Fauna Of Poland Research Articles

Deadwood, Soil and Carabid Beetle-Based Interaction Networks—An Initial Case Study from Montane Coniferous Forests in Poland

In four study plots located in silver fir and Scots pine stands in Magura National Park (southeastern Poland), the relationships between the occurrence and biomass of epigeic carabids, the volume of deadwood and soil biochemical properties were investigated. Thirteen carabid beetle species from the genera Abax, Carabus, Molops and Pterostichus were captured. Rare epigeic carabid species in the fauna of Poland and Europe, such as Carabus glabratus (Paykull), Carabus sylvestris (Panzer) and Abax schueppeli (Germar), were recorded. The number of carabid individuals and species captured as well as the mean individual biomass index at different elevations and in forests of different tree compositions differed significantly. There were no correlations between deadwood volume, carabid abundance and the mean individual biomass of the carabid beetles. The mean individual Carabidae biomass increased with elevated pH, soil carbon content, soil dehydrogenase activity and the number of stumps.

Effect of scots pine forest management on soil properties and carabid beetle occurrence under post-fire environmental conditions - a case study from Central Europe

BackgroundFires have a fundamental impact on phytocoenoses and, depending on the size of the fire, can have a positive or negative effect. The role of fires in the formation of the species composition of plants, restoration of stands and changes in soil properties is well studied. However, the long-term relationship between forest management methods, soil properties and epigeic entomofauna assemblages in post-fire areas is still not clear. The effects of Scots pine stand management methods on biochemical soil properties and ground beetle assemblages in the largest post-fire area in Central Europe after the second World were investigated. The study was conducted in the Rudy Raciborskie Forest district in southern Poland. The soil properties and epigeic beetle community structure were analysed. The research covered areas with natural and artificial pine regeneration, which were subjected to various care treatments.ResultsThe tendency for higher accumulations of organic matter in the soil of stands that underwent natural regeneration was proven. The stimulating role of soil organic carbon on the activity of dehydrogenases in the soil of naturally renewed areas with silvicultural treatment (NRAT) was noted. Regardless of the manner of stand regeneration, the activity of β-glucosidase was higher in the areas in which breeding treatments were practised. Furthermore, managed forest stands presented a higher abundance of carabid beetles than stands without treatment practices. Thirteen epigeic beetle species from the families Geotrupidae, Carabidae, Curculionidae, Cerambycidae and Silphidae were captured, with beetles from the first two families being the most numerous. Rare epigeal carabid species in the fauna of Poland and Europe, such as Carabus glabratus (Paykull) and Carabus auronitens Fabr., found appropriate habitat conditions for survival in the post-fire areas. Compared with the other areas, in the NRAT area, there were better stand and soil properties and more features conducive to epigeic entomofaunal occurrences. The highest post-fire content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons was recorded in the soils of the sites that underwent artificial regeneration. The results suggest that preparing the soil before the introduction of new vegetation affects the amount of aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).ConclusionsThe better performance of the NRAT stand draws attention to the positive aspects of the use of natural regeneration, both from ecological and economic perspectives. The effects of forest management on the amount of soil organic matter after fires have been proven. The natural regeneration of stands was conducive to the accumulation of organic matter. The enzymatic activity of soils is influenced by the renewal method and forest management strategy. The NRAT area was characterized by the highest number of carabid species.

Checklist of oribatid mites (Acari: Oribatida) in the Wigry National Park, North-East Poland

Detailed faunistic research of soil oribatid mites was caried out at 11 localities representing important forest types in the territory of Wigry National Park. Altogether 140 oribatid species were found in this territory, belonging to 42 families and 80 genera or subgenera; from them 127 oribatid species were found on the territory NP Wigry for the first time. Records of four species Brachychthonius impressus Moritz, 1976, Quadroppia monstruosa Hammer, 1979, Suctobelba regia Moritz, 1970 and Zetorchestes flabrarius Grandjean, 1951 are new for the fauna of Poland.

Morphological and ecological characteristic of Dicranotaenia stenosacculata Macko, 1988 (Cestoda, Hymenolepididae) recorded in Poland

During the parasitological examination of 288 wild ducks from north-western Poland, 18 tapeworms were found in the intestines (jejunum, ileum and rectum) of six birds, which, based on the structure of the scolex, internal organs and the presence of cirrus with an internal additional sac, were determinated as Dicranotaenia stenosacculata Macko, 1988. Tapeworms were found in two young females Bucephala clangula, one young female Aythya marila as well as two adult males Aythya fuligula. The aim of the study was to present the morphological and ecological characteristics of the species, recently discovered for the first time in the fauna of Poland.

