Pastureland Copses As Habitats For A Primeval Forest Relict: A Unique Location Of The Rosalia Longicorn Rosalia Alpina (L.) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) In The Polish Carpathians

Abstract

Abstract The Rosalia longicorn Rosalia alpina is regarded as a primeval forest relict and occurs mainly in old beech woodland in mountain areas. This paper describes a locality of the species in a copse surrounded by pastures, lying in open farmland situated at some distance from woodlands. The larval host plant was Wych Elm Ulmus glabra. The trees at this locality were dying from Dutch elm disease, which is caused by the fungus Ophiostoma sp. It is demonstrated that under favourable circumstances R. alpina can also colonise copses in pastureland, a hitherto unknown habitat for this species. At the same time this newly discovered locality may signify a change in the species’ habitat preferences. R. alpina is under threat, however, from the possible felling of the dead trees by the landowner; conservation measures should therefore include a mechanism for financial compensation in return for not cutting the trees down. This work has shown that copses may be used by endangered saproxylic species. The discovery of a R. alpina locality in a pastureland copse gives an indication of the importance of pockets of unmanaged habitat in the farming landscape, which could be contributing to the preservation of populations of rare species.