Light traps were operated between September and April for five years on towers on
mountain tops at two locations in northern New South Wales, Australia. The traps were
designed so that their lights could only be seen from above, and therefore only insects
engaged in high altitude flight, presumed to be migrants, were captured. The catch consisted
mostly of Noctuidae and Sphingidae. Sweep netting failed to reveal local breeding, and for
many species there were few host plants close to the traps. A total of 51,580 moths were …

Catches of moths in tower-mounted light traps in northern New South Wales were analysed
in relation to local and synoptic weather. Catches were correlated with windspeed, relative
humidity and possibly rainfall. No correlations were obtained with temperature or moon
phase. Catches were more likely to occur when winds were from the east, and were
associated with wind shifts. There was a significant association with the passage of
depressions or troughs, but not cold fronts. The traps were considered to be poor indicators …