Rosalia Alpina Research Articles

The LIFE Project “Monitoring of insects with public participation” (MIPP): aims, methods and conclusions

The Life Project “Monitoring of insects with public participation” (LIFE11 NAT/IT/000252) had as the main objective to develop and test methods for the monitoring of five beetle species listed in the Annexes of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC): Osmodermaeremita (hermit beetle, Scarabaeidae), Lucanuscervus (European stag beetle, Lucanidae), Cerambyxcerdo (great capricorn beetle, Cerambycidae), Rosaliaalpina (rosalia longicorn, Cerambycidae) and Morimusasper/funereus (morimus longicorn, Cerambycidae). The data gathered represent an important contribution to the monitoring of these target species in Italy. The methods developed for monitoring of the target species are intended for use by the local management authorities and staff of protected areas. These developed methods are the result of extensive fieldwork and ensure scientific validity, ease of execution and limited labour costs. The detailed description of methods and the results for each species are published in separate articles of this special issue of Nature Conservation. A second objective of the project was to gather faunistic data with a Citizen Science approach, using the web and a mobile application software (app) specifically built for mobile devices. The validation of the records collected by the citizens was carried out by experts, based on photographs, which were obligatory for all records. Dissemination activities represented the principal way to contact and engage citizens for the data collection and also offered the possibility of providing information on topics such as Natura 2000, the Habitats Directive, the role of monitoring in nature conservation, the importance of forest ecosystems and the ecological role of the saproxylic insects. An innovative method tested during the project was the training of a dog for searching and monitoring the elusive hermit beetle; the trained dog also added a “curiosity” factor to attract public attention towards this rare insect and the issues mentioned above.

Guidelines for the monitoring of Rosalia alpina

Copyright Alessandro Campanaro et al. Rosalia alpina (Linnaeus, 1758) is a large longhorn beetle (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) which is protected by the Habitats Directive and which typically inhabits beech forests characterised by the presence of mature, dead (or moribund) and sun-exposed trees. A revision of the current knowledge on systematics, ecology and conservation of R. alpina is reported. The research was carried out as part of the LIFE MIPP project which aims to find a standard monitoring method for saproxylic beetles protected in Europe. For monitoring this species, different methods were tested and compared in two areas of the Apennines, utilising wild trees, logs and tripods (artificially built with beech woods), all potentially suitable for the reproduction of the species. Even if all methods succeeded in the survey of the target species, these results showed that the use of wild trees outperformed other methods. Indeed, the use of wild trees allowed more adults to be observed and required less intensive labour. However, monitoring the rosalia longicorn on wild trees has the main disadvantage that they can hardly be considered “standard sampling units”, as each tree may be differently attractive to adults. Our results demonstrated that the most important factors influencing the attraction of single trunks were wood volume, sun-exposure and decay stage. Based on the results obtained during the project LIFE MIPP, as well as on a literature review, a standard monitoring method for R. alpina was developed.

Novel, male-produced aggregation pheromone of the cerambycid beetle Rosalia alpina, a priority species of European conservation concern.

Several recent studies have demonstrated the great potential for exploiting semiochemicals in ecology and conservation studies. The cerambycid beetle Rosalia alpina represents one of the flagship species of saproxylic insect biodiversity in Europe. In recent years its populations appear to have declined substantially, and its range has shrunk considerably as a result of forest management and urbanization. Here, we collected volatile chemicals released by males and females of R. alpina. Analyses of the resulting extracts revealed the presence of a single male-specific compound, identified as a novel alkylated pyrone structure. In field bioassays in Slovenia, traps baited with the synthesized pyrone captured both sexes of R. alpina, indicating that the pyrone functions as an aggregation pheromone. Our results represent the first example of a new structural class of pheromones within the Cerambycidae, and demonstrate that pheromone-baited traps can provide a useful tool for sampling R. alpina. This tool could be particularly useful in the ongoing development of conservation strategies for the iconic but endangered Alpine longicorn.

