Scientiae biologicae

The Bílé Karpaty Mts. [White Carpathians] lying on the border of the Czech Republic and Slovakia has traditionally been known among biologists as a region which has an outstandingly species-rich flora and is particularly famous for large areas of seminatural grasslands which belong to the most diverse plant communities in Europe. For its great values for nature conservation, the Bílé Karpaty was accorded the status of a Protected Landscape Area in both the Czech Republic and Slovakia, as well as of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve within the Man and Biosphere programme. The invertebrate fauna of the region has been, however, largely overlooked (with a few noteworthy exceptions, e.g. butterflies and moths) until quite recently.

This paper summarizes the basics of the geology, geomorphology, hydrology, climate, soils, post-glacial history, nature conservation, flora, vegetation, and fauna of the Bílé Karpaty Protected Landscape Area and Biosphere Reserve in south-eastern Moravia, Czech Republic. The aim is to provide a general background, particularly for the contributions dealing with the fauna of a number of the insect groups that occur in this region that are included in this volume of the journal.

In the course of a faunistic survey in the Bílé Karpaty Protected Landscape Area and Biosphere Reserve (south-eastern Moravia, Czech Republic), a total of 37 species of Plecoptera (37% of the fauna of the Czech Republic) from 12 genera and seven families were recorded. Seven species are classified in the Red List of threatened invertebrates of the Czech Republic, in the categories “endangered” (Isoperla sudetica (Kolenati, 1859), I. tripartita Illies, 1954, Perlodes dispar (Rambur, 1842), and Perla marginata (Panzer, 1799) and “vulnerable” (Perla abdominalis Burmeister, 1839, Amphinemura standfussi (Ris, 1902) and Nemoura sciurus Aubert, 1949). The occurrences of the eastern Mediterranean species Isoperla tripartita, which reaches the north-western limit of its distribution in the Czech Republic and is widespread and frequent in the Bílé Karpaty PLA, and the central European species Nemoura sciurus, infrequent in the Czech Republic but common in the area investigated, are especially noteworthy. Other remarkable records include four species with a Carpathian, Balkan-Carpathian or Carpathian-Anatolian distribution (Nemoura carpathica Illies, 1963, N. fusca Kis, 1963, Protonemura aestiva Kis, 1965, and Leuctra quadrimaculata Kis, 1963) which are rare in the Czech Republic. Three species (Perlodes dispar (Rambur, 1842), Perla marginata (Panzer, 1799) and Leuctra major Brinck, 1949) found in the Bílé Karpaty PLA in 1958 have not been re-collected in recent years at the sites of their earlier occurrence. These species are sensitive to pollution and stream morphology degradation and these impacts may have led to their disappearance from the area. The highest species richness of stoneflies was found in springs and brooks in the mountainous part of the PLA. The majority of species recorded occur in these biotopes.

Based on previously published data and newly examined material, 49 species of Orthoptera, four species of Blattaria, one species of Mantodea, and four species of Dermaptera are recorded from the Bílé Karpaty [= the White Carpathians] Protected Landscape Area and Biosphere Reserve (south-eastern Moravia, Czech Republic). The fauna of the area consists predominantly of species of the deciduous forest zone of the Euro-Siberian region with steppe and forest-steppe species that occur less frequently. Most of the species have a wide ecological valence and distribution in the Czech Republic and can occur in various grassland habitats, often preferring taller stands; others live on shrubs, trees, or in leaf litter. Stenotopic or thermophilous species which occur (sometimes abundantly) in warm and arid, shortstemmed xerothermic grassland and sparsely vegetated areas include Calliptamus italicus (Linnaeus, 1758), Chorthippus mollis (Charpentier, 1825), Euchorthippus declivus (Brisout-Barneville, 1848), Metrioptera bicolor (Philippi, 1830), Oedipoda caerulescens (Linnaeus, 1758), Omocestus rufipes (Zetterstedt, 1821), Platycleis albopunctata grisea (Goeze, 1778), Poecilimon intermedius (Fieber, 1853), Stenobothrus crassipes (Charpentier, 1825), and S. lineatus (Panzer, 1796). As the overall character of the area is relatively arid and the extent of wetlands negligible, only a few hygrophilous species are present in the area (Chorthippus montanus (Charpentier, 1825), Chrysochraon dispar (Germar, 1834), Conocephalus fuscus (Fabricius, 1793), Euthystira brachyptera (Ocskay, 1826), and Metrioptera brachyptera (Linnaeus, 1761)). From the viewpoint of nature conservation, the most important species of Orthoptera in the Bílé Karpaty are Polysarcus denticauda (Charpentier, 1825), Poecilimon intermedius, Pseudopodisma nagyi Galvagni et Fontana, 1996, and Psophus stridulus (Linnaeus, 1758), which are threatened in the Czech Republic.

