lnsect fauna of selected polypore fungi on birch stems in northern Bohemia

Abstract

Fauna of polypore fungi Fomes fomentarius (L. x Fries) Kicks, Piptoporus betulinus (Bull. ex Fr.) F. Karsten, Fomitopsis pinicola (Swatr ex Fr.) P. Karsten of the birch stem, consisted of 55 insect species. The following species were dominant: Diaperis boleti F. 34.8%, Aridius nodifer West. 19.9%, Bolitophagus reticulatus L. 10.9%, Epuraea variegata (Herbst.) 6.3%, Gyrophaena boleti (L.) 5%, Cis jacquernarti Mellié 4.9%, Atheta fungi (Gras) 3.5%, Atheta crassicornis (F.) 2.8% and moth Archinemapogon yildizae Kocak 2.1 %. A. nodifer (Latridiidae) is a ubiquitous mycetophagous species which in our conditions prefers F. pinicola and has a significant position in the fauna of P. betulinus. Thunes (1994) reports C. jacquemarti only from pine forest, where it formed 54.6% on sporocarps of F. fornentarius while only 1.3% on P. betulinus. In our collections made in birch stands it preferred multiyear sporocarps of F. pinicola and F. fomentarius to P. betulinus. In the Czech Republic it is generally common in deciduous forests especially on F. fornentarius, often simultaneously with C. alter. This can lead to the conclusion that it is the sporocarp of decaying fungus species which is decisive rather than the type of forest (Paviour-Smith 1960, Lawrence 1973, Jelínek 1990). Dominant representation of D. boleti species (34.8%) has been registered with an evident linkage to P. betulinus (50.6%) and F. fornentarius (31.1 %) and B. reticulatus with prevailing bond to F. fomentarius (46.3%). Butterfly caterpillar fauna showed a limited species spectrum, yet its representatives occurred in all sporocarps, P. betulinus being generally preferred.