INVERTEBRATES OF CONSERVATIVE INTEREST FROM PLATFORMA COTMEANA, A ROMANIAN NATURAL PROTECTED AREA

Current work was carried out in a Natura 2000 site of community importance, ROSCI 0354, Platforma Cotmeana, with a surface of 12.529 ha, located in the Central Southern part of Romania in a hilly area. The site is mainly dominated by broadleaf forest, from which 30% consists of beech species, an important habitat component for the studied species. Focal species of this research were: Lucanus cervus (Linnaeus, 1758), Cerambyx cerdo Linnaeus, 1758, and Morimus asper funereus Mulsant, 1862, as listed in the annex of EU Habitat Directive. For each species, numerical abundance, sex ratio, and other aspects of their biology were estimated. Habitat preference and the occurrence of individuals were recorded in order to evaluate their distribution in the site. Future perspectives on the status of the conservation of species in site were assessed by evaluation of human impact activities affecting the quality of their habitat. It was noted that most dominant species is L. cervus with an occurrence of 314 individuals, followed by M. asper funereus with 92 individuals, and C. cerdo with 41 individuals. An exoskeleton of Rosalia alpina (Linnaeus, 1758) was found, fact explained by the limit of species distribution area in the site.

Body Remains Left by Bird Predators as a Reliable Source for Population Genetic Studies in the Great Capricorn Beetle Cerambyx cerdo, a Veteran Oak Specialist

Obtaining biological material for DNA extraction is often challenging in organisms of conservation interest. Non-invasive sampling (i.e., sampling without injuring or disturbing an animal) is preferred as it carries no risk to the population’s survival. Here, we tested the possibility of using the body remains left by bird predators for microsatellite genotyping in Cerambyx cerdo, a veteran oak specialist. We compared results obtained from such potentially degraded samples with samples of fresh beetle tarsi (i.e., invasive and destructive but non-lethal samples). Using 10 SSR loci, we genotyped 28 fresh, and 28 remains samples. The analysis indicated that PCR amplification efficiency was not influenced by sample type but allele length and individual heterozygosity. Allele frequencies were perfectly correlated for both sample types (R2 = 0.94). Additionally, null allele frequencies and genotyping failure rates were not significantly different from zero. Although the point estimates of individual inbreeding rates (fi) were higher in remains than fresh samples (medians 0.08 vs. 0.02, respectively), both groups were not significantly different from each other and zero. Our study demonstrated that non-invasive remains samples could provide satisfactory data for population–genetic studies. However, we highlight the problem of biased inbreeding estimates, which may result from samples affected by allelic dropout.

Segnalazioni faunistiche italiane

622 - Cerambyx cerdo Linnaeus, 1758 (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) 623 - Apterola kuenckeli kuenckeli Mulsant & Rey, 1866 (Heteroptera Lygaeidae) 624 - Acanthocinus griseus (Fabricius, 1792) (Coleoptera Cerambycidae Lamiinae) 625 - Monochamus galloprovincialis (Olivier, 1795) (Coleoptera Cerambycidae)

Primer registro en la Península Ibérica de Oobius rudnevi (Nowicki, 1928) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), un parasitoide oófago poco conocido de Cerambyx sp. (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)

Se cita por primera vez a Oobius rudnevi (Nowicki, 1928) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) de la Península Ibérica y el sur de Europa usando huevos centinela. El parasitoide se detectó en julio de 2016 en tres dehesas en Extremadura (SO de España), localizadas en Almendral (La Jara) y Mérida (La Serrana y Parque Natural de Cornalvo). O. rudnevi parasitó tanto los huevos de Cerambyx cerdo Linnaeus, 1758 (su único hospedador conocido hasta la fecha) como los de C. welensii (Küster, 1845), lo que supone una nueva asociación hospedador-parasitoide (C. welensii-O. rudnevi). El porcentaje de parasitismo se mostró bastante variable entre sitios y fechas (rango 0–93%), con mayor prevalencia en C. cerdo que en C. welensii. Nuevos estudios se desarrollan en campo y laboratorio para explorar la ecología, comportamiento y potencial parasitario de O. rudnevi en las dehesas mediterráneas de quercíneas.

