mesovelia mulsanti was conducted in southern Illinois, the results of which are compared with those from an earlier study also conducted in southern Illinois. The two studies differed in the collecting techniques used (quadrat sampler versus aquatic net). Results of the present study give a clearer picture of the life history of this insect because the quadrat sampler collected representative samples of nymphs and adults more effectively than the aquatic net and, thus, the quadrat samples more accurately represented the actual chronology of the annual generations.