First data on the Orthoptera diversity of Poštak Mountain and its surroundings (Croatia)

Summary

The insect fauna of the Dinarides is not widely studied. In 2013 and 2014, an orthopterological survey was conducted on the Po?tak Mountain and its surroundings in the Lika region (Croatia), in order to sample the orthopteran communities of the prominent habitat types of the area. From 24 sampling sites, 80 Orthoptera species (44 Ensifera and 36 Caelifera) were collected, which amounts to almost half the known species in Croatia. One species, Pholidoptera frivaldszkyi, is recorded for the first time in the country.     

Do Eucalyptus plantations host an insect community similar to remnant Eucalyptus forest?

Abstract We examined the potential of forest plantations to support communities of forest‐using insects when planted into an area with greatly reduced native forest cover. We surveyed the insect fauna of Eucalyptus globulus (Myrtaceae) plantations and native Eucalyptus marginata dominated remnant woodland in south‐western Australia, comparing edge to interior habitats, and plantations surrounded by a pastoral matrix to plantations adjacent to native remnants. We also surveyed insects in open pasture. Analyses focused on three major insect orders: Coleoptera, Lepidoptera and Hymenoptera. Plantations were found to support many forest‐using insect species, but the fauna had an overall composition that was distinct from the remnant forest. The pasture fauna had more in common with plantations than forest remnants. Insect communities of plantations were different from native forest both because fewer insect species were present, and because they had a few more abundant insect species. Some of the dominant species in plantations were known forestry pests. One pest species (Gonipterus scutellatus) was also very abundant in remnant forest, although it was only recently first recorded in Western Australia. It may be that plantation forestry provided an ecological bridge that facilitated invasion of the native forest by this nonendemic pest species. Plantation communities had more leaf‐feeding moths and beetles than remnant forests. Plantations also had fewer ants, bees, evanioid wasps and predatory canopy beetles than remnants, but predatory beetles were more common in the understory of plantations than remnants. Use of broad spectrum insecticides in plantations might limit the ability of these natural enemies to regulate herbivore populations. There were only weak indications of differences in composition of the fauna at habitat edges and no consistent differences between the fauna of plantations adjacent to remnant vegetation and those surrounded by agriculture, suggesting that there is little scope for managing biodiversity outcomes by choosing different edge to interior ratios or by locating plantations near or far from remnants.     

On the spider population of the area adjacent to Teletskoe Lake (Northeast Altai)

Investigations have been carried out in the area adjacent to Teletskoe Lake in the Altai Nature Reserve. Checklists of species for the studied habitats and their comparative analysis are given. Previous data on the fauna of spiders in the Altai Nature Reserve have been supplemented by 39 species. Three species have been recorded for the first time in the fauna of the Altai Mountains. The complexes of dominant species have been revealed. Peculiarities of the seasonal dynamics of the population for order as a whole and for separate herpetobiont spiders groups have been considered.     

The size and composition of the hymenopteran fauna of Costa Rica

An intensive survey of the hymenopteran fauna of Costa Rica provides an opportunity to explore the size and composition of a species-rich insect order in a large tropical region. A working estimate of the richness of the fauna is 20,000 species. This is consistent with some published estimates of the numbers of species of Hymenoptera worldwide, but at odds with suggestions that all insect species number several tens of millions. Sixty-one families of Hymenoptera have been collected in Costa Rica, and the numbers of species per unit area is more than twice that of most of the other regions for which data are available. The Costa Rican fauna has higher proportions of egg parasitoids and of eusocial species, and a lower proportion of primary phytophages than that of the British Isles.     

Insect Conservation in an Urban Biodiversity Hotspot: The San Francisco Bay Area

The San Francisco Bay Area hosts a diverse insect fauna and a dense cluster of urban areas. The high diversity of insects in the Bay Area arises for three primary reasons: its location in the California biotic province, the diverse local environment and the entomologist-area effect. The juxtaposition of high insect diversity and an area intensively used by humans led to the first recorded extinction as well as the first efforts to conserve insects in the United States. Habitat loss due to urbanization, agriculture, and invasive species is largely responsible for local extinctions and reduction in abundance of the remaining species. Invasive species such as the Argentine ant and pathogens causing mortality of oaks and pines are poised to have substantial impacts on the insect fauna of the Bay Area in the near future. Understanding which taxa can or cannot persist in remnant habitat patches within an urban or agricultural matrix, and what management practices would encourage persistence should be a focus of future research. Assessments of population status should be focused on insects at risk of extinction because of their restricted geographic ranges, low vagility, interactions with invasive species, or known reduction in their habitat. Assessments that combine examinations of museum collections, literature, and field surveys might enable determination of the status of many species within the Bay Area. Such an approach might better define the scope and magnitude of the problem of conserving insects in an increasingly urbanized region.     

