ACTA ZOOLOGICA BULGARICA Zoogeography and Faunistics Acta zool. bulg., 70 (4), 2018: 487-500 Research Article Inventory of Selected Groups of Invertebrates in Sedge and Reedbeds not Associated with Open Waters in Bulgaria Mario Langourov1, Nikolay Simov1, Rostislav Bekchiev1, Dragan Chobanov2, Vera Antonova2 & Ivaylo Dedov2 1 National Museum of Natural History – Sofia, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1 Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd., 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria; E-mails: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] 2 Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2 Gagarin Street, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria; E-mails: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] Abstract: Inventory of selected groups of the invertebrate fauna in the EUNIS wetland habitat type D5 “Sedge and reedbeds normally without free-standing water” in Bulgaria was carried out. It included 47 locali- ties throughout the country. The surveyed invertebrate groups included slugs and snails (Gastropoda), dragonflies (Odonata), grasshoppers (Orthoptera), true bugs (Heteroptera), ants (Formicidae), butterflies (Lepidoptera) and some coleopterans (Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae). Data on the visited localities, identi- fied species and their conservation status are presented. In total, 316 species of 209 genera and 68 families were recorded. Fifty species were identified as potential indicator species for this wetland habitat type. The highest species richness (with more than 50 species) was observed in wetlands near Marino pole (Plovdiv District) and Karaisen (Veliko Tarnovo District). Key words: Gastropoda, Odonata, Orthoptera, Heteroptera, Formicidae, Lepidoptera, Pselaphinae, wetland. Introduction According to the EUNIS Biodiversity Database, all known mire and spring complex according to the wetlands (mires, bogs and fens) are territories with occurrence of rare and threaten plant and mollusc water table at or above ground level for at least half species. Horsák et al. (2011) studied the communi- of the year, dominated by natural hydrophilous or ties of molluscs in previously unexplored Bulgarian hygrophilous herbaceous vegetation (Roug 2009). fens and determined the patterns of species richness They are considered among the most vulnerable eco- along the gradient of mineral contents. systems. In Bulgaria, these habitats have restricted In this paper, we present the results of the first distribution due to the recent climate fluctuations and detailed faunistic survey of sedge and reedbeds out- the anthropogenic impact in the last two centuries side Natura 2000 protected areas in Bulgaria carried (Gusev et al. 2017). Until the beginning of the 21th out in the frames of the project “Mapping and as- Century, wetlands and especially sedge and reed- sessing ecosystem services in wetlands in Bulgaria” beds were largely neglected by Bulgarian zoologists. (2016-2017). Up to now, only three studies on the invertebrate fauna in sedge and reedbeds of Bulgaria have been reported. Horsák (2006) published two new spe- Materials and Methods cies for the Bulgarian fauna collected in the course Three EUNIS wetland habitats have been identi- of an ecological study on fens: the snail Euconulus fied in Bulgaria outside Natura 2000 protected areas praticola (Reinhardt, 1883) and the mussel Pisidium (Gusev et al. 2017): D2 Valley mires, poor fens and globulare Clessin, 1873. Hájek et al. (2010) ranked transition mires; D4 Base-rich fens and calcareous 487 Langourov M., N. Simov, R. Bekchiev, D. Chobanov, V. Antonova & I. Dedov Fig. 1. Map of the localities with their codes. spring mires; and D5 Sedge and reedbeds, normally L., Althaea officinalis L., Butomus umbrellatus L., without free-standing water. Only D5 habitat type Caltha palustris L., Epilobium hirsutum L., Iris is widely distributed in the country. The former two pseudacorus L., Potentilla reptans L., Ranunculus are with one or two localities outside the Natura repens L. and Scirpus sylvaticus L. (Roug 2009, 2000 zones and are not included in the present study. Gusev et al. 2017). Excluded are also reedbeds and sedges where they Forty-seven localities (Table 1) were visited form emergent or fringing vegetation beside water once or twice in June – August 2016. These are the bodies. Sedge and reedbeds studied are terrestrial- main part of the identified localities of this habitat ized stands of tall helophyte of the families Poaceae, type and practically cover all regions of the country Cyperaceae, Juncaceae and Typhaceae, horsetails or (Fig. 1). forbs, usually species-poor and often dominated by Sedge and reedbeds offer an interesting com- one plant species, growing on waterlogged ground. plex of micro-habitats that undergo drastic changes They are classified according to dominant spe- across seasons in connection with water presence cies giving them a distinctive appearance (EUNIS and water level fluctuations. For this reason, various Habitat classification). The main plant species form- collecting methods were performed. Insect