Twenty eight species of winter-active Heleomyzidae were collected during a long-term study in Poland. More than 130 samples of insects, including Heleomyzidae, were collected from the surface of snow in lowland and mountain areas using a semi-quantitative method. Lowland and mountain assemblages of Heleomyzidae recorded on snow were quite different. Heleomyza modesta (Meigen, 1835) and Scoliocentra (Leriola) brachypterna (Loew, 1873) dominated in the mountains, Tephrochlamys rufiventris (Meigen, 1830) mainly in the lowlands and Heteromyza rotundicornis (Zetterstedt, 1846) was common in both habitats. Heleomyzidae were found on snow during the whole period of snow cover, but the catches peaked from late November to the beginning of February. In late winter and early spring the occurrence of heleomyzids on snow decreased. Most individuals were active on snow at air temperatures between -2 and +2.5°C. A checklist of 78 winter active European Heleomyzidae is presented. Helomyza nivalis Wahlgren, 1918 is herein considered as a new junior synonym of Helomyza caesia Meigen, 1830, syn. n., Agnieszka Soszyńska-Maj, Andrzej J. Woźnica., and Obsahuje bibliografii
One of the best documented effects of climate change on biodiversity are shifts in phenology. However, long-term data quantifying and projecting the expected changes in phenology associated with climate warming are limited to a few well-recorded areas in the world. In the absence of temporal recording, an alternative approach is to determine the phenological response of species along marked gradients in climate or along latitudinal or altitudinal transects (space-for-time substitution). We studied the phenology (timing and duration of the flight period) of butterflies in 2006 along an altitudinal gradient (900-1680 m; estimated temperature lapse rate = -6.6°C/km) in the Serranía de Cuenca (central Spain) at the assemblage and individual species levels. Timing of the flight period was later for assemblages at high than at low altitudes. A similar trend of an increasing delay in the flight period with altitude was recorded for some individual species. However, there were also some exceptions to this pattern regardless of the number of sites and the altitudinal ranges of the species, suggesting possible local adaptation to regional climate. The duration of the flight period was shorter at high altitudes for assemblages, but this trend was not mirrored in the response of individual species. The results partly support substituting space-for-time when assessing the potential effect of climate change on phenophases such as the timing of the flight period, but we recommend extreme caution in extrapolating the results in the absence of information on how the responses of populations differ. and Juan Ignacio De Arce Crespo, David Gutiérrez.
Fourteen predatory species of ladybirds (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) were collected from May to October 2008 from mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia) infested with the scale insect Chionaspis salicis at 31 localities in the Ore Mountains, northern Bohemia, Czech Republic. Chilocorus renipustulatus, usually a rare species, made up 85% of the individuals collected (1690). Other abundant species were Coccinella septempunctata, Calvia quatuordecimguttata, Adalia bipunctata and Adalia decempunctata. The invasive alien Harmonia axyridis was present but made up less than one per cent of the individuals collected. Niche overlap between pairs of ladybird species measured in terms of the coefficient of community, Morisita's index and cluster analysis showed that microhabitat preferences were similar and hence the possibility of competition was high in two pairs of congeneric species (Chilocorus and Calvia). Larvae of Ch. renipustulatus were abundant from mid-June through August and were still present in October. and Emanuel Kula, Oldřich Nedvěd.
Data on pupation and emergence dates for the nymphalid Purple Emperor butterfly Apatura iris have been collected at Basel, Switzerland, between 1982 and 2002. The butterfly has been shown to emerge on average 9 (males) to 12 (females) days earlier per decade, 19 and 24 days earlier respectively over the study period. Emergence dates relate strongly to spring temperatures, particularly with daily maximum temperatures for the months March to May. Temperatures for these months have increased significantly during this period (0.7°C to 1.8°C per decade). Three factors suggest that the strongest influence of the rise in spring temperatures has been on late larval instar growth and development: (i) May temperatures dominate emergence date models and larvae are feeding faster and for longer periods during this month, (ii) Salix caprea flowering date, a surrogate for bud burst, is excluded in stepwise regression models with temperatures and years suggesting that tree phenology may be less important than temperature effects on later development, and (iii) convergence of female and male emergence dates over time points to limits on earlier feeding in protandrous males. A negative consequence observed with earlier emergence dates is lethal extra broods.
Long-term spring arrival dates of 37 migratory bird species as recorded in Moravia (Czech Republic) during 103 years between 1881 and 2001 were evaluated for pairwise correlation (i.e. co-fluctuation in migratory timing) between avian species. Cluster analysis of the correlation matrix revealed a number of clusters (called ‘migrons’) of co-fluctuating migratory bird species. All short-distance migrants with the European (Mediterranean) winter range clustered together in migron A (Alauda arvensis, Motacilla alba, Vanellus vanellus, Sturnus vulgaris, Corvus frugilegus, Columba palumbus, Phoenicurus ochruros, Phylloscopus collybita, Remiz pendulinus, Erithacus rubecula, Turdus philomelos, Larus ridibundus, Serinus serinus, Sylvia atricapilla), while six other, smaller clusters were formed exclusively of long-distance migrants having an African (sub-Saharan) winter range: (B) Cuculus canorus, Streptopelia turtur; (C) Hirundo rustica, Jynx torquilla, Luscinia megarhynchos, Apus apus, Sylvia curruca; (D) Acrocephalus schoenobaenus, Riparia riparia, Upupa epops; (E) Anthus trivialis, Delichon urbica, Motacilla flava, Hippolais icterina; (F) Ciconia ciconia, Phoenicurus phoenicurus, Ficedula albicollis, Acrocephalus arundinaceus, Lanius collurio; (G) Oriolus oriolus, Muscicapa striata, Locustella fluviatilis, Coturnix coturnix. Results of the co-migration analysis pose interesting questions about possible varying underlying mechanisms of the migration timing in different migrons of birds.