Monitoring of saproxylic beetles in Croatia: following the path of the stag beetle

As a member of the European Union, Croatia is obliged to report on the conservation status of 220 animal non-bird species listed in the annexes of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), for which purpose a monitoring system is being established. Concerning saproxylic beetles, seven species present in its territory have to be monitored: Lucanus cervus, Cerambyx cerdo, Morimus funereus, Rhysodes sulcatus, Cucujus cinnaberinus, Rosalia alpina and Osmoderma eremita complex. Out of these species, a monitoring programme has only been established for Lucanus cervus, which partially includes participation of non-experts. In 2015 and 2016, a public campaign was organised in order to collect observations of Lucanus cervus and two other saproxylic beetles that are easily recognisable by the public: Morimus funereus and Rosalia alpina. Data gathered through this campaign serve as an addition to the mapping activities and monitoring of the species’ range. So far, more than 650 citizen observations have been collected, providing data on species presence in 216 10×10 km2 grid cells intended for reporting on the species’ range. Besides the public campaign, since 2014, public institutions for managing nature protected values have been involved in population monitoring for which they received education through several workshops. Altogether, 21 sites have been included in the monitoring of the stag beetle so far. Data collected for Lucanus cervus on standard transects, by tree and ground pitfall traps and tree trunk surveys at night will be discussed. To the present time, eight public institutions have been involved in stag beetle population monitoring and the number has been continuously increasing.

Research paper. Data on the Beetle Fauna (Insecta: Coleoptera) in “Frumoasa” Site of Community Importance (ROSCI0085, Romania) and Its Surroundings

Abstract 222 coleopteran species and subspecies, belonging to 25 families, were found between 2014-2015 during faunal sampling in “Frumoasa” Site and its surroundings. Out of them, Carabus variolosus Fabricius, Lucanus cervus (Linnaeus), Osmoderma eremita (Scopoli), Cerambyx cerdo (Linnaeus), Morimus funereus Mulsant and Rosalia alpina (Linnaeus) are species of community importance, included in the Annex II of the Habitat Directive. In addition, several endemic or rare species/subspecies were collected: Carabus gigas gigas Creutzer, C. planicollis planicollis Küster, C. obsoletus carpathicus Palliardi, Poecilus szepligetii szepligetii (Csiki), Pterostichus findelii (Dejean) and P. pilosus wellensii (Drapiez).

Timber stacks: potential ecological traps for an endangered saproxylic beetle, the Rosalia longicorn Rosalia alpina

Ecological traps are serious, anthropogenic threats to animal populations. However, in certain cases it is difficult to determine whether they really act in the expected manner. This applies to the harmful effects of beech timber stacked in forests on the endangered saproxylic beetle Rosalia longicorn Rosalia alpina, which have been mentioned in numerous scientific articles, conservation action plans and similar publications. The aim of this paper is to determine whether beech timber stacks meet the criteria of an ecological trap for the Rosalia longicorn. Two basic criteria of such a trap are analysed: the attractiveness of timber stacks and the impossibility of complete larval development. The results show that beech timber stacks are highly attractive to Rosalia longicorn imagines. Moreover, the time during which the timber is stacked is shown to be significantly shorter than the species’ larval development period. These results suggest that timber stacks can be treated as operative ecological traps for the Rosalia longicorn, even though the extent of their influence on the demographic parameters of this beetle’s population has not been estimated. Forest management practices, i.e. increasing amounts and shifts in timing of wood storage, could intensify this threat.

Rosalia longicorn Rosalia alpina (LINNAEUS, 1758) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) as a host of the entomopathogenic fungus Cordyceps bassiana LI, LI, HUANG & FAN, 2001 (Ascomycota: Hypocreales)

AbstractThe paper describes, for the first time, the occurrence of the entomopathogenic fungus Cordyceps bassiana (anamorph: Beauveria bassiana) on the imago of the endangered beetle Rosalia longicorn Rosalia alpina from the Low Beskid Mountains (the Carpathians, SE Poland). Furthermore, an isolate of the saprotrophic fungus Hypoxylon fragiforme was obtained as a result of laboratory tests on R. alpina specimens. Relationships between the identified fungi and R. alpina are discussed.

Citizen science data as an efficient tool for mapping protected saproxylic beetles

Global change imposes rapid assessments to obtain reliable and updated distribution data to implement conservation measures. This task is undoubtedly unaffordable for numerous invertebrate species, both in terms of time and economic resources, because they are often elusive, detectable life stages are present for a restricted time and ecological data are scarce. Citizen science might be able to provide a large number of records and these data might facilitate the evaluation of extinction risks. Large saproxylic beetles represent an ideal group to assess the potential of citizen science to map distributions on a large scale geographic distribution. The data presented were collected during a citizen science program developed within the LIFE Project “Monitoring of Insects with Public Participation”, which used a website and a mobile app to involve citizens. We selected three pan European species protected under the Habitats Directive: Lucanus cervus, Morimus asper/funereus and Rosalia alpina, and we compared the data gathered by the citizen science project with distributional data from the official national species inventory. For all species we found a low overlap of occupied cells and the integration of the two datasets resulted in an increase in the distributional ranges of up to one third. Furthermore, taking into account the time frame of data collection, we found that the extent of occurrence obtained in 10years of records present in the national dataset was comparable to data collected in only two years of the citizen science data project. Similar results were obtained for the estimates of spatial parameters for the IUCN Red List assessment. Our study shows the potential and the efficacy of citizen science projects as rapid tools to provide reliable distributional data for neglected species of high conservation priority.