A total of 85 species of jumping plant-lice (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Psylloidea) were recorded in the BÌlÈ Karpaty Protected Landscape Area and Biosphere Reserve and a few closely adjacent localities (south-eastern Moravia, Czech Republic). Most of the records come from field surveys carried out in 1998ñ2011, with some additional data based on literature and collection specimens. A complete list of all records from the area is supplemented by brief notes on the distribution, host plants and conservation status of each species. Bactericera lyrata Seljak, Malenovsk˝ & Lauterer, 2008, Bactericera substriola Ossiannilsson, 1992, and Cacopsylla albipes (Flor, 1861) are recorded here for the Czech Republic for the first time. The jumping plant-louse fauna of the BÌlÈ Karpaty may be characterised as species-rich, comprising 65% of the Psylloidea species known to occur in the Czech Republic. As well as many widely distributed and generally common species, this also includes 17 species categorised in the Red List of threatened invertebrates of the Czech Republic. Especially noteworthy from the viewpoints of nature conservation and biogeography are some rare thermophilous species confined to sunny forest margins and/or dry grassland (Cacopsylla albipes, C. viburni (Lˆw, 1876), Eryngiofaga lautereri Loginova, 1977, and Livilla radiata (Foerster, 1848)), hygrophilous species inhabiting spring fens, wet meadows and shrubs along streams (Aphalara calthae (Linnaeus, 1761), Bactericera maura (Foerster, 1848), B. modesta (Foerster, 1848), B. substriola, Cacopsylla abdominalis (Meyer-D¸r, 1871), and C. elegantula (Zetterstedt, 1840)), ruderal habitats (Bactericera lyrata and B. trigonica Hodkinson, 1981), and several orophilous/psychrophilous species largely restricted to floristically rich pastures and meadows in the central and north-eastern parts of the BÌlÈ Karpaty Mts. (Craspedolepta sonchi (Foerster, 1848), Trioza abdominalis Flor, 1861, T. cerastii (Linnaeus, 1758), T. chrysanthemi Lˆw, 1878, T. dispar Lˆw, 1878, T. proxima Flor, 1861, and T. schrankii Flor, 1861). Trioza agrophila Lˆw, 1878, was known from the area only by deduction from findings of galls in the past and has not been confirmed in recent years. Three introduced species, Cacopsylla hippophaes (Foerster, 1848), Livilla variegata (Lˆw, 1881), and Psylla buxi (Linnaeus, 1758), occur in the BÌlÈ Karpaty PLA only in villages, on ornamental woody plants in gardens, parks, and cemeteries.

