The European Stag Beetle (Lucanus cervus) Monitoring Network: International Citizen Science Cooperation Reveals Regional Differences in Phenology and Temperature Response

To address the decline in biodiversity, international cooperation in monitoring of threatened species is needed. Citizen science can play a crucial role in achieving this challenging goal, but most citizen science projects have been established at national or regional scales. Here we report on the establishment and initial findings of the European Stag Beetle Monitoring Network (ESBMN), an international network of stag beetle (Lucanus cervus) monitoring schemes using the same protocol. The network, started in 2016, currently includes 14 countries (see results) but with a strong variation in output regarding the number of transects (148 successful transects in total) and transect walks (1735). We found differences across European regions in the number of stag beetles recorded, related to phenology and temperature, but not for time of transect start. Furthermore, the initial experiences of the ESBMN regarding international cooperation, citizen science approach, and drop-out of volunteers is discussed. An international standardised protocol that allows some local variation is essential for international collaboration and data management, and analysis is best performed at the international level, whereas recruiting, training, and maintaining volunteers is best organised locally. In conclusion, we appeal for more joint international citizen science-based monitoring initiatives assisting international red-listing and conservation actions.

ДИНАМИКА ПОПУЛЯЦИИ ОЛЕНЬКА ОБЫКНОВЕННОГО (DORCUS PARALLELIPIPIDUS L., 1758) В ГОРОДСКОМ ПАРКЕ

В 2018-2020 гг. исследована популяции оленька обыкновенного (Dorcus parallelipipedus L.), занесенного в Красную книгу Республики Татарстан, на территории парка «Крылья Советов» г. Казани. Установлено, что продолжительность периода активности жука составляет 95‒105 дней. Ведущим фактором динамики уловистости D. parallelipipedus на территории парка является температура воздуха. В 2019 г. произошло сильное смещение и сокращение сроков активности жука из-за пониженных температур во второй половине лета. К 2020 г. численность оленька сократилась в 2.4 раза. На это оказали влияние высокая рекреационная нагрузка в парке и погодные условия. Среди собранных жуков в большей мере преобладали погибшие особи (80%). Соотношение полов в популяции оленька обыкновенного в 2018 г. было оптимально равновесным, а в 2020 г. количество самок стало в 2.3 раза больше самцов. Библиографические ссылки 1. Берлов Э.Я., Кабакова О.Н. Атлас рогачей (Lucanidae) России // URL: https://www.zin.ru/Animalia/Coleoptera/rus/lucanida.htm (дата обращения: 21.01.2021). 2. Гершензон С.М. Основы современной генетики. Киев: Наукова думка, 1983. 558 с. 3. Красная книга Республики Татарстан: животные, растения, грибы. Казань: Природа, ТОО «Стар», 1995. 454 с. 4. Красная книга Республики Татарстан: животные, растения. Изд. 2-е. Казань: Идел–Пресс, 2006. 832 с. 5. Красная книга Республики Татарстан: животные, растения, грибы. Изд. 3-е. Казань: Идел–Пресс, 2016. 760 с. 6. Кузовенко А.Е., Киреева А.С., Мазяркина Т.Н. Находка оленька Dorcus parallelipipedus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Coleoptera:Lucanidae) в Казахстане // Кавказский энтомологический бюллетень. 2019. Т. 15, вып. 1. С. 59–60. 7. Экология города Казани. Казань: Изд-во «Фэн» Академии наук РТ, 2005. 576 с. 8. Alexander K.N.A., Mannerkoski I., Pettersson R., Mason F., Schmidl J. Dorcus parallelipipedus // The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010. e.T157667A5120866. 9. Bartolozzi L., Sprecher-Uebersax E. Lucanidae // Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera. Vol. 3. Scarabaeoidea – Scirtoidea – Dascilloidea – Buprestoidea – Byrrhoidea. Apollo Books, Stenstrup, Denmark, 2006. P. 63–77. 10. Bartolozzi L., Ghahari H., Sprecher-Uebersax E., Zilioli M. A checklist of stag beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Lucanidae) from Iran // Zootaxa. 2014. V. 3887, №3. P. 422–436. 11. Della Rocca F., Stefanelli S., Cardarelli E., Bogliani G., Bracco F. Contribution to the knowledge of the arthropods community inhabiting the winter-flooded meadows (marcite) of northern Italy // Biodiversity data journal. 2021. 9. e57889. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.9.e57889. 12. Dorcus parallelipipedus (Linnaeus, 1758) in GBIF Secretariat. GBIF Backbone taxonomy. 2019. https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei. 13. Hardersen S., Ilaria T., Paolo C., Gianfranco C., Piero L., Gianluca N., Fabio P., Emanuele P., Giuseppe P. Survey of selected beetle families in a floodplain remnant in northern Italy // Bulletin of insectology. 2012. V. 65, №2. P. 199–207. 14. Paulsen M.J. Stag beetles of the genus Dorcus MacLeay in North America (Coleoptera, Lucanidae) // Current advances in Scarabaeoidea research. ZooKeys. 2010. V. 34. P. 199–207. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.34.292. 15. Linnaei C. Systema Naturae Per Regna Tria Naturae, Secundum Classses, Ordines, Genera, Species, Cum Characteribus, Differentiis, Synonymis, Locis. Editio Decima, Reformata. Holmiae [Stockholm]: Impensis Direct. Laurentii Salvii. 1758. Bl. 823 p.

