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Review of Saproxylic Beetles in Tugai Forests of Kazakhstan*

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Review of Saproxylic Beetles in Tugai Forests of Kazakhstan* FORESTRY SCIENCES REVIEW OF SAPROXYLIC BEETLES IN TUGAI FORESTS OF KAZAKHSTAN* Yu.S. Borissova Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic In the review, the data about the saproxylic beetles in the tugai forests of Kazakhstan is described. The main tree and shrub species related to saproxylic beetles are reported and the beetle species diversity is presented in a table. Of the species listed in the table, 36 species of saproxylic beetles are related to Populus sp. (Populus diversifolia and P. pruinosa), 21 species to Elaeagnus angustifolia, 20 species to Tamarix sp., and 17 species to Salix sp. The least number of saproxylic beetles was re- lated to Fraxinus sogdiana (2 species) and Halimodendron halodendron (3 species). The author detected data about the repre- sentatives of the following families of Coleoptera: Brentidae, Bostrichidae, Buprestidae, Cerambycidae, and Curculionidae on the territory of tugai forests and the arid zone of Kazakhstan. According to the used references, the most numbered family of saproxylic beetles in the tugai forests is Buprestidae: 41 species have been known. The author found out data about 17 species of Curculionidae and 10 species of Cerambycidae. Other families have a lower number of species. It means that Buprestidae is the most studied family in the tugai forests of Kazakhstan. Further research is necessary to extend knowledge about the diver- sity of saproxylic beetles in the tugai forests of Kazakhstan. Tugai forests, saproxylic beetles, Coleoptera, trees and shrubs; forest pests doi: 10.2478/sab-2018-0016 Received for publication on August 22, 2016 Accepted for publication on September 26, 2017 INTRODUCTION herb communities in flood plains of the Syr Darya, Chu, Ili, Karatal, Lepsy, Aksu and Charyn rivers with Tugai forests, known as tugais, are intrazonal forests total area of about 400 thousand ha, of which no more formations, which grow along bottomlands of rivers in than 150 thousand ha is covered by forest (B a i z a k o v arid regions. These forests are called intrazonal forests et al., 2007). because they do not form separate zones. They are like The tugai forests have a large agricultural and inclusions in an extensive arid zone with intra-area economic significance: they protect against soil ero- vegetation, which is different from the main back- sion, water evaporation, and they strengthen the banks ground arid flora (P r o h o r o v, 1982). They belong to of the rivers. They often play an agricultural field- a special relic type of vegetation. This type saves the protection role against wind or snow, for example, old features of Tertiary flora and its centre of origin and realize bio drainage in slump bottomland regions is Central Asia (T r e s h k i n , 2011). (Kolesnichenko, 2013). At present, the world’s largest contiguous tugai Cuttings in a non-systematic manner destroyed the forests occur along the Tarim River, China and its tugai forests until there was complete extermination in tributaries in the Tarim basin (T h e v s et al., 2008). some areas. These forests are damaged also by frequent In Kazakhstan the tugai forests are tree, shrub, and fires, which in most cases take place when people burn * Supported by the Internal Grant Agency of the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (IGA), Project No. B03/15, and by Erasmus Mundus Action 2 programme (CASIA project). SCIENTIA AGRICULTURAE BOHEMICA, 49, 2018 (2): 105–117 105 the bulrush for agricultural needs (K o l e s n i c h e n k o , The family Buprestidae is among the largest beetle 2013). In addition to frequent fires and illegal cuttings families, with nearly 15 000 species known in 511 of the unique tugai forests, they are constantly reduced genera. As the latter common names suggest, these because of the growth of pests and diseases loci and insects are wood-boring as larvae, with the immature an unregulated year-round pasturage of livestock. All forms slowly tunneling through a variety of woody these reasons mentioned above essentially influence tissues of many tree and shrub species (G h a h a r i et reproduction, growth and development of the tugai al., 2008). The species of this family are important vegetation (P r o h o r o v, 1982). Compared with the pests groups in forest trees of almost all regions (B í l ý , other plant communities of the tugai vegetation, the 2003). Many publications about Buprestidae have tugai forests are the most threatened ecosystem. The been devoted to the study of pests of forest tree spe- restoration of such unique forest ecosystems is of cies (M i t y a e v, 1955; S i n a d s k i y, 1964). Among worldwide significance (T h e v s et al., 