Proposition de protocoles pour la surveillance de l’état de conservation de sept coléoptères saproxyliques de la Directive Habitats-Faune-Flore

La Directive Habitats-Faune-Flore (DHFF) prévoit un suivi dans le temps de l’état de conservation des espèces d’intérêt communautaire. En France, cette surveillance reste peu développée pour les invertébrés. Des protocoles nationaux sont proposés pour sept espèces de coléoptères saproxyliques rares ou à caractère « parapluie » : Stephanopachys linearis (Kugelann, 1792) et Stephanopachys substriatus (Paykull, 1800) (Bostrichidae), Cerambyx cerdo Linnaeus, 1758 et Rosalia alpina (Linnaeus, 1758) (Cerambycidae), Osmoderma eremita (Scopoli, 1763) (Trichiinae), Limoniscus violaceus (P.W.J. Müller,1821) (Elateridae) et Rhysodes sulcatus (Fabricius, 1787) (Rhysodinae). La DHFF définit quatre paramètres d’état de conservation : l’aire de répartition, la taille des populations, l’habitat d’espèce et les perspectives futures. À partir de la littérature sur l’écologie et la conservation de ces espèces et de l’expertise des auteurs sur les populations françaises, la réflexion a porté sur des protocoles économiquement et techniquement réalistes pour effectuer une veille à large échelle. Pour ces espèces rares et discrètes, les mesures directes des tailles de populations ne paraissent pas opérationnelles. Il est proposé de confirmer l’occupation des sites (voire de détecter de nouvelles localités) et de suivre les micro-habitats clés de chacune de ces espèces. Ce focus sur l’habitat d’espèce doit permettre de faire le lien avec les pressions et les mesures de gestion. Un recours à la modélisation et aux observatoires participatifs est envisagé pour préciser la distribution de certaines espèces. Il est préconisé de mobiliser des statistiques de l’inventaire forestier national en les affinant à l’échelle de la distribution de chaque espèce. Un tableau résume les propositions pour chaque espèce : paramètres visés, plan et unités d’échantillonnage, techniques et matériel, périodes favorables, possibilité d’impliquer les gestionnaires, périodicité des relevés, types d’indicateurs, éléments de coûts et perspectives de recherche.Ces propositions sont discutées en termes de moyens nécessaires et au regard des rares protocoles disponibles dans les pays concernés par ces espèces, notamment en Italie.

Snakes use microhabitats created by the great capricorn beetle Cerambyx cerdo in southwest Poland

Niche engineering is considered one of the most important interspecific interactions that shape ecosystems, but this kind of interaction network has not been sufficiently studied so far. Here we present the first observation of grass snake Natrixnatrix in the galleries of Cerambyxcerdo. We recorded three grass snake individuals basking and hiding inside the C.cerdo galleries. We suggest the presence of this beetle species may create new environmental niches and improve habitat quality for snakes and other vertebrates.

Preliminary data on the beetle (Coleoptera) fauna of Turopoljski Lug forest

Vlažna staništa pružaju mnoge usluge ekosustava, npr. služe kao prirodne retencije poplavnih voda, a mogu biti i područja za rekreaciju šire javnosti. Predstavljaju i životno važna staništa za brojne životinjske vrste, stoga su mnoga vlažna staništa pod nekim stupnjem zaštite. Unatoč tomu, fauna mnogih vlažnih staništa i dalje je većinom nepoznata, posebice po pitanju kornjaša. Nepoznavanje faune određenog područja otežava upravljanje istim. Jedna takva lokacija je šuma Turopoljski lug, smještena jugoistočno od glavnog grada Zagreba. Terensko istraživanje provedeno je od ožujka do rujna 2017. Koristile su se četiri metode: kečiranje, zamke s mamcima na stablima, svjetlosne zamke s UV žaruljama po noći i sakupljanje rukom. Rezultatima je pridodano i nekoliko nalaza od ranije. Ukupan broj poznatih vrsta kornjaša za Turopoljski lug podignut je s 51 na 133. Devet vrsta imaju gotovo ugrožen IUCN status ugroženosti, od kojih je sedam saproksilnog načina života. Iz područja su poznate tri vrste navedene u Dodacima II i IV Direktive o staništima, od kojih smo zabilježili samo Cerambyx cerdo. Također, pronađen je zanemaren nalaz iz literature za četvrtu – Phryganophilus ruficollis. Potrebno je preispitati i, po potrebi, izmijeniti dosadašnji način upravljanja šumom. Buduća usmjerena istraživanja određenih skupina kornjaša trebala bi uroditi dodatnim povećanjem broja vrsta poznatih za lug, dok bi ciljano kartiranje prisutnosti vrsta s Dodataka iznjedrilo prijeko potrebne podatke za zaštitu prirode.