Tree selection by the endangered beetle Rosalia alpina in a lapsed pollard beech forest

Abandoned pollard beech forests are particular habitats that may require special conservation efforts to preserve the endangered beetle Rosalia alpina, a model species whose protection may perpetuate the habitat of many other saproxylic species. Forest use can determine the tree selection and population size of R. alpina, variables previously not researched in pollard forests. Selected tree traits and population size, indicated by presence of adult specimens and recent exit holes, were determined in a pollard beech forest before the implementation of habitat manipulations targeted to preserve the species. Multivariate analysis showed tree condition (living, snag, fallen) and clearing size and aspect as influential variables, with the former explaining more variance than the latter. R. alpina positively selected pollard snags and trees located in big and dry clearings, avoiding those in small clearings or shaded areas. Snags showed most adults (90 %) and recent emergence holes (84 %). Distance to the nearest occupied tree, trunk diameter, bark thickness and presence of sap leaks had no effect on the occurrence of R. alpina. Population size was estimated in 0.1 individuals day−1 ha−1, and 38 % of available habitat trees showed exit holes, values lower than those observed in other European countries. These results show the need to start re-pollardings in the forest to extend pollard standing life and enhance exposure to sunlight. Pinpointing pollard snags and clearing the surrounding vegetation are recommended as the first measures to be taken in order to favor R. alpina populations on pollard stands with closed canopies.

Dutch elm Disease and the Habitat of Endangered Rosalia LongicornRosalia alpina(L.): A Conservation Paradox?

ABSTRACT In central Europe, the endangered Rosalia longicorn Rosalia alpina (L.) has rarely been observed to develop in the wood of elms Ulmus sp.; however, this beetle has recently expanded into habitats formed by elms. The factors driving these changes are unknown in detail, but a potential one is the increasing amount of breeding material, namely, dead elm wood. Dutch elm disease, caused by the fungi Ophiostoma ulmi and O. novo-ulmi, by killing off elm trees, has created a supply of dead wood. The aim of this work was to assess the potential role of Dutch elm disease in the formation of habitats suitable for the endangered Rosalia longicorn. The health of four elm stands (Carpathians, SE Poland) was analysed and the pathogen responsible for elm death were determined by DNA sequence comparison. O. novo-ulmi — the causative agent of Dutch elm disease — was isolated from weakened and dying trees at all studied localities. In total, 30% of the elm trees were dead, 34% showed signs of dieback or were moribu...

Genetic differentiation of populations of the threatened saproxylic beetle Rosalia longicorn,Rosalia alpina(Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in Central and South-east Europe

Knowledge of patterns of genetic diversity in populations of threatened species is vital for their effective conservation. Rosalia longicorn (Rosalia alpina) is an endangered and strictly protected beetle. Despite a marked decline in part of its range, the beetle has recently expanded to the lowlands of Central Europe. To facilitate a better understanding of the species' biology, recent expansion and more effective conservation measures, we investigated patterns of genetic structure among 32 populations across Central and South-east Europe. Eight microsatellite loci and a partial mitochondrial gene (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I) were used as markers. Both markers showed a significant decline in genetic diversity with latitude, suggesting a glacial refugium in north-western Greece. The cluster analysis of the nuclear marker indicated the existence of two genetically distinct lineages meeting near the border between the Western and Eastern Carpathians. By contrast, one widespread mtDNA haplotype was dominant in most populations, leading to the assumption that a rapid expansion of a single lineage occurred across the study area. The genetic differentiation among populations from the north-western part of the study area was, however, surprisingly low. They lacked any substructure and isolation-by-distance on a scale of up to 600 km. This result suggests a strong dispersal capacity of the species, as well as a lack of migration barriers throughout the study area. That the lowland populations are closely related to those from the nearby mountains indicates repeated colonization of the lowlands. Our results further suggest that R. alpina mostly lives in large, open populations. Large-scale conservation measures need to be applied to allow for its continued existence.

