Radosław Plewa

Surrogate tree cavities: boxes with artificial substrate can serve as temporary habitat for Osmoderma barnabita (Motsch.) (Coleoptera, Cetoniinae)

Abstract Many saproxylic insects have declined or became extinct, mainly due to habitat loss and fragmentation, and their survival increasingly depends on active conservation. Efforts to achieve this goal may be supported by the introduction of new methods, including creation of artificial habitats. Here we present results of studies on the use of wooden boxes mimicking tree cavities for an endangered saproxylic species, Osmoderma barnabita. Boxes were filled with the feeding substrate for larvae and installed on trees. Second and third-instar O. barnabita larvae were introduced in half of the boxes; the remaining ones were left uninhabited. Later inspection of boxes showed a high survival rate of introduced larvae, as well as successful breeding of a new generation inside the boxes. At the same time boxes were not colonized by the local population of O. barnabita, although other cetoniids did so. The co-occurring larvae of other cetoniids did not affect O. barnabita larvae. Thermal conditions inside boxes and natural tree cavities were almost identical and based on the results of our studies we conclude that wooden boxes may serve as temporary habitat for O. barnabita. They may be particularly useful in cases of destruction of species’ natural habitat, in restoration programs, and have the potential to act as a ‘stepping stones’ in cases of a lack of habitat continuity.

Tree species and position matter: the role of pests for survival of other insects

We investigated insects overwintering in Norway spruce and Scots pine killed by cambium‐feeding beetles. The study was conducted in five large forests in north‐eastern Poland. Insects were reared from wood samples cut from the upper and lower parts of trees growing in both shaded and sun‐exposed conditions. We found that the species richness of overwintering insects on killed trees was mainly driven by the position in the lower trunk strata rather than in crowns or along a sun–shade gradient. Even though pine and spruce shared almost the same species composition, spruce hosted a significantly higher number of species, including beneficial ones. These results support the hypothesis that disturbance regimes change the spatial distribution of biodiversity, which is higher in low strata, as is known for abiotic disturbances that change the environment of the forest. One of the most important messages emerging from the present study is that pest beetle disturbance during non‐outbreak periods creates habitats that are necessary for the survival of myriads of other insects. Thus, maintaining parts of the trees that were killed by bark and wood‐boring beetles, especially high stumps, would help to support biodiversity in managed forests.

Saproxylic moths reveal complex within-group and group-environment patterns

We investigated saproxylic moths of the family Tineidae, a neglected group inhabiting wood-decaying fungi and dead wood, within the Białowieża Primeval Forest in Poland. Study data were obtained from the collection of 280 fruiting bodies of wood-decaying fungi and the subsequent rearing of adults. Spatial and statistical distribution of saproxylic moths, relationship among species and the influence of environment reflected by interaction with tree and fungal species together with tree and stand level characteristics were studied. Fifteen species and 533 individuals of saproxylic moths were reared. The fungal species, number of fruiting bodies and standing position of a tree influenced species richness. Moth abundance was influenced by fungal species, coniferous trees, increasing tree diameter, number of fruiting bodies and brown rot. Moth abundance was also enhanced by standing dead trees located in managed forests with higher canopy closure. Analyses indicate that several moth species favor a particular rot type and that some fungi host a richer fauna than others. Furthermore, our results indicate mutually independent fungal colonization events by saproxylic moth species, and thus a possible mechanism exists for competition avoidance with other saproxylic moths. Saproxylic moths revealed complex within-group patterns that responded differently to environmental variables. Thus, potential conservation of these organisms requires various approaches including ecosystem management, especially in the context of addressing their diverse habitat requirements.

Fungus moths (Lepidoptera, Tineidae) of the Bialowieza Forest

Abstract New records for twenty species of saproxylic tineid moths (Lepidoptera, Tineidae) from the Białowieża Forest (NE Poland) are presented. Most species were recorded on the basis of laboratory breeding of the adult moths from the sporocarps of wood-decaying fungi inhabited by the larvae. Some species were captured using barrier traps or were collected at light. One species, Dryadaula irinae (Savenkov, 1989), is recorded for the first time from Poland and three others, Nemaxera betulinella (Paykull, 1785), Nemapogon fungivorella (Benander, 1939) and Elatobia fuliginosella Lienig & Zeller, 1846, are recognized as new for the fauna of the Białowieża Forest. The current distribution in Poland of each species is briefly discussed, and some remarks on its biology are given

The Saproxylic Beetle Corticaria bella Redtenbacher, 1847 (Coleoptera: Cucujoidea: Latridiidae) in Europe: Distribution and Habitats

Abstract All available information on the distribution and habitat requirements of saproxylic beetle Corticaria bella Redtenbacher in Europe is presented. The first record of C. bella in Finland (new country record) is based on museum specimens. Data on the occurrence of this species in Greece is supplemented based on specimens from a private collection. As a result of our research conducted in 2009–2010, the presence of C. bella in Poland is confirmed after more than 100 years; the species was found at three new sites in the central and eastern parts of the country, in 1001-year-old oak stands. Records of C. bella in Finland and Poland shift the hitherto known distribution of this species toward the northeast. Methods of collection of C. bella and characteristics of the habitats of the species are discussed. Based on available literature, C. bella is considered a very rare and locally occurring species in Europe. It prefers deciduous forests with oak (Quercus spp.) and coniferous stands with pine (Pinus spp.). The species develops in subcortical layers of dead wood infested by wood-decaying fungi.

Two New Species of Xorides Latreille from Crete with a Checklist of Greek Xoridinae Shuckard (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae)

Abstract. Xorides (Moerophora) dorotae Hilszczański sp. nov. and X. (Xorides) minos Hilszczański sp. nov. from Crete are newly described and figured. Species of Xoridinae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) from Greece are listed. Only X. corcyrensis (Kriechbaumer) and Odontocolon appendiculatum (Gravenhorst) had been known so far from the country. Odontocolon quercinum Thomson, X. berlandi Clèment, X. propinquus (Tschek), X. praecatorius (F.) and X. gravenhorstii Curtis are new for the Greek fauna. Aegomorphus krueperi Kraatz (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is recorded as a host for X. propinquus.