© Entomologica Fennica. 1 June 2018 Phenology of non-biting midges (Diptera: Chironomidae) in peatland ponds, Central Poland Mateusz P³óciennik, Martyna Skonieczka, Olga Antczak & Jacek Siciñski P³óciennik, M., Skonieczka, M., Antczak, O. & Siciñski, J. 2018: Phenology of non-biting midges (Diptera: Chironomidae) in peatland ponds, Central Poland. Entomol. Fennica 29: 6174. Non-biting midges are one ofthe most diverse and abundant aquatic insects in peatlands. The R¹bieñ mire is a raised bog located on the edge ofthe Lodz Ag - glomeration in Central Poland. After peat extraction, many ponds remained in the R¹bieñ area. During the growing season in 2012, adult chironomids were col- lected by a light trap and a hand net near one ofthe excavation ponds. The pheno - logy of adult flight period was documented from April to November. Thirty-one species were recorded and assigned to one offivephenology groups. Three pa- rameters reflecting duration of daytime and weather conditions, i.e. air tempera- ture, air humidity, were found to covary significantly with the observed flight pe- riods. Taxa emerging in the spring may be classified as cold-adapted and those collected in the summer only as preferring higher air temperature. Emergence in late summer was related to a shorter duration ofdaytime. M. P³óciennik, O. Antczak & J. Siciñski, Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Hydrobiology, University of Lodz, 12/16 Banacha St., Lodz 90-237, Poland; E- mails: [email protected], [email protected], sicinski@bio- l.uni.lodz.pl M. Skonieczka, 22/61 Pi³sudskiego St., Aleksandrów £ódzki, 95-070, Poland; e- mail: [email protected] Received 21 December 2016, accepted 27 September 2017 1. Introduction In the last decades in Europe, there have been few comprehensive studies on Chironomidae Besides typically aquatic ecosystems, Chirono- phenology including springs, streams, ponds and midae occur in various semiterrestrial and terres- dystrophic lakes (e.g. Cayrou & Céréghino 2005, trial habitats, and are present in natural and hu- Krasheninnikov 2012, Przhiboro & Paasivirta man-transformed peatlands. Wrubleski (1987), 2012, Ivkoviæ et al. 2015). Whereas Cayrou and Walker et al. (1985) and Suren et al. (2008) have Céréghino (2005) and Ivkoviæ et al. (2015) pres- shown that Chironomidae are among the domi- ent records ofthe whole lifecycles and emer - nant groups ofaquatic insects in diverse types of gence phenologies ofvarious insects, including bogs and fens, including water bodies. The domi- Chironomidae, from karst water bodies in the nation ofChironomidae increases considerably in Mediterranean Region, Krasheninnikov (2012) degraded wetlands (Brady et al. 2002, Ramchun- and Przhiboro and Paasivirta (2012) investigated der et al. 2012). adult and immature stages ofChironomidae in 62 P³óciennik et al. ENTOMOL. FENNICA Vol. 29 Fig. 1. The R¹bieñ Bog reserve in Central Poland. a. Geographic location. b. Habitat distribution map based on Kucharski et al. (2004). North-Eastern European streams and lakes. Such nities ofhigher plants and algae were investigated a study, conducted on a broad scale, was provided by Mamiñski (1987), Kucharski et al. (2004) and earlier on wetlands and ponds in North America, Bobrukiewicz and Szulc (2011). More intensive for example, by Rosenberg et al. (1988) and studies have concerned past Chironomidae as- Dendy (1971). Rosenberg et al. (1988) investi- semblages from the Late Weichselian (14,800 gated the life cycle of semiterrestrial taxa (mostly calibrated years before present (cal. BP)) to the Orthocladiinae) in truly peatland habitats. Dendy beginning ofthe Subatlantic Period (2,100 cal. (1971) investigated emergence ofadults fromex- BP) (P³óciennik et al. 2015, S³owiñski et al. perimental ponds during studies ofthree years. 2016). The most recent study ofmacrobenthos in To complement subfossil data, research of the peatland lakes is by Baars et al. (2014). As they current R¹bieñs midge fauna was conducted. collected pupal exuviae, their information strictly Ponds left after former peat extraction are an im- concerns species emergence, but samples were portant habitat for chironomids in the reserve. gathered only twice a year, in April and August. That is why studies were focused on midge ap- A detailed review ofthe phenology of pearance close to one ofthem. The main aim of Europaen Tanypodinae, Chironomini and Ortho- this research was to recognise the flight periods of cladiinae was made by Vallenduuk and Moller the chironomid taxa living at the pond area and Pillot (2007) and Moller Pillot (2009, 2013). their relation to local weather conditions. They gathered diverse data from intensive studies to more random observations from all types of habitats across Europe. 