Invertebrate communities living in the superficial subterranean environment (MSS, Milieu Souterrain Superficiel) have rarely been studied. One possible reason for this is the labor-intensive sampling method that must be used. The most suitable method to collect these arthropods is by using subterranean sampling devices (SSDs, vertically buried tubes with side holes and a pitfall trap at the bottom). However, there is a possibility that surface-active species that encounter the tube from the outside will follow it into the depths and eventually fall through a hole into the trap at a greater depth, which may influence the recorded species composition within a particular depth range. We examined for the first time the depth specificity of SSDs in the scree layer of a rock glacier in the Swiss National Park. We compared the catches from 1 m long standard SSDs over a period of one year with catches from short sections of standard tubes buried at different depths (15–35, 40–60, 70–90 cm) in the scree layer so that they only captured arthropods at their particular depth range. In total, we found individuals of 11 arthropod species and one gastropod species in the different SSDs. Catches from standard SSDs did not differ in species composition from catches from short tubes buried at a depth range of 40–90 cm, confirming the depth specificity of standard SSDs.