云南西双版纳地区的萤叶甲（鞘翅目：叶甲科）

本文是云南西双版纳地区萤叶甲亚科区系研究的一部分,记述了３新种及中国３新纪录种,它们分别为：云南萤叶甲Ｇａｌｅｒｕｃａ ｙｕｎｎａｎａ Ｙａｎｇ ｅｔＬｉ,ｓｐ．ｎｏｖ．、毛殊角萤叶Ａｇｅｔｏｃｅｒａ ｓｉｍｉｌｉｓ Ｃｈｅｎ,ｓｐ．ｎｏｖ．、黄胸摹萤叶甲Ｍｕｎｉｎａ ｆｌａｖｉｄａ Ｙａｎｇ ｅｔ Ｙａｏ,ｓｐ．ｎｏｖ．以及罗氏阿波萤叶甲Ａｐｌｏｓｏｎｙｘ ｒｏｂｉｎｓｏｎｉ（Ｊａｃｏｂｙ,１９     

Amphibiotic insects of mountain lakes and small watercourses in the Urals

A total of 127 species of stoneflies, dayflies, caddisflies, and chironomids were found in the lakes and small watercourses of the Northern and Pre-Polar Urals. The highest species diversity (78 species) and number were the characteristics of chironomids. Along with widely distributed species, Siberian and Arctic species were revealed in the fauna. The Arctic stonefly Capnia zaicevi Klap and 24 chironomid species were found for the first time on the territory of Komi Republic. Lists of registered insect species and data on their occurrence, abundance, and biomass are given.     

Recent introduction of an allodapine bee into Fiji: A new model system for understanding biological invasions by pollinators

Morphology‐based studies have suggested a very depauperate bee fauna for islands in the South West Pacific, and recent genetic studies since have indicated an even smaller endemic fauna with many bee species in this region resulting from human‐aided dispersal. These introduced species have the potential to both disrupt native pollinator suites as well as augment crop pollination, but for most species the timings of introduction are unknown. We examined the distribution and nesting biology of the long‐tongued bee Braunsapis puangensis that was first recorded from Fiji in 2007. This bee has now become widespread in Fiji and both its local abundance and geographical range are likely to increase dramatically. The impacts of this invasion are potentially enormous for agriculture and native ecosystems, but they also provide opportunities for understanding how social insect species adapt to new environments. We outline the major issues associated with this recent invasion and argue that a long‐term monitoring study is needed.     

Responses of insects,especially Chironomidae (Diptera), and mites to 130 years of acidification in a Scottish lake

About 130 years of anthropogenic acidification of Round Loch of Glenhead, SW Scotland, has resulted in successively decreased stability, diversity, productivity and survival rate of the non-biting midge (Diptera: Chironomidae) fauna. Similar trends have also been observed among mayflies, caddis-flies and water mites. The first effects of anthropogenic acidification on the insect and mite fauna, as evidenced by palaeolimnological analyses of²¹⁰Pb-dated sediment cores, occurred as early as around 1850, i.e. earlier than in any other lake hitherto studied. The drop in the lake's pH was first indicated by decreased stability and changes in species composition of chironomids and mayflies in the littoral zone. Major changes in the profundal chironomid fauna did not take place until about 1950, when mean lake pH dropped below 5.0. At the same time, the littoral insect fauna became even more unstable and the first significant elimination of species occurred. Comparison with insect fauna of other lakes suggests that a pH of less than 5 might be critical for the ecological conditions in many acidified lakes. None of the twelve most common chironomid species present prior to the acidification of the lake had disappeared after 120–130 years of considerable acidification, and they are all common in oligotrophic lakes with a pH of 6.5–7.0. This is in contrast to the effects of heavy acidification on other aquatic animal groups. Chironomids are probably more sensitive to lake trophic status than lake acidity.     

The jumping-lice (Homoptera,Psyllinea) fauna of the Republic of Altai

A faunal list of Psyllinae of the Republic of Altai is given. Out of the 59 species reported, 35 are new to the fauna of the area under study, 10 are new to Siberia, and 3 are recorded for the first time from Russia.     

Croatian mayflies (Insecta,Ephemeroptera): species diversity and distribution patterns

Knowledge of the mayfly biodiversity in the Balkan Peninsula is still far from complete. Compared to the neighbouring countries, the mayfly fauna in Croatia is very poorly known. Situated at the crossroads of central and Mediterranean Europe and the Balkan Peninsula, Croatia is divided into two ecoregions: Dinaric western Balkan and Pannonian lowland. Mayflies were sampled between 2003 and 2013 at 171 sites, and a total of 66 species was recorded. Combined with the literature data, the Croatian mayfly fauna reached a total of 79 taxa. Of these, 29 species were recorded for the first time in Croatia while 15 species were not previously recorded in Dinaric western Balkan ecoregion. Based on the mayfly assemblage, sampling sites were first structured by ecoregion and then by habitat type. In comparison with the surrounding countries, the Croatian mayfly fauna is the most similar to the Hungarian and Bosnian fauna. Some morphologically interesting taxa such as Baetis cf. nubecularis Eaton, 1898 and Rhithrogena from the diaphana group were recorded. Ephemera cf. parnassiana Demoulin, 1958, the species previously recorded only from Greece, was also recorded.     