2008). those trees were also tugai species of trees and shrubs The tugai forests are characterized by specific (Aybasov, 1974; Mityaev, Yaschenko, 2007). fauna of saproxylic beetles. These beetles are the main Data about buprestids, damaging Tamarix sp., are component of the present fauna and are of special available in the article of M i t y a e v (1955), where importance for biodiversity conservation in the tugai he gave four species of buprestids. Ay b a s o v (1974) forests. Therefore, data about the saproxylic beetles identified Buprestidae species composition of turanga in the tugai forests of Kazakhstan are described in (P. diversifolia and P. pruinosa). There are seven spe- this review. cies of buprestid beetles, which damage Tamarix sp. (Mityaev, Yaschenko, 2007). The family Cerambycidae is poorly represented MATERIAL AND METHODS in the tugai forests of Central Asia. The reason of this is the comparative poverty of the Central Asian The materials for the review on saproxylic beetles forests. Among found data, Prionus anguslatus were collected from various literature sources. We (Jakovlev, 1887) is typical for deserts and semi-deserts applied the systematic of Coleoptera, which was pub- (Plavilstshikov, 1936, 1958). lished in the catalogue of B o u c h a r d et al. (2011). As mentioned in the past, Scolytus jaroschevskyi The following families of Coleoptera were chosen: Schevyrew, 1893 and Taphronurgus exul (Reitter, 1913) Brentidae, Buprestidae, Curculionidae, Cerambycidae, (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) were found in the tugai and Bostrichidae, because representatives of these forests (S t a r k , 1952; K o s t i n , 1973). However, families form the saproxylic beetles community in other scientists found other species of this subfamily the tugai forests. Most of them have the host plants on Populus sp., Salix sp., Ulmus sp., and Fraxinus in the tugais as well. sp. (Table 1). Among the species of the saproxylic beetles listed in Table 1, 33 species are related to P.diversifolia and RESULTS P.pruinosa, 21 species to E.angustifolia, 20 species to Tamarix sp., and 17 species to Salix sp. in the tugai According to some authors, the tugai group of forests of Kazakhstan. The least number of saproxylic saproxylic beetles includes 25 species trophically beetles are related to Fraxinus sogdiana (2 species) associated with trees and shrubs (Populus, Salix, and Halimodendron halodendron (3 species). Elaeagnus, and Tamarix) as well as with the herba- According to data of Table 1, the most numbered ceous (Alhagi, Glycyrrhiza, Phragmites, Aeluropus family of saproxylic beetles is Buprestidae. It has and Juncus) vegetation of tugais (Vo l k o v i t s h , 41 species. The family Curculionidae has 17 species A l e x e e v, 1994). In recent years, saproxylic beetles that of Cerambycidae has 10 species. It means that have been studied in the tugai forests of the Ili River Buprestidae is the most studied family in the tugai in Kazakhstan. The results showed that most abundant forests of Kazakhstan. families in tugais were Curculionidae and Bostrichidae. The rare families were Buprestidae, Cerambycidae, and others (Kolesnichenko, Nakladal, 2014; DISCUSSION Kolesnichenko et al., 2014). Data on the saproxylic beetles, their host plants and Scientists gave definition of tugai forests. According other information undertaken from various researches to Z a k t r e g e r (1927), tugai forests are unique is- are presented in Table 1. land plant communities, the origin and life of which Specific species of a number of families mentioned is closely associated with the activities of peculiar in Table 1 are typical inhabitants of the tugai flora. rivers. S i n a d s k i y (1968) mentioned that tugais are Most of them are connected with the tugai vegetation, desert forests with tree, shrubby and grassy thickets in primarily with P. diversifolia, P. pruinosa, and Tamarix floodplains and deltas of Central Asia and Kazakhstan sp. (K h a m r a e v, 2003). rivers. They are presented by xeromezophylous me- 106 SCIENTIA AGRICULTURAE BOHEMICA, 49, 2018 (2): 105–117 zothermous trees, shrubs and herbs. Other scientists iliensis Chrshan., Lonicera iliensis Pojark., Berberis noted that tugai forests are the riparian forests along iliensis Popov, Lycium dasystemum Pojark., Tamarix the rivers in the continental, winter-cold deserts of spp., and Halimodendron halodendron (Pall.) Voss, as Central Asia (T h e v s et al. 2008). The tugai forests well as mesophytic herbaceous vegetation (I s h k o v, are also named oases of deserts (K o l e s n i c h e n k o , 1995; T l e p p a e v a , 2013). Impassable thickets of 2013). Deserts, the floodplains along the large river tamarisk Tamarix sp. and salt trees Halimodendron systems such as the Amu Darya, Syr Darya, and Tarim halodendron grow along the second terrace.
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