Biological and Distributional Overview of the Genus Eledonoprius (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae): Rare Fungus-Feeding Beetles of European Old-Growth Forests
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NOTE Eur. J. Entomol. 110(1): 173–176, 2013 http://www.eje.cz/pdfs/110/1/173 ISSN 1210-5759 (print), 1802-8829 (online) Biological and distributional overview of the genus Eledonoprius (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae): Rare fungus-feeding beetles of European old-growth forests GIUSEPPE M. CARPANETO1, STEFANO CHIARI1, PAOLO A. AUDISIO2, PIERO LEO3, ANDREA LIBERTO4, NICKLAS JANSSON5 and AGNESE ZAULI1 1 Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Viale G. Marconi 446, 00146 Roma, Italy; e-mails: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] 2 Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie “Charles Darwin”, Università degli Studi La Sapienza, Viale Borelli 50, 00185 Roma, Italy; e-mail: [email protected] 3 Via P. Tola 21, 09128 Cagliari, Italy; e-mail: [email protected] 4 Via C. Pilotto 85/F 15, 00139 Roma, Italy; e-mail: [email protected] 5 Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, 581 83 Linköping, Sweden; e-mail: [email protected] Key words. Tenebrionidae, Eledonoprius, saproxylic fauna, mycophagy, bracket fungi, forest ecosystems, old trees, cork oaks Abstract. All the information on the genus Eledonoprius was gathered to provide an up to-date overview of the geographical distri- bution and ecology of its species, and to assess their association with old-growth forests. Based on recent samples collected in deciduous forests and woodlands of Italy, the authors outline the habitats of these rare species and give an account of their trophic relations with bracket fungi. E. armatus is recorded in Central Italy and Sardinia for the first time; E. serrifrons is new to Basilicata (Southern Italy) and Syria. INTRODUCTION ining the sieved debris on a white towel. Two types of trap were used: window traps and pitfall traps. The first type of trap (win- The genus Eledonoprius Reitter, 1911, includes only two rare dow) intercepts flying beetles by means of a transparent rigid and poorly known species of darkling beetles, both occurring in plastic sheet, placed perpendicular to a plastic container half the western Palaearctic Region: Eledonoprius armatus (Panzer, filled with ethylene glycol and water (50:50 v/v), to which a few 1799) and E. serrifrons Reitter, 1890. According to the few drops of detergent are added to reduce surface tension. These records in the literature these small beetles (2.7–3.8 mm) are traps were hung from hollow trees, near to an entrance hole. The mainly associated with bracket fungi (Polyporaceae) that grow second type of trap (pitfall), which was set inside hollow trees to on the trunks of old broadleaf trees. These ecological features catch insects walking inside the cavity, consists of standard and the scattered populations of the species indicate that these plastic glasses full of the same liquid as used in the first type of beetles are relict representatives of a fauna associated with old- trap, with the openings level with the wood mould surface. The growth deciduous forests (Español, 1985; Stebnicka, 1991; number of traps of each type used varied from five to eleven. Kompantseva & Tschigel, 2000; Müller et al., 2005; Castro Both window and pitfall traps were operated from April to Tovar et al., 2008). Recently, we found these beetles in other August and visited every 2 or 3 weeks. Both types of trap cap- types of deciduous forest in geographic areas where they were tured specimens of Eledonoprius armatus, but only at three not previously recorded. The aim of this paper is to gather all localities, Bosco Polverino (pSCI: IT6004004), Allumiere (pSCI the available information on the genus, add new data and rede- IT6030003) and Monte Venere (pSCI: IT6010023), in cork oak fine the geographic distribution and ecology of the species. stands at the first locality and old-growth beech forests at the MATERIAL AND METHODS other two. Additional records come from the study of specimens in museums and private collections. The specimens of Eledonoprius armatus from central Italy Acronyms of insect collections examined: AD = Agostino were found during an intensive collection of saproxylic beetles, Dodero Collection (MCSN); AL = Andreo Liberto Collection, carried out from 2008 to 2011 in the Latium Region, which Roma, Italy; CM = Carlo Meloni Collection (MCSN); GC = formed part of a regional project on the monitoring of the Giuseppe Carpaneto Collection (MZURT); HB = Hervé Brustel, saproxylic fauna. Seven different sites were sampled: Selva del Toulouse, France; PL = Piero Leo Collection, Cagliari, Italy; Lamone, Monte Venere, Allumiere, Oriolo Romano, Monte- CIBIO = Centro Iberoamericano de la Biodiversidad, Univer- rano, Pomezia