Protecting one, protecting both? Scale‐dependent ecological differences in two species using dead trees, the rosalia longicorn beetle and the barbastelle bat

AbstractOrganisms sharing the same habitats may differ in small‐scale microhabitat requirements or benefit from different management. In this study, set in Italy, we focused on two species of high conservation value, the cerambycid beetle Rosalia alpina and the bat Barbastella barbastellus, which often share the same forest areas and in several cases the same individual trees. We compared the potential distribution and, at two spatial scales, the niches between such species. The predicted distributions largely overlapped between the beetle and the bat. The niches proved to be similar on a broad scale, yet not on the plot one. Compared with B. barbastellus, R. alpina tends to occur at lower altitude in more irradiated sites with lower canopy closure and uses shorter trees with wider diameters. B. barbastellus occurred more often in trees within forest or along its edges, whereas R. alpina lays eggs in trees found in clearings. B. barbastellus plots were more frequent in forest, R. alpina plots in forested pasture and open‐shredded forest. Overall, exposure to sun influenced more critically site and tree selection by R. alpina, as a warm microclimate is essential for larval development. Although B. barbastellus reproduction may be favored by warmer roosting conditions, bats may also find such conditions in dense forest and in strongly irradiated cavities high up in tall trees that project above the canopy. We emphasize that subtle differences in the ecological requirements of syntopic taxa could be missed at broad scales, so multiple‐scale assessment is always advisable.

Current distribution of the Rosalia longicorn Rosalia alpina (LINNAEUS, 1758) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in Poland

AbstractThe former range of the Rosalia longicorn Rosalia alpina in Poland probably overlapped with the range of the European beech Fagus sylvatica. In the 20thcentury, the species was recorded in the following parts of Poland: the Carpathians (almost the entire range), the Świętokrzyskie Mountains, the Roztocze Upland, Lower Silesia, and the northern and northwestern parts of the country. Although the Rosalia longicorn appears to have regressed in the countries of central Europe, the current population trend of this species in Poland is not known. This study presents data on the distribution of the Rosalia longicorn in Poland in 2000-2013 and defines its current distribution and range. A total of 210 sites of the Rosalia longicorn were identified, situated in 42 UTM squares (10x10 km). The total area of the species’ occurrence (maximum convex polygon) was 3334 km2and the effectively used area was 1877 km2. The Rosalia longicorn has withdrawn from most of its former sites in Poland and at present occurs only in parts of the Carpathians. Its continuous distribution range comprises the Bieszczady Zachodnie and Beskid Niski Mountains. Scattered and less abundant sites occur in the Beskid Sądecki, Pieniny Mountains and Sanok-Turka Mountains. At present, therefore, the species’ range of occurrence in Poland is significantly smaller than that recorded in the 20thcentury. The median nearest neighbour distance between sites was 1023 m (mean = 1640 m ±1702 SD, range 502-10870 m). Those situated on the peripheries of the range are thinly scattered, and the distance between them is probably too large to allow free movement of the species. This can disrupt the current range and lead to the formation of isolated sites (islands) along its peripheries, from which the Rosalia longicorn may gradually disappear. Such a development could cause its total extinction. The current distribution of the Rosalia longicorn in the Carpathians suggests that certain detrimental processes are taking place in the population, demonstrating that the species’ extinction in Poland is ongoing.

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 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.

A review of Turkish saproxylic beetles from the European Red List

SummaryThe conservation of beetles that depend on dying or dead wood (i.e. saproxylic), has received a great deal of attention in many parts of the world in recent years. Human activities such as urbanization and logging, and their results, e.g. global warming, destroy natural ecosystems and threaten unusual species such as Lucanus cervus (L. 1758), Rosalia alpina (L. 1758), Limoniscus violaceus (Müller 1821) and Osmoderma eremita (Scopoli 1763). Attempts have been made to conserve the habitats upon which these species depend. Although represented by a large number of species, saproxylic beetles in Turkey have not received much attention. Although some Turkish studies have acknowledged their value, comprehensive investigations of these species are very limited. The aim of this study is to make a list, from the literature, of the species that are endangered in Europe and found in Turkey, to highlight the importance of these species. The research includes 151 saproxylic beetle species belonging to the families Bostrichidae, Cerambycidae, Elateridae, Eucnemidae, Scarabaeidae, Euchiridae, Lucanidae and Mycetophagidae. The list of Turkish saproxylic beetles was prepared using the European Red List of Saproxylic Beetles. Information is provided about the IUCN Red List category in Europe, the locations of the species in Turkey, and their global geographic range. We gathered all data about these species from the international literature. Furthermore, we also include in the list certain species whose locations are not specified, but which inhabit Turkey. We obtained their records from some catalogs in Turkey. In addition to the list, we prepared three distribution maps for Turkey. The maps show distribution in Turkey of some species in the Endangered, Vulnerable and Near Threatened categories in the European Red List. It is expected that this study will lead to comprehensive studies on saproxylic beetles from Turkey.

