Peculiarities of the development and seasonal dynamics of the activity of epigean beetles of the Polyphaga suborder (Coleoptera) in fields of winter wheat in the conditions of Southern Ukraine

Abstract

In total, 168 beetle species from 25 families of the suborder Polyphaga have been recorded on winter wheat crops. 116 species (about 20 families) are registered as stratobionts: 14 were dominants, 32 – subdominants and about 70 species were very rare. The main representatives of stratobios were Staphylinidae, Silphidae, Dermestidae, Histeridae, some Elateridae and Scarabaeidae and most Tenebrionidae. Most staphylinids are more numerous in spring (late April – first half of May) and sometimes in summer (especially dominant Tachyporus hypnorum). A high number of Silphidae was noted by mid-May, but decreased in the summer months. Two peaks of abundance are characteristic of Anthicidae, Latridiidae and Cryptophagidae: the smaller in spring (the first half of May) and the maximum in summer (the second half of June – early July). The number of Dermestidae increases gradually from mid-May and reaches maximum from late May to early or mid-June. Among Tenebrionidae, the species of genera Opatrum and Gonocepalum are more numerous in spring than in summer. Crypticus quisquilius were numerous by mid-summer. Among Elateridae, high number of Agriotes sputator was recorded from May to mid-June, and the appearance of Aelosomus rossi was recorded from mid-April, with a peak in the first half of summer. In spring, some Scarabaeidae (some species of Geotrupinae and Pentodon idiota), Histeridae and some species of weevils were more numerous in summer. In years with different meteorological conditions, significant discrepancies were noted in the timing of the rise and fall in the number of many beetles. But smaller differences in the number of specimens are noted between different years in comparision with individual phases of wheat vegetation. Some features of the sex index of beetles (higher during egg laying) and the development of dominant species are briefly considered.

Effect of global climate change on the distribution of Anchomenus dorsalis (Coleoptera, Carabidae) in Europe

“…Presumably, cold winters will completely disappear in this century, and hot summers will occur increasingly often. The most significant increase in near-surface temperature is expected in winter, even greater in the north, while the minimum would be seen in summer (Batschynskaja et al 2020;Koshelev et al 2020;Avtaeva et al 2021;Makaida et al 2021). The results of the study indicate that poikilothermal animals can suffer overheating, and even if they live far in the northern hemisphere, their ability to protect their organisms against the increase in the environmental temperature is limited.…”

Vertical Stratification and Seasonal Dynamics of Coleoptera in Open Biotopes of Forest Ecosystems (Centre of European Russia)

“…Seasonal cycles of Coleoptera activity have been studied for a long time and in various ways. There are many publications in which the authors describe in detail the seasonal activity of many species and families [10,[75][76][77][78]. One publication estimates the seasonal dynamics of Cerambycidae abundance in the Cerrado of Distrito Federal (Brazil) when caught on fermented sugar cane juice with the addition of various fruits [79].…”

Distribution of species from the genus Panorpa (Mecoptera, Panorpidae) in European Russia except the Caucasus

“…In many cases, most of the registered facts showing population decline were obtained as a result of geographically limited studies. That is why it is impossible to draw conclusions about the decline in the number of insects on a continental or global scale (Kestemont, 2019;Batschynskaja et al, 2020;Khalimov, 2020;Montgomery et al, 2020;Yang et al, 2021). In this regard, it is relevant to study the insect distribution within regional faunas, by carrying out an inventory of species and individual taxonomic groups that are poorly studied (Wheeler, 1990;Montgomery et al, 2020).…”