Cent. Eur. J. Biol. • 8(2) • 2013 • 143-167 DOI: 10.2478/s11535-013-0119-z Central European Journal of Biology Diptera associated with sporocarps of Meripilus giganteus in an urban habitat Research Article Jindřich Roháček1,*, Jan Ševčík1,2 1Silesian Museum, CZ-746 01 Opava, Czech Republic 2Department of Biology and Ecology, University of Ostrava, CZ-710 00 Ostrava, Czech Republic Received 05 October 2012; Accepted 05 November 2012 Abstract: The Diptera community associated with fruit bodies of the wood-decaying fungus Meripilus giganteus (Pers.) P. Karst., 1882 was investigated in two city parks in Opava (Czech Republic, Central Europe) during the years 2009 and 2010. A total of 10,451 adult specimens of Diptera belonging to 66 species and 17 families emerged from this fungus during our rearing experiments. The six most dominant species, Coboldia fuscipes (Meigen, 1830) (D=50.70%), Drosophila funebris (Fabricius, 1787) (D=21.40%), Logima satchelli (Quate, 1955) (D =14.16%), Forcipomyia squamigera Kieffer, 1916 (D=5.48%), Lycoriella ingenua (Dufour, 1839) (D=2.96%) and Apteromyia claviventris (Strobl, 1909) (D=0.95%) represented 95.65% of all reared specimens. Altogether 59 species were reared from M. giganteus for the first time. Comments on host specialization, degree of synynthropy and other aspects of biology of particular species are provided. The qualitative composition of the fly community associated withM. giganteus in an urban habitat, causes of high species richness, and the predominance of polysaprophagous species in the reared material are discussed. The accidentally reared Ornitholeria nidicola Frey, 1930 (Chiropteromyzidae) represents the first family record from the Czech Republic and the first record of the species from Central Europe. Keywords: Insecta • Diptera (17 families)• Fungi (Meripilaceae) • Mycophagy • Synanthropy • Rearing • Czech Republic © Versita Sp. z o.o. 1. Introduction example, recorded as the most common wood-decay fungus in Hamburg [1]. Polypores and other lignicolous fungi represent More than 20 families of Diptera with various degree an important habitat and food source for insects, of trophic specialization have already been recorded to especially for beetles (Coleoptera) and flies (Diptera). develop in wood-destroying fungi (for recent reviews While beetles live mostly in older fruit bodies, flies see [2-6]). Concerning the family Meripilaceae, the usually attack both fresh and decaying fungi. Little rearing records are rather scarce. The highest number of attention has so far been devoted to the insect fauna of Diptera species (belonging to Trichoceridae, Pediciidae, the polypore family Meripilaceae. It includes more than Ditomyiidae, Mycetophilidae, Sciaridae, Cecidomyiidae, 60 species of mostly large polypores classified in 6 Phoridae, Heleomyzidae, Sphaeroceridae, and genera: Grifola Gray (10 species), Henningsia A.Møller Drosophilidae) were reared from Meripilus giganteus, cf. (1 species), Hydnopolyporus D. A. Reid (3 species), [2,7-14], and Ševčík [6] found that this fungus was the Meripilus P. Karst. (6 species), Physisporinus P. Karst. most attractive one for Diptera in the Czech Republic (3 species) and Rigidoporus Murrill (40 species). In with 27 associated species of Diptera. Three species of Central Europe, Meripilus is represented by only one nematocerous Diptera were reared from Grifola frondosa Palaearctic species, Meripilus giganteus (Pers.) P. (Dicks.) Gray and two Diptera species were reared from Karst., 1882. This fungus is rather commonly found Rigidoporus sanguinolentus (Alb. & Schwein.) Donk also in urban habitats, like old city parks. It was, for [6]. There is also a rearing record of one species of * E-mail: [email protected] 143 Diptera associated with sporocarps of Meripilus giganteus in an urban habitat Megaselia Rondani, 1856 (Phoridae) from Rigidoporus in the Slezská nížina Lowland. It is surrounded by an microporus (Sw.) Overeem collected in Indonesia [15]. agricultural landscape (Figure 2); the nearest forested In this paper, we summarize all rearing and collecting area is at Otice village, about 4 km SW from Opava. records of flies associated with fruit bodies of Meripilus In 2009 the first sporocarps ofM. giganteus (Figure 3) giganteus in the Opava city (Czech Republic) and provide were found under an old beech tree in the Sady Svobody comments on host specialization and other aspects of Park below Ptačí vrch Hill on 18.09.2009. A sample biology of particular species. The results are compared of adult flies were netted and/or aspirated from them to previous knowledge about association of flies with (J. Roháček leg.). As an unexpected species diversity of this fungus. The causes of high species richness and Diptera was found in this adult sample, the collecting of qualitative composition of the fly community associated flies was repeated on 23.09.2009 which added further with