An account of leafhoppers and planthoppers (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha) in the Bílé Karpaty Protected Landscape Area and Biosphere Reserve (south-eastern Moravia, Czech Republic) is provided, based mainly on field surveys in 1998–2012, evaluation of previously collected museum material, and literature. A total of 352 species were recorded, making up 62% of the Auchenorrhyncha fauna of the Czech Republic. Edwardsiana ulmiphagus Wilson et Claridge, 1999 and Idiocerus vicinus Melichar, 1898 (both Cicadellidae) are reported here for the Czech Republic for the first time, as are Muellerianella fairmairei (Perris, 1857) (Delphacidae), Fieberiella bohemica Dlabola, 1965, Macropsis gravesteini Wagner, 1953, and Zygina ordinaria (Ribaut, 1936) (all Cicadellidae) for Moravia. A complete list of all records from the area is supplemented by short notes on the distribution, ecological requirements and the conservation status of each species. The regional Auchenorrhyncha fauna is briefly discussed from the viewpoints of nature conservation and biogeography. Altogether 86 species are classified in the Red List of threatened invertebrates of the Czech Republic, five of them as critically endangered: Tettigometra leucophaea (Preyssler, 1792) which has, however, probably become extinct in the Bílé Karpaty; Criomorphus williamsi China, 1939, Delphax pulchellus (Curtis, 1833), Euides alpina (Wagner, 1948), and Zygina frauenfeldi Lethierry, 1880. The Bílé Karpaty Protected Landscape Area is particularly remarkable for a species-rich Auchenorrhyncha fauna of semi-dry meadows and pastures, calcareous spring fens and forest margins, and the relatively frequent occurrence of several species (e.g. Kelisia irregulata Haupt, 1935; Tettigometra virescens (Panzer, 1799); Cercopis arcuata Fieber, 1844; Athysanus quadrum (Boheman, 1845); Batracomorphus allionii (Turton, 1802); Eupteryx lelievrei (Lethierry, 1874); E. origani Zachvatkin, 1948; and Handianus flavovarius (Herrich-Schäffer, 1835)) which are very rare or absent elsewhere in the Czech Republic.

An extensive survey of true bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) was carried out in the Bílé Karpaty Protected Landscape Area and Biosphere Reserve (south-eastern Moravia, Czech Republic) in 1998ñ2010, combining various methods of qualitative and quantitative sampling. Before 1998, just 98 species of Heteroptera had been recorded from the Czech side of the BÌlÈ Karpaty Mts., as geographically defined in this contribution. The newly-acquired material yielded 10,732 faunistic records based on examination of ca. 35,984 specimens of Heteroptera. A total of 501 species of true bugs is now known from the BÌlÈ Karpaty PLA, which constitutes 58% of the Czech heteropteran fauna. Among the various habitats, species-rich grasslands are of crucial importance for Heteroptera, harbouring many rare and threatened species, among them Criocoris nigripes Fieber, 1861, Deraeocoris morio (Boheman, 1852), Halticus pusillus (Herrich-Schaeffer, 1835), Heterocapillus tigripes Mulsant et Rey, 1852, Lopus decolor (FallÈn, 1807), Macrotylus paykullii (FallÈn, 1807), Megalocoleus molliculus (FallÈn, 1807), Orthocephalus brevis (Panzer, 1798), Orthocephalus coriaceus (Fabricius, 1777), Placochilus seladonicus (FallÈn, 1807), and Systellonotus triguttatus (Linnaeus, 1767). Other important habitats are hedges and forest margins, spring fens, and natural deciduous forests. Three species are recorded here for the first time from the Czech Republic: Charagochilus spiralifer Kerzhner, 1988, Heterocordylus cytisi Josifov, 1958 (both Miridae), and Dysepicritus rufescens (A. Costa, 1847) (Anthocoridae); further, H. cytisi is a first record for central Europe. Four additional species are recorded for the first time for Moravia: Acalypta platycheila (Fieber, 1844) (Tingidae), Phytocoris (Phytocoris) hirsutulus Flor, 1861 (Miridae), Loricula (Loricula) ruficeps (Reuter, 1884) (Microphysidae), and Elatophilus (Elatophilus) nigricornis (Zetterstedt, 1838) (Anthocoridae). In addition, Ch. weberi Wagner, 1953 is removed from the list of Slovak fauna while Ch spiralifer is listed from Slovakia for the first time. Altogether 62 of the true bug species (12%) recorded in the BÌlÈ Karpaty PLA fall into the categories defined by the Red List of threatened invertebrates of the Czech Republic. One of them, Megalotomus junceus (Scopoli, 1763), was considered extinct prior to its rediscovery in the BÌlÈ Karpaty PLA. Four other species are classified as critically endangered: Agramma confusum (Puton, 1879), Tropidothorax leucopterus (Goeze, 1778), Coriomeris scabricornis (Panzer, 1809), and Chlorochroa juniperina (Linnaeus, 1758), while nine are considered endangered: Gerris asper (Fieber, 1860), Macrotylus quadrilineatus (Schrank, 1785), Tytthus pygmaeus (Zetterstedt, 1838), Peritrechus gracilicornis Puton, 1877, Scolopostethus puberulus Horv·th, 1887, Berytinus striola (Ferrari, 1874), Ceraleptus gracilicornis (HerrichSchaeffer, 1835), Sehirus morio (Linnaeus, 1761), and Holcostethus sphacelatus (Fabricius, 1794). Thirty-one species are vulnerable, and seventeen near-threatened. The majority of the heteropteran fauna of the BÌlÈ Karpaty PLA belong to a range of widely-distributed faunistic elements: 100 species (20%) are of Holopalaearctic or Holarctic distribution, 163 species (33%) are Eurosiberian, 108 species (22%) West Palaearctic or West Eurosiberian, 69 species (14%) European, and 57 species (11%) are of Mediterranean origin. Among the Mediterranean species, several are of major zoogeographical importance, reaching their northernmost distribution limits in the BÌlÈ Karpaty: Harpocera hellenica Reuter, 1876, Heterocapillus tigripes, Heterocordylus cytisi, Icodema infuscata (Fieber, 1861), Psallus asthenicus Seidenst¸cker, 1966, P. cruentatus (Mulsant et Rey, 1852), Megalotomus junceus, and Vilpianus galii (Wolff, 1802). The suitability of Malaise traps as a method of assessing the heteropteran diversity in a given area is briefly discussed.

