Canopy leaf beetles and weevils in the Białowieza and Borecka Forests in Poland (Col., Chrysomeloidea, Curculionoidea)

In this study we present a faunistic overview of an investigation of arboreal phytophagous beetles collected from primeval forests and managed forests of Białowiea and Borecka Forests by insecticidal knock-down in 2001 and 2002. The whole dataset is based on 122 fogging samples and on stem eclector samples from 49 trees. In the area of Białowiea Forest 78 fogging samples from common oak (Quercus robur L.), 28 from spruce (Picea abies (L.) KARST.), 13 from hornbeam (Carpinus betulus L.) and 3 from different trees (Acer platanoides L., Populus tremula L., Pinus sylvestris L.) were taken. The samples from ancient woodland, primary forest sanctuaries, and different-aged managed forest stands revealed 129 phytophagous beetle species and 24458 individuals of the families Chrysomelidae, Bruchidae, Anthribidae, Rhynchitidae, Attelabidae, Apionidae, Nanophyidae, and Curculionidae. The stem eclector catches resulted in 32 species and 7077 individuals of Chrysomelidae, Anthribidae, Apionidae and Curculionidae. In the area of Borecka Forest 11 trees were fogged (3 Quercus robur L., 4 Picea abies, 3 Carpinus betulus and 1 Tilia cordata MILL.), resulting in 25 species and 1531 individuals. The following seven species,mainly collected by fogging, were previously not recorded from Białowiea forest: Zeugophora frontalis, Longitarsus curtus, Cryptocephalus nitidus, Crepidodera nitidula, Bruchidius marginalis, Acanthoscelides obtectus, and Phaeochrotes cinctus. Some rare species as Cryptocephalus querceti, Polydrusus flavipes, Anthonomus pinivorax, Magdalis fuscicornis, Magdalis exarata, Rhynchaenus pilosus, and Rhynchaenus hortorum were caught in medium or large numbers indicating that they preferably occur in the canopy. Full-winged specimens of Psylliodes cucullatus were found for the first time. Canopy communities were dominated by the feeding generalist Strophosoma capitatum (47.5% of all weevils, Anthribidae excluded) and other broad-nosed weevils of the genera Phyllobius und Polydrusus. Broad-nosed weevils represented 92.1% of the total weevil catch. Polydrusus flavipes proved to be a characteristic species of the wet oak forest, where it was abundant mainly on old oak trees. 36% of the weevil species, but only 13% of the leaf beetle species develop on the sampled trees (Quercus, Picea, and Carpinus). The remaining species develop on other forest trees (22% of the leaf beetles and 32% of the weevils), on herbs, low shrubs or in the open country (65% of the leaf beetles and 32% of the weevils); rarely sampled tree genera were not considered in this analysis.