Assessment of the insects associated with two vegetation types on San Salvador, Bahamas

On San Salvador, Bahamas, the plant Mimosa bahamensis (Benth) dominates much of the plant community of the island interior, known as Blackland. The shrubby tree’s inward hooking spines give it the common name haulback, because when caught by it, it literally hauls the victim backward. This study compares the insects collected in January, 2009 by malaise trap sampling near haulback in the Blacklands with those associated with more coastal Whiteland vegetation, lacking haulback. The Blackland site had fewer insects overall than the Whiteland site, as well as fewer orders and families. Diptera was the most abundant order at both sampling sites; Lepidoptera and Hymenoptera were also abundant at both.