A total of 110 species of adephagan and hydrophiloid water beetles (Gyrinidae: 3 spp., Haliplidae: 6 spp., Noteridae: 2 spp., Dytiscidae: 45 spp., Helophoridae: 11 spp., and Hydrophilidae: 43 spp.) were recorded at 114 sites in the BÌlÈ Karpaty Protected Landscape Area (south-eastern Moravia, Czech Republic). Most of the records come from surveys carried out in 1994ñ2010, with some additional data based on collection specimens. A complete list of all records from the area is supplemented by brief notes on the ecology and conservation status of each species. Three of the recorded species are classified as critically endangered (Hydrophilus piceus (Linnaeus, 1758), Hygrotus parallellogrammus (Ahrens, 1812) and Laccobius simulatrix Orchymont, 1932), four are regarded as endangered (Gyrinus distinctus AubÈ, 1838, Helochares lividus (Forster, 1771), Hydrovatus cuspidatus (Kunze, 1818) and Laccobius obscuratus Rottenberg, 1874), eight as vulnerable (Berosus frontifoveatus Kuwert, 1888, Cercyon nigriceps (Marsham, 1802), Deronectes latus (Stephens, 1829), Dytiscus circumflexus Fabricius, 1801, Hygrotus nigrolineatus (Steven, 1808), Helophorus redtenbacheri Kuwert, 1885, Laccobius gracilis Motschulsky, 1855 and Laccophilus poecilus Klug, 1834) and four as near-threatened (Enochrus fuscipennis (Thomson, 1884), Graptodytes bilineatus (Sturm, 1835), Helophorus arvernicus Mulsant, 1846, and Limnoxenus niger (Gmelin, 1790)) according to the Red List of threatened species in the Czech Republic. These results show that the area harbours a rich water beetle fauna and may provide refuges for rare and endangered species.

