Abstract
In air-polluted mountain areas of the Czech Republic, including the Ore Mountains, pure forest stands of introduced blue spruce (Picea pungens) were established in the 1980’s. We studied the Symphyta (Hymenoptera) fauna in the canopies of these trees at four sites and in the canopies of adjacent Picea abies trees at one of these sites by beating tree branches. For the first time, Nearctic blue spruce is reported as a host for 17 European species of Symphyta (sawflies). Diprionids in the genus Gilpinia were the most abundant sawflies on P. pungens and were more abundant on P. pungens than on the native Picea abies. Spruce pamphiliids in the genus Cephalcia were also more abundant on P. pungens than on P. abies, while the abundances of representatives of the tenthredinid genera Pikonema, Pachynematus, and Pristiphora were similar on P. pungens and P. abies. Our results indicate that many species of European spruce Symphyta are able to use the allochthonous species P. pungens as a host.
Highlights
In Central Europe, P. abies (L.) Karst is the only native species of spruce (Schwenke 1978)
Beginning in the 1980s, pure stands of P. pungens have been planted in an area of about 100 km2 in the air-polluted mountain regions of the Czech Republic
The blue spruce P. pungens is planted in the extensive, air-polluted areas of the Czech Republic, the Symphyta fauna developing on this allochthonous plant have not been thoroughly studied
Summary
In Central Europe, P. abies (L.) Karst is the only native species of spruce (Schwenke 1978). Beginning in the 1980s, pure stands of P. pungens have been planted in an area of about 100 km in the air-polluted mountain regions of the Czech Republic. At least 34 species belonging to three families of Symphyta (32 species in Central Europe) feed on needles of native spruce in Europe. These feeders include Pamphiliidae with at least nine species of Cephalcia (Viitasaari 2002), Diprionidae with four Gilpinia species and Microdiprion fuscipennis (Forsius, 1911) (Kontuniemi 1960, Viitasaari and Varama 1987), and Tenthredinidae with 15 Pristiphora s.l. The blue spruce P. pungens is planted in the extensive, air-polluted areas of the Czech Republic, the Symphyta fauna developing on this allochthonous plant have not been thoroughly studied. The goals of this study were (i) to identify the sawflies that feed on P. pungens in the Czech Republic and (ii) to compare the abundances of these sawflies on the native P. abies and on the introduced P. pungens
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