First records of Heterotoma merioptera (Scopoli, 1763) and Aradus serbicus (Horváth, 1888) (Heteroptera: Miridae et Aradidae) from Germany
Author
Morkel, Carsten
text
Zootaxa
2010
2651
64
68
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.198822
760a6ca0-02d5-493e-af11-be554ff45ff8
1175-5326
198822
Aradus serbicus
(Horváth, 1888) (Aradidae)
Material:
Germany
, Hesse, Kellerwald-Edersee National Park,
425 m
a.s.l., on
Fagus sylvatica
, 27.v. – 24.
vi.2008, 1
Ψ, U. Schaffrath leg., C. Morkel det. (
Fig. 2
)
The distribution area of the extremely rare
A. serbicus
known so far, ranges from southern
France
and
Italy
to
Greece
, including
Austria
and the Balkan peninsula with the countries
Croatia
,
Serbia
,
Hungary
,
Bulgaria
, and
Macedonia
(
Heiss & Péricart 2007
). Among the associated trees, chiefly
Fagus
sp. is documented; however, also
Quercus
sp. in combination with
Fagus
from records from
Greece
, are mentioned (
Heiss 2006
,
Heiss & Péricart 2007
).
The current extralimital record of
A. serbicus
was obtained from a pitfall trap exposed in a living beech tree (
Fig. 3
) split by lightning several decades ago, containing a large rot-hole as well as specific fungi infestation, including
Oudemansiella mucida
(Schrad. ex Fr.)
, a species characteristic of old beech forests. The associated coleopterous fauna contained several species (Schaffrath, pers. comm. 2010) classified as primeval forest relict species according to
Müller
et al.
(2005)
. The habitat itself, located on a steep slope, represents one of the small patches of virgin forest within Kellerwald-Edersee National Park showing a very long continuity concerning dead wood quality and quantity due to the impossibility of forestry.
FIGURE 2.
Aradus serbicus
. Compared to closely related species of the
Aradus depressus
-group, among other characters, females of
Aradus serbicus
show regularly rounded paratergites VIII similar to those of the males. Photo: G. Strauß.
FIGURE 3.
Habitat of
Aradus serbicus
within Kellerwald-Edersee National Park: Old-stand
Fagus sylvatica
, infested by
Oudemansiella mucida
. Photo: C. Morkel.
The vast majority of palaearctic
Aradidae
are known to be dendrobiont and mycetophagous, relying more or less specifically on wood- and tree-infesting fungi (
Heiss & Pericart 2007
). For some of the most rarely found species within Central Europe, a temporal continuity of several centuries in the occurrence of dead wood structures of various decomposition stages (‘habitat tradition’) necessary for the colonisation by particular fungi species (Goßner
et al.
2007) is hypothesized to be essential.
Judging from the circumstances of finding of the recent record as well as published data (
Heiss 2006
),
A. serbicus
is considered to feed on a specific range of wood-dwelling fungi limited to broad-leafed trees or even exclusively to
Fagus sylvatica
. Moreover, the recent record strongly indicates a long habitat tradition to have been critical for the occurrence of
A. serbicus
.
Thus, considering the extralimital documentation of
A. serbicus
in combination with the habitat conditions described, and the only 17 localities recorded so far (with the correct determination of
A. serbicus
for ten of them confirmed by
Heiss & Péricart 2007
), the species is considered to represent a primeval forest relict in the closest sense (see
Müller
et al.
2005
) within Central Europe.
Records of the closely related
Aradus truncatus
Fieber, 1860
of European distribution are confirmed mainly from southern Europe by
Heiss & Péricart (2007)
; those from remaining countries, especially
Germany
,
Poland
,
Denmark
,
Sweden
, and
Finland
, should be verified in order to clarify if some of them represent
A. serbicus
, and if the occurrence of
A. serbicus
corresponds with the distribution area of
Fagus sylvatica
.
Further investigations concerning the biology of
A. serbicus
should be conducted, in order to support the hypothesis regarding the species´habitat preferences and to obtain data on its host fungi..