The state of knowledge of the parasitic fauna of the pike Esox lucius Linnaeus, 1758 in Poland in the 50th anniversary of the publication of the Catalogue of Parasitic Fauna of Poland. Part II. Parasites of Cyclostomes and Fish by Jadwiga Grabda

Parasites of pike Esox lucius from freshwater and brackish water in Poland are listed. This checklist summarized data published in Catalogue of Parasitic Fauna of Poland. Part II. Parasites of Cyclostomes and Fish by Jadwiga Grabda and later data from original studies. Parasites are listed alphabetically in higher taxa with their location in host and distribution in Polish waters with references. Parasites belonging to the higher taxa as Protista – 11 records, Myxosporea – 6, Digenea – 17, Monogenea – 2, Cestoda – 9, Nematoda – 7, Acanthocephala – 7, Hirudinida – 5, Mollusca – unidentified glochidia, Crustacea – 6, were found. The most frequently noted parasites have been Azygia lucii, Diplostomum spp., Tylodelphys clavata, Tetraonchus monenteron, Triaenophorus nodulosus, Raphidascaris acus and Ergasilus sieboldi.

The Checklist of the Weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) of Poland Revisited

A complete and updated list of 1,066 species and subspecies of the superfamily Curculionoidea recorded from Poland until the end of 2017 is provided, including over 290 comments on all taxonomic, nomenclatural and faunistic changes made since the first edition of the checklist published in 2005. An additional 37 species in the list are considered as erroneously recorded and excluded from the fauna of Poland. An update of the index of genera and subgenera, together with their type species, is provided separately. The following two new synonyms are recognised: Bruchela rufipes nigritarsis (Reitter, 1916) = B. rufipes rufipes (Olivier, 1790) (Anthribidae: Urodontinae), Otiorhynchus proximus iteratus Magnano, 2001 = O. proximus proximus Stierlin, 1861 (Curculionidae: Entiminae). Six species are resurrected from synonymy with the species given in parentheses: Squamapion serpyllicola (Wencker) (S. minutissimum (Rosenhauer)), Polydrusus thalassinus Gyllenhal (P. formosus (Mayer)), Phyllobius vespertinus (Fabricius) (Ph. pyri (L.)), Microplontus melanostigma (Marsham) (M. rugulosus (Herbst)), Otiorhynchus smreczynskii Cmoluch (O. rotundus Marseul), Romualdius angustisetulus (Hansen) (R. scaber (Linnaeus)). Phyllobius fessus Boheman is replaced in the list with Ph. jacobsoni Smirnov due to the former misidentification of Polish specimens. Brachysomus strawinskii Cmoluch is transferred from subgenus Hippomias to Brachysomus s. str. Eleven new weevil species have been discovered in Poland since 2005, including the still unpublished records of Pachycerus madidus (Olivier). The occurrence in Poland of four species, having hitherto only uncertain old records, has been confirmed with recent findings. The number of dubious species in Poland increased to 27 after the inflow of uncertain data in the literature and probable cases of extinction.

Redescription of three species of phytoseiid mites (Acari, Mesostigmata) from Poland

Three species of phytoseiid mites of the genera Amblyseius and Typhlodromus (Parasitiformes, Phytoseiidae) are found for the first time in fauna of Poland. More detailed redescriptions, drawings, measurements, and diagnosis of the species, A. krantzi (Chant, 1959), A. rademacheri (Dosse, 1958) and T. pritchardi Arutunjan, 1971 as well as the data of mite locations in Poland are given.

Rare spider species (Araneae) from the Giant Mountains and the Izera Mountains – new records for the fauna of Poland

We present data on four spider species (Araneae) new for the fauna of Poland. The spiders were found predominantly in the mires of the Giant Mountains and the Izera Mountains (the Western Sudetes). Some of these habitats are the transborder mires between Poland and the Czech Republic. The presented species are: Erigone cristatopalpus, Panamomops sulcifrons, Theridion boesenbergi, Gnaphosa lapponum. Each of these spiders is rare or lives in specific habitat.

Calamicoptes anatidus sp. nov., a new quill wall mite (Acari: Laminosioptidae) from the Greater Scaup Aythya marila (L.) (Aves: Anseriformes).

