A line transect density index for wolf spiders (Pardosa spp.), and a note on the applicability of catch per unit effort methods to entomological studies

Abstract

1. A line transect density index for small wolf spiders is described and shown by means of regression analysis to provide adequate accuracy and excellent reproducibility.2. A review of the literature discloses numerous regression and replication studies of other catch per unit effort methods possessing equal precision and reliability.3. Such methods, when used judiciously, can provide accuracy and reproducibility as good as those obtainable using the statistical methods now in wider use, and deserve serious consideration in many kinds of sampling situations.