Annotated list of demersal fishes occurring at Sedlo Seamount, Azores north-east central Atlantic Ocean

Several fish surveys were carried out in recent years at Sedlo Seamount, Azores, north-eastern central Atlantic Ocean. An objective of the surveys was to determine the species composition of the demersal fish species living in the area. Four types of sampling gears (bottom trawl and three types of longline) were used at Sedlo Seamount resulting in very different species composition by gear and a very complete coverage of the fish fauna of the area. A list of fishes caught with these sampling methods is presented, along with other specific auxiliary information. Altogether 78 species from 43 families were listed for Sedlo Seamount, and as far as is known, 15 species were recorded for the first time for Azorean waters.     

Species composition and distribution of echinoderms (Echinodermata) in the upper subtidal zone of Kola Bay,Barents Sea

The species composition and patterns of distribution of echinoderms from the upper sublittoral zone to depth of 30 m in the southern and middle of Kola Bay in the Barents Sea were studied. In total, five species of starfishes, four species of brittle stars, three species of sea urchins and one species of holothurians were recorded. From the beginning of 20th century, under the impact of climate change and anthropogenic effect, the number of echinoderm species in the surveyed area decreased by two times, and the fauna has a more boreal character against the background of the domination of boreal-arctic species. The occurrence, population density and biomass of echinoderms, especially of common species, were several times less in the middle bend of the bay than in the southern one. The causes of this phenomenon have been discussed. The quantitative data (frequency of occurrence, number and biomass) for most of the species of echinoderms living in Kola Bay are given for the first time.     

Four new records of the phlebotominic fauna of the Genus Lutzomyia França (Diptera: Psychodidae, Phlebotominae) of the rural district of Brejo do Mutambal, Varzelândia, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil

During April and May 2006, experiments were carried out in Brejo do Mutambal, Varzelandia Town, Minas Gerais State, to evaluate the attractiveness of phlebotomine sandflies to CDC light traps, baited with kairomones. Of the 19 species of Lutzomyia already registered for the region, L. lutziana (Costa Lima), L. longipennis (Barreto), L. goiana (Martins, Falc?o & Silva) and L. brasiliensis (Costa Lima) were recorded for the first time, thus increasing the diversity of phlebotomine sandflies fauna in this area to 23 species. The new registered species and distribution are shown and discussed herein.     

The Tardigrades of Emilia (Italy). III. Piane di Mocogno (Northern Apennines)

Samples of leaf litter, mosses and lichens were collected in a beech forest at Piane di Mocogno (Emilia, Italy), 1200 m asl. The tardigrade community of the leaf litter was similar to that found in this substrate in Italy and in the U.S.A. At Piane di Mocogno the species association within the leaf litter was different from that in mosses and lichens (which have similar fauna), confirming that very different communities characterise different substrates such as leaf litter and mosses. During this faunal analysis, six species of tardigrades were found for the first time in this area. The presence of Microhypsibius bertolanii (first record in leaf litter and in Italy) and Eohypsibius nadjae are note worthy. Ornamented eggs in an exuvium of Hypsibius cf.scabropygus were also recorded for the first time.     

Parasitic fauna of the cherry salmon in the Maritime Territory

23 species of fresh water parasites were recorded from cherry salmon of which 11 species were first recorded from this host and 14 species from the Maritime Territory. The monogeneans Tetraonchus awakurai and T. oncorhynchus are specific for this host. Most strongly it is infected with parasites the intermediate hosts of which are benthic organisms. Oligochaetes, larvae of amphibiotic insects and amphipods play a considerable role in the feeding of cherry salmon in fresh water. Differences in the parasitic fauna of this fish from southern and northern parts of the Maritime Territory were found out. In the north the food ration of this species is more limited with predominance of oligochaetes in it. Diversity of the aquatic fauna, the abundance of invertebrates and fishes in it, the history of fauna formation define the peculiarities of parasitic fauna of the cherry salmon.     

Population density and species composition of moss-living tardigrades in a boreo-nemoral forest

This study investigates for the first time the tardigrade fauna in a variety of different mosses from a coniferous forest and an adjacent clear-cut area in southern Sweden. Tardigrades were found in a majority of the samples. Sixteen species were recorded, of which the cosmopolitan species Macrobiotus hufelandi was the far most common. Some mosses, particularly species with "wefts" growth form, contained more tardigrades than other mosses, indicating that growth form may have an impact on tardigrade abundance. Mosses of the same species collected from a forest and from a clear-cut, respectively, did not show a general trend in the overall abundance of tardigrades, but the forest tended to contain more species. Five species of tardigrades ( Murrayon dianae, Isohypsibius sattleri, Platicrista angustata, Diphascon belgicae and Diphascon pingue ) never previously reported from Sweden were recorded.