New Data on the Knowledge of Beetle Fauna (Insecta: Coleoptera) in the “Bârnova-Repedea Forest” Site of Community Importance (Rosci 01235, Iaşi, Romania

Abstract 103 coleopteran species, belonging to 11 families were found during our faunal sampling in 2012 in the Bârnova-Repedea Forest site. Out of them Carabus variolosus Fabricius, Lucanus cervus (Linnaeus), Cerambyx cerdo Linnaeus, Morimus funereus Mulsant and Rosalia alpina (Linnaeus) are species of community interest, included in the Annex II of the Habitat Directive. Carpelimus gusarovi Gildenkov and Stenus doderoi Bondroit were collected by the authors, for the first time in Romania. Carabus excellens (Fabricius), a rare species, was rediscovered in this site, and specific faunistic data on the species Colon (Myloechus) dentipes (C. R. Sahlberg) are provided for the first time.

Characterization of nine polymorphic microsatellite loci for a threatened saproxylic beetle Rosalia alpina (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)

Nine polymorphic microsatellite loci were developed and characterized for the Rosalia longicorn, an endangered icon of European saproxylic biodiversity. The detected number of alleles per locus ranged from 2 to 4, and the observed and expected heterozygosities varied from 0.044 to 0.622, and from 0.086 to 0.613, respectively. All loci were in Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium as well, as no evidence of linkage disequilibrium was found. Despite the low level of polymorphism, all loci described in this study will provide a useful tool in future genetic studies of the Rosalia alpina species.

Spotting the right spot: computer-aided individual identification of the threatened cerambycid beetle Rosalia alpina

Individual identification of animals is of paramount importance to analyze population size, dispersal, habitat preferences or behaviour. Especially for sensitive, threatened species, it is advisable to develop non-invasive recognition methods avoiding direct handling and tagging of the study subjects to be applied to procedures such as marking-recapture. Here we present an application of the I3S software for the individual recognition of the Rosalia longicorn Rosalia alpina based on the contour digitization of the spots present on the beetle’s elytra. Classification performances to individual level tested on an overall sample of 290 images (one per subject) were 94.8 (both elytra), 94.5 (right elytron) and 95.2 % (left elytron). Since I3S leaves the final decision to the operator, such high classification performances may be refined further in the final step leading to a fully reliable identification. We found that the identification performance was statistically supported and that the influence of two main error sources (contour tracing and angle under which the images were taken) was negligible. Our approach minimizes the subjectivity of a qualitative manual comparison of images and greatly reduces the time taken to visually retrieve the image of an individual especially for large photo libraries. It may be successfully used in surveys covering large areas and involving many untrained operators such as volunteers or park rangers. We propose that I3S can be applied to other insect species presenting characteristic spot patterns. To our best knowledge, this is the first study using computer-aided identification of a terrestrial arthropod.

Development of the rosalia longicorn Rosalia alpina (L.) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in the sycamore maple Acer pseudoplatanus L. – the first report from Poland

AbstractIn 2012 the development of the rosalia longicorn Rosalia alpina (L.) was confirmed in the sycamore maple Acer pseudoplatanus L., a new host plant in Poland. In the laboratory, one adult beetle was reared from a branch obtained from the Magura National Park (Beskid Niski Mts., Carpathians, SE Poland). The breeding material was collected at a site located in the fertile Carpathian beech forest association Dentario glandulosae-Fagetum, in a stand with an admixture of sycamore maple trees. In the paper the importance of the sycamore maple as a host plant is discussed.

Population trends of Rosalia alpina (L.) in Switzerland: a lasting turnaround?

Many species that depend on old trees and dead wood are suffering from habitat losses and intensive forest management. For the conspicuous cerambycid beetle Rosalia alpina, a relative sampling analysis combined with a distribution model showed a population decrease in Switzerland between 1900 and World War II. This negative trend can be ascribed to the abandonment of traditional management such as wooded pasture and to the expansion of high forest promoted by modern forestry. Since that period, the population of R. alpina, has been increasing and each single relict population of this species was maintained. These positive population trend can be explained by less intensive forest management and a shift from fuel-wood production to timber wood. Today, many more old beech trees and much more dead wood remain in Swiss forests than 50 years ago. Consequently, the habitat conditions necessary for the development of the Rosalia longicorn have improved, especially on steep terrain in colline and submontane regions. However, it is still uncertain whether current population sizes can guarantee the survival of this species in the long term, especially as fuel-wood production is expected to become more intensive in Switzerland in future decades. The conservation of this species requires, therefore, the establishment of natural forest reserves and dead wood islands or the restoration of wooded pastures with scattered habitat trees. The Rosalia longicorn could then act as an umbrella species for other species that depend on old trees and dead wood.