and Bosco Polverino. Types of forest sampled sidad de Alicante; MCSN = Museo di Storia Naturale di Genova included old stands of evergreen trees, in particular cork oak (= Natural History Museum of Genoa); MZURT = Museo di (Quercus suber) (Pomezia and Bosco Polverino) and deciduous Zoologia dell’Università Roma Tre (= Zoological Museum of forests, such as beech (Fagus sylvatica) (Monte Venere, Allu- Roma Tre University). miere and Oriolo Romano), turkey oak (Quercus cerris) and mixed broadleaf woodlands (Selva del Lamone and Monterano). RESULTS Fieldwork consisted of traditional sieving of deadwood, visual Eledonoprius armatus (Panzer, 1799) inspection of bark and fungi and setting traps in and on hollow trees. The traditional sieving method consisted of placing wood Boletophagus armatus Panzer, 1799 debris in a sieve, breaking it into small pieces and then exam- Bolitophagus armatus Panzer, 1799 (misspelling) 173 Fig. 1. Map showing the distribution of Eledonoprius armatus (circles) and E. serrifrons (triangles). Open symbols refer to undated or records before 2000 and filled symbols to records since 2000. New records Spain, Cáceres, Monfragüe National Park, Las Cansinas, Italy, Lazio Region, Latina Province, Bosco Polverino, 37 m 24.x.2008, H. Brustel leg. (in Inonotus sp., on Fraxinus) (1 ex. a.s.l., 34°84´54˝E–45°88´51˝N, 30.iv–21.v.2009 (1 ex.), HB). Syria, Slunfeh, 1300 m, 2.–6.vi.2000, D. Baiocchi leg. (2 11.vi.–2.vii.2009 (1 ex.), 23.vii–11.viii.2009 (1 ex.), G. Car- exx. PL, 5 exx. AL). paneto, S. Chiari and A. Zauli leg. (window traps); DISCUSSION 30.iv.–21.v.2009 (2 exx.), 21.v–11.vi.2009 (4 exx.), 11.vi.–2.vii. 2009 (1 ex.), 2.–23.vii.2009 (1 ex.), G. Carpaneto, S. Chiari and Geographical distribution A. Zauli leg. (pitfall traps) (GC-MZURT). Italy, Lazio Region, Eledonoprius armatus has a wide geographic range but is Allumiere, 590 m a.s.l., 11°54´66˝E–42°09´19˝N, 7.v.–21.v.2011 restricted to approximately 50 localities in 21 countries (Fig. 1). (1 ex.) G. Carpaneto and L. Redolfi De Zan leg. (pitfall traps) Most records date back to the second half of the 19th century (e.g. (GC-MZURT). Italy, Lazio Region, Viterbo Province, Monte Danish mainland) or the first half of the 20th century (e.g. Ger- Venere, 829 m a.s.l., 12°10´88˝E–42°20´73˝N, 3.vi.–18.vi.2011 many, Poland, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria), few records refer to the (2 ex.) G. Carpaneto and L. Redolfi De Zan leg. (window traps); second half of the 20th century (Sweden, Slovenia, Ukraine, 630 m a.s.l., 12°11´23˝E–42°21´06˝N, 21.v.–3.vi.2011 (1 ex.) G. Cyprus). Only the records from France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Carpaneto and L. Redolfi De Zan leg. (pitfall traps); 630 m a.s.l., Romania and southern Moravia refer to the first decade of the 12°11´23˝E–42°21´06˝N, 15.vii.–29.vii.2011 (1 ex.) G. Car- 21th century. The presence in Morocco (Escalera, 1914) is doubt- paneto and L. Redolfi De Zan leg. (pitfall traps) (GC-MZURT). ful. Italy, Sardegna region, Nuoro Province, Orune (1 ex. Eledonoprius serrifrons was described from the Caucasian AD-MCSN); Monte Gonare, v.2003, C. Meloni leg. (in hollow region, in particular from Azerbaijan (type locality: “Araxesthal”, trunk of cork oak, Quercus suber) (5 exx. CM-MCSN, 2 exx. i.e. the Valley of the Araxes River in Azerbaijan) (Reitter, 1890). PL). Romania, Arad, Grosii Noi Natural Reserve, 26.vi.2005, H. The geographical range of this species was recently enlarged by Brustel leg. (1 ex. HB). Spain, Salamanca, Campanarios de the following records for southern Italy, Puglia Region, Monte Azaba, 900 m a.s.l., 6°47.551´W–40° 29.769´N, 21.v.2010 (1 Gargano (Schawaller, 2002); Spain, Extremadura Region, ex.), 7.vi.2011 (1 ex.), E. Micó et al. leg. (window traps) (CIBIO) Cabeza la Vaca (near Badajoz) (Castro Tovar et al., 2008) and (E. Micó, pers. com.). Corsica, Palavese (near Porto-Vecchio) (Soldati et al., 2009). Eledonoprius serrifrons (Reitter, 1890) Including the records added in the present paper, the species shows a disjunct distribution range including the Iberian Penin- New records sula, Corsica, southern Italy, the Levant and (Syria) and the Cau- Italy, Basilicata Region, Potenza Province, Cersòsimo (at con- casian region (Azerbaijan) (6 localities in 4 countries) (Fig. 1). fluence between Lappio stream and Sarmento river) 400 m a.s.l., Almost all the records for this species (except the type locality) 40°03´95˝N–16°20´63˝E, 16.vi.2003, A. Liberto leg. (on Popu- are very recent and refer to the first decade of the current lus nigra) (1 ex. PL, 4 exx. AL). Spain, Salamanca, Campanarios century. E. serrifrons appears to be rarer and more localized than de Azaba, 900 m a.s.l., 6°47.551´W–40´29.769´N, 21.v.2010 (1 E. armatus, even though in a protected area of Spain (Campa- ex.), 27.vi.2010 (2 exx.), 7.vi.2011 (2 exx.), 9.vii.2011 (1 ex.), E.