Calamicoptes anatidus sp. nov., a new species of rarely found parasitic mites of the family Laminosioptidae (Acari: Astigmata) is described from quill walls of wing covert feathers of Aythya marila Linnaeus (Anseriformes: Anatidae) captured in Poland. This is the first record of the family Laminosioptidae on birds of the order Anseriformes and the first record of this mite family in the fauna of Poland. Females of the new species are most similar to those of C. arenariae Lombert, Gaud et Lukoschus, 1984 and differ from them by the presence of the pygidial shield, which covers dorsal and ventro-lateral parts of the opisthosoma, and by having setae c2 and d2 short and subequal in length, and setae se and cp not reaching the metapodonotal shield.

Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Hesperioidea, Papilionoidea) of the Kampinos National Park and its buffer zone

Poland; e-mail: marcins@uwb.edu.pl Abstract: Kampinos National Park is the second largest protected area in Poland and therefore a potentially important stronghold for biodiversity in the Mazovia region. However it has been abandoned as an area of lepidopterological studies for a long time. A total number of 80 butterfly species were recorded during inventory studies (2005–2008), which proved the occurrence of 80 species (81.6% of species recorded in the Mazovia voivodeship and about half of Polish fauna), including 7 from the European Red Data Book and 15 from the national red list (8 protected by law). Several xerothermophilous species have probably become extinct in the last few decades (Colias myrmidone, Pseudophilotes vicrama, Melitaea aurelia, Hipparchia statilinus, H. alcyone ), or are endangered in the KNP and in the region (e.g. Maculinea arion, Melitaea didyma), due to afforestation and spontaneous succession. Higrophilous butterflies have generally suffered less from recent changes in land use, but action to stop the deterioration of their habitats is urgently needed. Lycaena dispar, Maculinea teleius and M. alcon are still quite widespread but L. helle and Euphydras aurinia were recorded on single sites only. However, Maculinea nausithous was observed only in 2005 and has probably just disappeared from the KNP. Despite the aforementioned losses, the Kampinos Forest deserves to be added to the list of the Prime Butterfly Areas in Europe. Key words: butterflies, biodiversity, Kampinos National Park, fauna of Poland, endangered species

Colonisation of the Channels of Międzyodrze (North-Western Poland) by <i>Sinanodonta Woodiana</i> (Lea, 1834) (Bivalvia: Unionidae)

Sinanodonta woodiana (Lea, 1834) is an alien species in the fauna of Poland. It comes from the catchment area of the rivers Amur and Yangtze. In Poland it was found in the early 1980s in the system of heated lakes near Konin (Kujawy Lake District, C-Poland). It appeared there together with the silver carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix (Valenciennes, 1884) and big-heated carp Aristichthys nobilis (Richardson, 1845) introduced from Hungary. In 2003 it was found in the release channel of cooling water from the Dolna Odra power plant. In the years 2004-2005 an inventory of the Miedzyodrze (N-W Poland) channels was made in order to determine the current range of occurrence of S. woodiana in the Western Pomerania Region. The mussels were found at five localities below the release of the cooling water. The channels are partly frozen in winter, which indicated the adaptation abilities of this species to waters typical of temperate zone. In the outer demibranch marsupia of females the presence of glochidia was detected, which pointed to the readiness of the mussels for reproduction.

Some allergenic species of astigmatid mites (Acari, Acaridida) from different synanthropic environments in southern Poland

A survey of allergenic mites from bird nests, farming environments, and from cages and runs of animals of the Silesian ZOO was made. A total of 12,986 mite speci- mens were isolated including 7,570 mites from the order Acaridida (58.3%). The astigma- tid mites were most abundant in farming environments and constituted 67.4% of all mites collected. They formed 46.7% and 58.6% of the total count from bird nests and the Sile- sian ZOO, respectively. More than 29 mite species were identified of which the most abundant were Acarus farris, Acarus immobilis (farms, Silesian ZOO) and Hirstia che- lidonis (bird nests). Caloglyphus oudemansi, the acarid mite species new to the fauna of Poland was found in a cowshed in Majdan Gorny. It is noteworthy that, to the best of our knowledge, samples from zoological garden were actually analysed for the first time on the occurrence of allergenic mites.

Two genera of subfamily Doryctinae (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) new for Poland

The Doryctinae genera Hypodoryctes Kokujev (with H. sibiricus KOKUJEV) and Rhaconotus RUTHE [with Rh. elegans (FORSTER)] are recorded for the first time for the fauna of Poland. Redescriptions and figures of the these genera and species are given. H. sibiricusis first time reported for Bulgaria. Possible host of Hypodoryctes species is discussed.

Nowe stanowiska Sicista betulina (Pallas, 1779) na terenie wschodniej Polski

The birchmouse, Sicista betulina (Pallas) is an animal so extremely rarely encountered in the fauna of Poland that discovery of any new station of its occurence is worthy of note.