materi- ing vegetation in the habitat types mentioned are als for this study were collected mainly by sweep- Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud., Typha ing of the vegetation with an entomological net (Fig. angustifolia L., T. latifolia L., Schoenoplectus la- 2) and suction trapping (Fig. 3) with handhold leaf custris (L.) Palla, Bolboschoenus maritimus (L.) blower (vacuum combo). We also sifted litter or soil Palla, Cyperus longus L., Juncus effusus L., J. in- samples (Fig. 4) for snails, slugs and beetles (Dedov flexus L., Carex acuta L., C. acutiformis Ehrh., C. & Antonova 2015) and performed hand collecting riparia Curtis, C. pseudocyperus L. Other charac- and visual observations with binocular for butter- teristic species included in habitat description are flies and dragonflies. Aquatic insects (true bugs and Alisma plantago-aquatica L., Equiseum palustre L., dragonflies’ naiads) were collected with hydrobio- Eleocharis palustris (L.) R. Br., Lysimachia num- logical hand-net and using the adapted version of the mularia L., Lythrum salicaria L., Mentha aquatica multi-habitat sampling (Cheshmedjiev et al. 2011). 488 Inventory of Selected Groups of Invertebrates in Sedge and Reedbeds not Associated with Open Waters... Table 1. Localities with codes and coordinates (by regions; ordered from North to South and West to East). WEMA WEMA № Locality, Region Code Coordinates № Locality, Region Code Coordinates number number N43.78778° 510, N42.70656° 1 Septemvriitsi, Vidin BH1 25 Zlatitsa, Sofia CO3 - E22.97865° 511 E24.11208° N43.99857° N42.29556° 2 Tarnovtsi, Silistra CC1 528 26 Kostenets, Sofia CO4 142 E26.72418° E23.81631° N43.64489° N42.41818° 3 Pishurka, Montana M1 484 27 Dyadovo, Sliven CH1 212 E23.25149° E26.00285° N43.50839° N42.36310° 4 Vinishte, Montana M2 458 28 Lyubenets, Sliven CH2 179 E23.08684° E25.96275° N43.64337° Shishkovtsi, Kyus- N42.35555° 29 KH1 220 E23.75668° 482, tendil E22.70717° 5 Butan, Vratsa BP1 N43.64482° 483 N42.27011° 30 Rasovo, Kyustendil KH2 161 E23.75137° E22.53561° N43.42616° N42.26542° 6 Borovan, Vratsa BP2 443 31 Granitsa, Kyustendil KH3 148 E23.78874° E22.75254° N43.24778° Malo Selo, Kyus- N42.30533° 7 Nefela, Vratsa BP3 379 32 KH4 180 E23.53361° tendil E23.03866° N43.453335° N42.68344° 8 Knezha, Pleven EH1 456 33 Pevtsite, Plovdiv PB1 288 E24.09740° E24.65279° N43.34700° Marino Pole, N42.59894° 9 Deventsi, Pleven EH2 423 34 PB2 262 E24.17406° Plovdiv E24.86570° N43.15031° Momino Selo, N42.31210° 10 Dermantsi, Lovech OB1 353 35 PB3 141 E24.26632° Plovdiv E24.89589° N42.28434° N43.36358° E 36 Rakovski, Plovdiv PB4 124 25.33929° E25.00982° 424, Karaisen, Veliko N43.37731° N42.16529° E 11 BT1 426, 37 Chalakovi, Plovdiv PB5 068 Turnovo E25.35445° 25.04466° 436 N43.38961° N42.37323° E25.35413° E26.37917° 181, 38 Botevo, Yambol Y1 Pavlikeni, Veliko N43.26030° N42.37712° 207 12 BT2 372 Turnovo E25.28112° E26.37408° Lesicheri, Veliko N43.20711° N42.80398° 13 BT3 362 39 Yabalchevo, Burgas A1 311 Turnovo E25.41795° E27.23988° Vodoley, Veliko N43.20656° N42.69870° 14 BT4 361 40 Aytos, Burgas A2 284 Turnovo E25.51872° E27.20887° Elenovo, Targov- N43.39892° N42.59410° 15 T1 - 41 Pomorie, Burgas A3 260 ishte E26.37763° E27.61143° N43.34441° N42.51035° 16 Bistra, Targovishte T2 408 E27.30446° E26.54538° 248, N42.50753° N42.74644° 42 Bratovo, Burgas A4 249, 17 Vidritsa, Pernik PK1 310 E27.31018° E22.86164° 250 N42.70204° N42.50999° 18 Viskyar, Pernik PK2 303 E22.96010° E27.33640° N42.66142° Dolno Ezerovo, N42.53097° 19 Kosharevo, Pernik PK3 297 43 A5 253 E22.77129° Burgas E27.36753° Bogdanov Dol, N42.61821° N42.42747° 215, 20 PK4 282 44 Cherni Vrah, Burgas A6 Pernik E22.95585° E27.36069° 216 Radina Cheshma, N42.63045° N42.37630° 21 PK5 286 45 Dyulevo, Burgas A7 422 Pernik E23.02525° E27.18110° N42.42266° Mihnevo, Blago- N41.43453° 22 Klenovik, Pernik PK6 243 46 E1 006 E22.92667° evgrad E23.19942° N42.88196° Harsovo, Blago- N41.46006° 23 Slivnitsa, Sofia CO1 318 47 E2 008 E23.00990° evgrad E23.37725° N42.82973° 24 Kostinbrod, Sofia CO2 315 E23.20317° 489 Langourov M., N. Simov, R. Bekchiev, D. Chobanov, V. Antonova & I. Dedov Fig. 5. Podops curvidens A. Costa, 1843 – female from Fig. 2. Collecting by sweeping vegetation by entomo- zone PK5, Radina Cheshma, Pernik District. New record logical net. for the Bulgarian fauna. some beetles (Coleoptera: Pselaphinae) and butter- flies (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera). Of these, 156 spe- cies (about a half) were registered in one zone only, largely due to the short time of the survey (only three months). One hundred nineteen species were regis- tered from two to five zones, 32 species – in six to ten zones and nine species in more than ten zones. Cochlicopa lubrica, Monacha sp., Helix lucorum, Zonitoides nitidus, Galba truncatula, Planorbis planorbis (Gastropoda); Chartoscirta elegantula, Cymus melanocephalus (Hemiptera); Trissemus at- Fig. 3. Collecting by suction trapping with handhold leaf blower (vacuum combo). ennatus (Coleoptera, Pselaphinae); Colias croceus, Lycaena dispar, Coenonympha pamphilus, Maniola jurtina (Lepidoptera) occurred in a vast number of the surveyed areas.