M. giganteus in an urban habitat are discussed and species to this spectrum; small samples of fungus with the predominance of polysaprophagous species in the larvae were taken on 24.09.2009 by the junior author reared material is elucidated. for rearing experiments. Therefore we decided to subsequently collect a large sample of the fungus for rearing in breeding boxes (see below). Unfortunately, 2. Experimental Procedures this intention was not realized because in the meantime all these sporocarps of M. giganteus were removed by The samples of Meripilus giganteus were collected by technical services of the Opava city. In the following year the authors in the Opava city (eastern Czech Republic), several sporocarps of the fungus (Figure 4) were found in two parks within the city centre, in the years 2009 and under a large ash tree in a small park at the nearby 2010. Opava is a mid-sized city (about 60,000 citizens) Sv. Hedvika square. Samples of adult flies were also situated near the Czech-Polish border (Figure 1), close collected there (on 14., 16., 18., 24.09. and 1.10.2010) to the confluence of the Opava and Moravice Rivers, and two complete sporocarps (Figure 5) were taken Figure 1-2. Maps. 1 – position of the Opava city in Europe; 2 – Opava city and its nearest vicinity. Sources: Fauna Europaea (Figure 1), http://www.mapy.cz (Figure 2). Figure 3. Meripilus giganteus, sporocarps at base of a beech in Figure 4. Meripilus giganteus, sporocarps at base of European ash locality B. Photo by J. Ševčík. in locality A. Photo by J. Roháček. 144 J. Roháček, J. Ševčík on 16.09. and 1.10.2010 for rearing experiments larvae and reared adults (Appendix 1) is preserved in (J. Roháček). ethanol and deposited in the collection of the Silesian Two methods of rearing were used. In 2009 only Museum (Opava, Czech Republic) (specimens from small selected samples of fungi with insect larvae were samples collected in 2010) and in the junior author’s placed into glass jars with a small amount of soil and collection (specimens from samples collected in 2009). then closed by monofil (see [6]). In 2010 two samples, The material of adults collected directly on M. giganteus each containing the complete fruit body of the fungus, (see Appendix 2) is dry mounted and deposited in the were placed into special plastic rearing boxes (Figure 6, Silesian Museum. Some preliminary results from these see also [16,17]) equipped with a collecting head of rearing experiments were included in the monograph by similar construction to that used in Malaise traps and Ševčík [6]. containing a 0.5 l polyethylene bottle filled with 75% The sampling localities and dates are as follows: ethanol in which all emerged insects were caught, killed Localities (see map on Figure 7): (A) Czech and preserved. All the examined material of both the Republic: Opava, Nám. Sv. Hedviky, 49°56’32.4’’N Figure 5. A sporocarp of Meripius giganteus used for rearing Figure 6. Plastic boxes used for rearing flies. Photo by J. Roháček. (sample B39). Photo by J. Roháček. Figure 7. Map of centre of Opava city with position of localities under study (see locality A, locality B). Source: http://www.mapy.cz. 145 Diptera associated with sporocarps of Meripilus giganteus in an urban habitat 17°53’28.9’’E, 271 m, park, under Fraxinus excelsior, 3.1 Mycophagous and mycosaprophagous samples (complete fruit body of fungus) collected species 16.09.2010 (sample B39) and 1.10.2010 (sample B40), Species developing exclusively or predominantly in fresh J. Roháček leg. The rearing period lasted more than (mycophagous larvae) or decayed (mycosaprophagous one year (16.09.2010 – 1.11.2011). Sampling dates: larvae) tissues of sporocarps of fungi. 24.09., 1.10. (B39 only), 8.10., 15.10., 22.10., 1.09., 8.11., 15.11., 22.11., 29.11.2010; 24.03., 29.04., 9.05., 3.1.1 Pediciidae 24.05., 1.06., 10.10., 20.06., 30.06., 11.07., 21.07., Ula (Ula) mollissima Haliday, 1833 8.08., 22.08., 14.09., 1.11.2011 (both B39 and B40). A rather common polymycophagous woodland species (B) Opava, Ptačí vrch, 49°56‘07‘‘N 17°54‘11‘‘E, associated mostly with lignicolous fungi [2,6,18]. It was 268 m, park, under Fagus sylvatica, small samples of recorded from Meripilus giganteus by Chandler [10] and fungus collected on 24.09.2009, J. Ševčík leg. Samples from Grifola frondosa by Ševčík [19]. were checked daily and emerged flies collected. Note: Buxton [9] also recorded rearing U. sylvatica Identification: The material obtained (see above) (Meigen, 1818) from Meripilus giganteus, but at that was identified by the authors and external experts time only one species of Ula was thought to occur in who are listed in the Acknowledgements and also Britain; his material has since been revised by A. Stubbs in Appendix 1 and 2 with indication of families they and the rearing from M. giganteus was of U. mollissima determined. (P. Chandler, personal communication). species n D (%) 3.