Studies on the population frequency of insects and mites causing galls on the leaves of the sycamore maple Acer pseudoplatanus L. in southern Poland

Abstract

Species composition of galls on the leaves of Acer pseudoplatanus L. was analysed in 2002 in three localities: the Wolski Forest, near an urban agglomeration of Krakow, the Ojcow National Park and the Andrychow Forest District. A total of 12,013 galls were found. The galls were caused by six insect or mite species. The species composition of the galls was identical in the three localities. Artacris cephaloneus (Nalepa) was the most abundant species. The index of occurrence frequency and Agrell’s index of species co-occurrence were calculated. The index of occurrence frequency (F) value was highest in the case of A. cephaloneus (1.277) and the lowest value, i.e. 0.00005—both from the Wolski Forest. The highest value for Agrell’s index of species co-occurrence, i.e. 0.900, was found in the case of Eriophyes pseudoplatani Corti and Drisina glutinosa Giard (Ojcow National Park), and the lowest,0.050, for D. glutinosa and Coptophylla gymnaspis (Nalepa) (Wolski Forest; Andrychow FD) and for D. glutinosa and Dasineura irregularis (Bremi) (Andrychow FD).