Eighteen species of Hydraenidae and ten species of Elmidae were recorded at 89 sites in the Bílé Karpaty Protected Landscape Area and Biosphere Reserve (southeastern Moravia, Czech Republic) in the course of surveys in 1994-2010. Three additional species of Hydraenidae are known from the area only from historical records. Ochthebius colveranus Ferro, 1979 is recorded for the first time for the Czech Republic; this is a most surprising discovery, together with Hydraena rufipes Curtis, 1830, the finding of which has been already reported elsewhere. Moreover, we confirm the recent occurrence of Hydraena minutissima Stephens, 1829 and Ochthebius metallescens Rosenhauer, 1847 in Moravia. The complete list of published and new records from the area is supplemented by brief notes on the ecology and conservation status of each species. Two of the species recorded are classified as endangered (Hydraena pulchella Germar, 1824, Ochthebius metallescens Rosenhauer, 1847), three as vulnerable (Hydraena morio Kiesenwetter, 1849, Elmis obscura (Ph. M¸ller, 1806) and Riolus cupreus (Ph. M¸ller, 1806)) and two as near-threatened (Hydraena belgica Orchymont, 1930 and Hydraena schuleri Ganglbauer, 1901) in the Red List of threatened invertebrates of the Czech Republic. These results show that the area is particularly rich in the running water fauna of the Hydraenidae and Elmidae.

Only one species of the family Psephenidae, Eubria palustris (Germar, 1818), occurs in Europe including the Czech Republic. In the Bílé Karpaty Protected Landscape Area and Biosphere Reserve, E. palustris was known before this study from six localities published by HORS£K et al. (2001). This paper confirms the occurrence of E. palustris at three of them and newly reports it from 15 additional sites. Including all published findings, E. palustris is currently known from 21 sites in the Bílé Karpaty. It occurs locally in well-preserved spring fens across most of the Czech part of the mountains.

An extensive survey of caddis flies (Trichoptera) was carried out in the Bílé Karpaty Protected Landscape Area and Biosphere Reserve (south-eastern Moravia, Czech Republic) in 2004-2010. A total of 121 species were found, including several species recorded for the first time for the Czech Republic (Synagapetus armatus (McLachlan, 1879), S. dubitans McLachlan, 1879, Hydroptila lotensis Mosely, 1930, and H. vichtaspa Schmid, 1959) or Moravia (Rhyacophila pubescens Pictet, 1834, Hydroptila angulata Mosely, 1922, H. angustata Mosely, 1939, Hydropsyche fulvipes (Curtis, 1834), Agrypnia varia (Fabricius, 1793), and Ernodes vicinus (McLachlan, 1879)). Altogether, with two species collected only in the 1950s, 123 species (48% of the fauna of the Czech Republic) were documented from the area, including many species rare or threatened at national level (seven of them are classified as critically endangered, three as endangered, and 11 as vulnerable species in the Red List of threatened invertebrates of the Czech Republic). Abundant populations of calciphilous species Rhyacophila pubescens and Tinodes unicolor (Pictet, 1834) in calcareous spring areas and brooks and many crenophilous species in springs, including some rare Glossosomatidae and Beraeidae, are particularly significant from the viewpoint of nature conservation. From the biogeographical viewpoint, the occurrences of several Carpathian species (Synagapetus armatus, Chaetopteryx polonica DziÍdzielewicz, 1889, and Potamophylax carpathicus (DziÍdzielewicz, 1912)) that reach their westernmost limits of distribution in the Bílé Karpaty Mts. and of the Ponto-Mediterranean species Hydroptila vichtaspa are the most noteworthy.

An account of the family Psychodidae in the Bílé Karpaty Protected Landscape Area (south-eastern Moravia, Czech Republic) is provided. In the course of a survey of 78 localities in 2005ñ2010 in the Moravian part of the White Carpathian Mts., a total of 39 genera and 108 species of moth flies were recorded, including many species considered threatened or rare in the Czech Republic at national level (13 species are classified as critically endangered, nine as endangered and four as vulnerable in the Red List of threatened invertebrates of the Czech Republic, and 28 additional species are known to occur only sparsely in the country). Psychomormia vaillanti (Wagner, 1977) and Apsycha pusilla (Tonnoir, 1922) are new for the fauna of Moravia and Philosepedon perdecorum Omelkov· et Jeûek, 2012 and Pneumia kabelaki Omelkov· et Jeûek, 2012 have been described from KnÏûdubsk˝ h·j forest and Sidonie nature reserve respectively as new for science in parallel papers. A brief general account of distribution and ecology is provided for all the taxa recorded.