2. Materials and methods In Poland, wetlands cover only 1.9% ofthe Lodz region territory. They are mostly fens in 2.1. Study area river valleys and only few may be classified as raised bogs covering no more than 1% ofthe The R¹bieñ Bog (Fig. 1) is located in the £ask peatland area (Forysiak 2012, ¯urek & Okupny Upland, 11 km northwest ofthe £ód city centre, 2015). Although these habitats are so rare, studies in the village ofR¹bieñ AB. The bog covers an on bogs on watersheds constitute an important area ofabout 42.5 ha and is located 189 m above part ofpaleolimnological and ecological studies. the sea level. The south part ofthe peatbog is al - One ofthe mires on watersheds is the R¹bieñ most totally degraded to meadow-like open habi- Bog, located at the edge ofthe Lodz Agglomera - tats and rushes. Peat excavations have been back- tion. Some entomological studies at this site con- filled by construction debris. On the border of the cerned Carabidae (Jasku³a 2003, Jasku³a & Stê- peatbog, there is a first order watershed between pieñ 2012) and moths (Zima 2014). The commu- the rivers ofBzura and Ner (Forysiak 2012). Cur - ENTOMOL. FENNICA Vol. 29 Phenology of Chironomidae in Central Poland 63 rently, the R¹bieñ Bog is protected by law as a na- ture reserve. The main purpose ofthe reserve is to preserve a raised bog with Shagnum-Eriophorum peatland, unique in this region. A great part ofthe reserve is covered with peat pools, which are in various stages ofsecondary succession, with a to - tal area of0.4 ha. The youngest peat pools are in the form of small ponds or are filled with brown water and covered with swamp communities. In the oldest ones, there are floating Sphagnum mosses and rhizomes ofsemiaquatic plants, such as Calla palustris. 2.2. Sampling and taxonomic identifications The site where the light trap was situated is in the west part ofthe R¹bieñ Bog (Fig. 1), directly at the largest pond ofthe reserve (Fig. 2a), with a large surface of exposed water table and a wide reed belt. The older peat pool, fully covered by cattail and reed on the Sphagnum carpet, was also near the light trap (Fig. 2b). The light trap was equipped variably with a 250 or a 500 W mercury vapour lamp and it was generally operated be- tween 9 and 11 p.m. for at least 1.5 h after dusk (Table 1). Net catches were taken along the above-described shorelines ofthe pond (Fig. 1), as well as on the margins ofthe bog, approx. 100 200 m away from the light trap (Fig. 2c). Catches were made on the east side ofthe R¹bieñ Bog re- serve, in Torfowa Street, near the large pond (Fig. 2). Net samples were taken between 6.30 and 8.00 p.m. during sunlight. From April to Novem- ber 2012, catches ofChironomidae imagines were made during 20 days. Non-biting midges Fig. 2. Photographs of sampling sites. a. Pond. b. occurred in the period from 18 April to 15 Sep- Swamp developed after peat extraction, overgrown by tember. reed rushes. c. Edge of peat bog. Taxonomic identifications are based on male hypopygia following Langton and Pinder (2007), these taxa, two morphotype groups were distin- Gi³ka (2011) and Makarchenko (2006). Out of guished: Chironomus piger Strenzke, 1956 240 caught specimens, 199 were identified to the group, and Chironomus annularius Meigen, species or species group level. Taxon names are 1818 group. Chironomus gr. piger includes the reported as given in Sæther and Spies (2013), morphologically similar species C. piger, C. lu- where applicable. Among male hypopygia in col- gubris Zetterstedt, 1850 and C. riparius Meigen, lected species ofthe genus Chironomus Meigen, 1804. Chironomus gr. annularius includes C. 1803, C. cf. pilicornis (Fabricius, 1787), C. annularius Meigen and C. prasinus Pinder, 1978. longistylus Goetghebuer, 1921, C. anthracinus The reference collection of permanent slides Zetterstedt, 1860 and C. pallidivittatus sensu ofhypopygia mounted in Euparal ® is deposited Edwards, 1929, as well as C.cf.plumosus (Lin- and available at the Department ofInvertebrate naeus, 1758) are easier to distinguish. Besides Zoology and Hydrobiology, University ofLodz. 64 P³óciennik et al. ENTOMOL. FENNICA Vol. 29 Table 1. Meteorological data of the £ód Lublinek station and times of days recorded on the dates of sample col- lection in 2012. A. AprilJune. B. JulySeptember. A. April–June April May June 18 3 15 20 5 17 18 19 30 Method* HN HN LT LT HN&LT LT LT LT HN Light trap collecting Duration (h) 2222222 Hours 21–23 22–24 21–23 22–24 22–24 22–24 Hand net collecting Duration (h) 1.5 2 2 2 Hours 19– 18.30– 19– 18– 20.30 20.30 21 20 Air humidity Mean 67 65 73 65 84 66 67 68 65 Max 93 94 100 100 100 88 100 83 88 Min 47 41 51 30 63 50 43 46 43 Dew point (°C) 0 24 6 12 10 15 16 15 17 Precipitation (mm) 000000000 Air temperature (°C) Mean 5 18 12 19 12 22 22 20 24 Max 12 26 13 27 17 24 30 23 32 Min –2 11 10 11 7 18 14 18 16 Air pressure (hPa) 1004.12 1008.42 1012.5 1013.77 1010.63 1020.52 1019.75 1019.35 1014.30 Wind speed (km/h) Mean 11 6 10 11 3 11888 Max 28 18 24 26 17 20 22 17 17 B.