A multilocus assessment reveals two new synonymies for East Asian Cyclommatus stag beetles (Coleoptera, Lucanidae)

Cyclommatus scutellaris Möllenkamp, 1912, Cyclommatus elsae Kriesche, 1921 and Cyclommatus tamdaoensis Fujita, 2010 are East Asian stag beetle species with long-debated taxonomic relationships due to high intraspecific morphological variability. In this study, we applied multilocus phylogenetic analyses to reassess their relationships. Two mitochondrial genes (16S rDNA, COI) and two nuclear genes (28S rDNA, Wingless) were used to reconstruct the phylogeny through the Bayesian inference (BI) and Maximum Likelihood (ML) methods. Both topologies supported two clades: the clade C. scutellaris was sister to the clade (C. elsae + C. tamdaoensis) with the subclade C. tamdaoensis embedded in the subclade C. elsae. The Kimura 2-parameter (K2P) genetic distance analysis yielded a low mean value (≤0.035) among the three taxa, which was well below the minimum mean value between other Cyclommatus species (≥0.122). We also compared the accuracy and efficiency of two approaches, GMYC and ABGD, in delimitating the three lineages. The result shows that ABGD is a better approach than GMYC. Our molecular data recognizes the three species as different populations of a single species, ranging from Taiwan Island to the continent. Therefore, we propose two new junior synonyms for C. scutellaris: C. tamdaoensis, syn. nov. and C. elsaesyn. nov.

Divergence in Gut Bacterial Community Structure between Male and Female Stag Beetles Odontolabis fallaciosa (Coleoptera, Lucanidae)

Odontolabis fallaciosa (Coleoptera: Lucanidae) is a giant and popular stag beetle with striking sexual dimorphism and male trimorphism. However, little is known about their intestinal microbiota, which might play an indispensable role in shaping the health of their hosts. The aim of this study was to investigate the intestinal bacterial community structure between the two sexes and among three male morphs of O. fallaciosa from China using high-throughput sequencing (Illumina MiSeq). The gut bacterial community structure was significantly different between males and females, suggesting that sex appeared to be the crucial factor shaping the intestinal bacterial community. Females had higher bacterial alpha-diversity than males. There was little difference in gut bacterial community structure among the three male morphs. However, compared to medium and small males, large individuals were associated with the higher relative abundance of Firmicutes and Firmicutes/Bacteroides (F/B) ratio, which might contribute to nutritional efficiency. Overall, these results might help to further our understanding of beetle–bacterial interactions of O. fallaciosa between the two sexes, and among the three male morphs.

EPIZOOTIC SITUATION ON TREMATODES OF MARALS IN THE ALTAI REGION AND THE EFFECTIVENESS OF AN ANTI-TREMATODE DRUG IN PRODUCTION EXPERIENCE

Altai Region has always been and remains a region of developed animal husbandry. Velvet antler industry is an integral part of it. It specializes in the breeding of marals and sika deer. One of the main problems encountered in maral breeding is the infection of animals with helminths. The resistance of helminths to various environmental conditions without loss of invasiveness, as well as anthelmintic treatments is carried out, as a rule, with the same drugs from the group of macrocyclic lactones. They do not have a sufficient destructive effect on the causative agents of parasitic diseases (in particular, on trematodes) and promote helminths circulation and their distribution. In this regard, we set a goal: to analyze the epizootic situation in terms of trematodes of marals in the farms of the Altai Region and to study the effectiveness of the antiparasitic action of the drug Santel 10%. In the course of clarifying the epizootic situation on trematodosis of marals in the main maral breeding areas of the Altai Region, it was established that this group is currently represented by the causative agent of dicroceliosis. In general, over the period of research, the invasion of marals by the causative agent of dicroceliosis tended to slightly decrease in terms of the extent of invasion - by 20%. An experiment in the study of the anti-trematode efficacy of the drug Santel 10% by OOO VIK-Animal Health (Russia), was carried out on stag beetles in the Altai Territory of the Altai Region. As a result of production experience on the use of the drug Santel 10% on spontaneously infested marals, it was revealed that the drug is effective against dicrocelia, in particular, in terms of intensity efficiency, which was 84.5% with an intensity efficiency of 40%.