Two new species of Enclisis Townes, 1970 from Spain are described and illustrated: E. dichroma sp.n. and E. schwarzi sp.n. The new species are distinguished from the closest species E. infernator and E. ornaticeps by head and leg characters and body colour. Data on their phenology and a key to these four European species are presented. External and internal scanning electron microscopy of male tyloids revealed that these structures, in both new species, have a secretory role.
The hypothesis that small body size is correlated with preference for young leaves was tested in a community of leaf-chewing insect herbivores feeding on Ficus wassa in a humid tropical forest in Papua New Guinea. Feeding experiments on 48 species of herbivorous insects revealed a negative correlation between body size and a preference for feeding on young leaves. While small species preferred young leaves, large species showed no preferences, or preferred young leaves only slightly. This relationship was found for the entire leaf-chewing community, as well as for many of the constituent taxa on several taxonomic levels, from orders to genera. Taxonomic position of a species played little role in determining its preferences. It is proposed that higher toughness and lower nutrient content may act as complementary defences, which prevent small insects from feeding on mature foliage. While the low nutrient content of mature leaves may affect smaller herbivores due to their relatively higher metabolic rate and lower digestion efficiency, their toughness complicates feeding mechanically and may prevent the compensatory feeding necessary to offset the low nutritive value of mature leaves.
Concordant differences in morphology, phenology and RAMS markers, as well as in sequenced mtDNA (COI, COII, cytb) and nuclear DNA (ITS2) fragments, indicate that Dolerus asper Zaddach, 1859 and Dolerus brevicornis Zaddach, 1859 are valid species. On the basis of morphology, molecular markers, and distributional records, both species are distinct from Dolerus gibbosus Hartig, 1837 (= Dolerus planatus Hartig, 1837). Taxonomy of the species is clarified and the neotypes of Dolerus asper Zaddach, 1859 and Dolerus brevicornis Zaddach, 1859 are designated. The synonymies of Dolerus asper Zaddach, 1859, to Dolerus planatus Hartig, 1837 and Dolerus derzavini Malaise, 1931, spec. rev. to D. asper Zaddach, 1859 are abandoned. Dolerus carbonarius Zaddach, 1859 and Dolerus fumosus Zaddach, 1859 are considered to be species inquirendae. Phylogenetic analyses of the ITS2 fragment and fragments of ITS2 + COI and ITS2 + COII yielded the topology [D. asper, (D. brevicornis, D. gibbosus)], while those of all other markers and their combinations resulted in the topology [D. brevicornis, (D. asper, D. gibbosus)]. In the latter hypothesis the clade asper + gibbosus is also supported by structural synapomorphies.
Heracleum mantegazzianum is one of the most invasive species in the Czech flora. The present study describes its flowering phenology and assess the effectiveness of protandry in preventing selfing in this self-compatible species, describes the timing of flowering in a heavily invaded area of Slavkovský les (Czech Republic) and estimates fruit set in a large sample of plants, which provides reliable data on the often exaggerated fecundity of this species. The study of flowering phenology revealed that protandry is always effective only within individual flowers, where male and female flowering phases are completely separated. In contrast, anther dehiscence in some flowers can occasionally overlap with stigma receptivity in other flowers in the same umbel, providing an opportunity for geitonogamous (i.e. between-flower) selfing. Nevertheless, the potential for selfing in H. mantegazzianum is determined mainly by an overlap in the male and female flowering phases between umbels on the same plant; at least a short overlap between some umbels was observed in 99% of the plants at the Slavkovský les. Although the degree of protandry in H. mantegazzianum favours outcrossing, the opportunity to self may be of crucial importance for an invasive plant, especially if a single plant colonizes a new location. At Slavkovský les, flowering started within one week (from 20 to 27 June 2002) at all 10 sites. The duration of flowering of an individual plantwas on average 36 days,with maximum of 60 days, and increased significantly with the number of umbels on a plant. In the second half of August, the majority of the fruits were ripe and had started to be shed. The beginning of flowering of a plant was significantly negatively correlated with the number of umbels it had – the earlier a plant started to flower the more umbels it had produced. A significant negative relationship was also found between basal diameter and beginning of flowering; plants with large basal diameters started to flower earlier. An average plant at Slavkovský les produced 20,671 fruits. Of these, 44.6% were produced by the terminal umbel, 29.3% by secondary umbels on satellites, 22.6% by secondary umbels on branches and only 3.5% by tertiary umbels. The estimated fruit number of the most fecund plant was 46,470 – compared to an average plant, the proportional contribution of tertiary umbels increased relative to the primary umbel. This study revealed a significant positive relationship between fecundity and plant basal diameter. Although the results of this study indicate that the fecundity of this species is often overestimated in the literature, the number of fruits produced by H. mantegazzianum provides this invasive species with an enormous reproductive capacity.
The effect of larval body size of Epirrita autumnata (Lepidoptera, Geometridae) on the risk of parasitism was studied in a field experiment. The experiment involved three pairwise exposures of different larval instars to parasitoids. Three hymenopteran species were responsible for most of the parasitism. Parasitism risk was found to be host-instar independent. This result was consistent across parasitoid species and experiments. The results suggest that host use by larval parasitoids cannot constrain selection for larger body size in E. autumnata. However, high mortality due to parasitism may select for a short developmental period (the slow-growth/high-mortality hypothesis), and smaller body sizes as a by-product. A strong selective effect of parasitism on the timing of larval development in E. autumnata is also unlikely. The larger was the host, the larger was the adult size of the parasitoid and the shorter its development time (for one species). We suggest that the lack of a preference-performance linkage in the system studied may be related to the time stress associated with the short phenological window of host vulnerability.