An account of the family Tabanidae in the Bílé Karpaty Protected Landscape Area and Biosphere Reserve (south-eastern Moravia, Czech Republic) is presented, with a total of 8 genera and 26 species of horse flies. A survey of 38 localities in 2005-2010 yielded records of 25 species. One species, Tabanus sudeticus Zeller, 1842, was collected from the area only in the distant past. Important among the records are Haematopota bigoti Gobert, 1881 and H. ocelligera (Krˆber, 1922), both new for the fauna of the Czech Republic, and Therioplectes gigas (Herbst, 1787) which is classified as a vulnerable species in the national Red List of threatened invertebrates. A brief overview of distribution and ecology is provided for all the taxa recorded.

A faunistic survey of Hymenoptera: Symphyta was conducted in selected localities of the Bílé Karpaty Protected Landscape Area and Biosphere Reserve (south-eastern Moravia, Czech Republic) in 2005-2010. In total, 333 species were recorded in the area (Pamphiliidae: 5 spp., Megalodontesidae: 1 sp., Orussidae: 1 sp., Argidae: 16 spp., Diprionidae: 2 spp., Tenthredinidae: 302 spp., Cephidae: 4 spp., Cimbicidae: 1 sp.). Twenty-one of these species are classified as vulnerable and nine as endangered in the Red List of threatened invertebrates of the Czech Republic. Eurhadinoceraea amauros (Zombori, 1977), Periclista albipennis (Zaddach, 1859), Nematus umbratus Thomson, 1871, Pachynematus itoi Okutani, 1955, Pristiphora leucopus HellÈn, 1948, and Pristiphora subopaca Lindqvist, 1955 are reported here for the first time for the Czech Republic, and Strongylogaster baikalensis Naito, 1990, Aprosthema fusicorne (Thomson, 1871), Cladardis hartigi Liston, 1995, and Pristiphora luteipes Lindqvist, 1955 for the first time for Moravia. New food plant records are provided for the larvae of the following species: Amauronematus sagmarius Konow, 1895 ñ Salix aurita and S. cinerea; Arge fuscipennis (Herrich-Sch‰ffer, 1835) ñ Geranium sanguineum; Macrophya albipuncta (FallÈn, 1808) ñ Geranium sanguineum; Nematus incompletus Fˆrster, 1854 ñ Lathyrus pratensis; Pachyprotasis variegata (FallÈn, 1808) ñ Pyrethrum corymbosum; Sciapteryx consobrina Klug, 1814 ñ Ranunculus acris; Sterictiphora longicornis Chevin, 1982 ñ Carpinus betulus; Tenthredo trabeata (Klug, 1817) ñ Senecio ovatus and Petasites hybridus.

We review the history of investigations into invertebrates in the Bílé Karpaty Protected Landscape Area and Biosphere Reserve (PLA), which is situated along the Czech-Slovak border in south-eastern Moravia, the Czech Republic, and provide corresponding bibliographical references to principal faunistic information on each systematic group of invertebrates. Despite its relatively small area (715 km2 , i.e. less than 1% of the area of the Czech Republic), the Bílé Karpaty PLA harbours approximately 35-65% of the range of invertebrate species occurring in the entire Czech Republic, with a significant proportion of those that are threatened, as close study of certain groups testifies. Despite still insufficient or incomplete data for many taxa, the BÌlÈ Karpaty PLA may be considered as a hotspot of invertebrate diversity in the Czech Republic, comparable to only a few other well-preserved and intensively studied natural areas in the country but unique in its geographical situation within the Carpathian mountain system and the geology based on flysch.