No abstract

The is insufficient knowledge of arthropod communities occurring in specific microhabitats. In this study, we characterize the arthropod assemblages inhabiting burrows of the common hamster (Cricetus cricetus L.) and factors that determine their diversity and abundance. We tested the following hypotheses: (1) arthropod assemblages are associated with a particular dominant vegetation occurring in the vicinity of burrows; (2) a correlation exists between fine-scale geographic distances among burrows and assemblage dissimilarity; and (3) the type of trap influences the sampling success of captured arthropods. We found 73 morphospecies belonging to 16 families in 109 burrows, most of which were in the families Staphylinidae (Coleoptera) and Parasitidae (Arachnida: Acari: Mesostigmata). The most abundant families were Staphylinidae, Cryptophagidae (Coleoptera), Parasitidae, and Macrochelidae (Mesostigmata) (78.89%). Among the identified species, we found Aleochara irmgardis (Staphylinidae) and Poecilochirus sexclavatus (Parasitidae) which had not yet been reported in Poland, and several other rare species. Meat-baited traps captured 64.34% more individuals, which were more diverse and species-rich than the non-baited control traps, but the former was more selective for saprophages, necrophages, and coprophages. The burrows located in areas overgrown by triticale (a hybrid of wheat and rye) were inhabited by 69.86% of the identified arthropod species, and these also had the highest abundance (64.07%) in comparison with other habitats. However, differences in sample size biased our results toward and overestimate arthropods associated with this vegetation. This study underlines that the species composition detected in burrows was affected by the methods used and hamster preferences for a specific habitat rather than the geographic proximity of the burrows. More extensive sampling across multiple habitats will be necessary to confirm our findings.

The paper presents new data on the occurrence of 69 beetle species collected in 2017 in the Białowieża Forest, NE Poland. The list contains representatives of 27 families: Anthribidae, Bostrichidae, Ciidae, Cleridae, Coccinellidae, Corylophidae, Cryptophagidae, Curculionidae, Dasytidae, Elateridae, Endomychidae, Eucnemidae, Histeridae, Laemophloeidae, Latridiidae, Leiodidae, Lycidae, Melandryidae, Mycetophagidae, Ptinidae, Ripiphoridae, Salpingidae, Staphylinidae, Tenebrionidae, Tetratomidae, Throscidae, and Zopheridae. The majority of the species represents saproxylic, i.e. dead wood-dependent, beetles. Biology and distribution of some rarely recorded species are briefly discussed. All species are reported for the first time from the Białowieża Forest and, furthermore, Corticaria crenicollis Mannerheim, 1844 (Latridiidae) is new for the fauna of Poland.

Faunistic review of Polish Micropeplinae (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) The distributions of the Micropeplinae (Staphylinidae) within the present-day territory of Poland are summarized on the basis of surveys of the literature and collections. An updated and annotated checklist of Polish micropeplines is given, comprising two genera and seven species. Micropeplus staphylinoides (Marsham) has been removed from the list; the occurrence of M. caelatus Erichson and M. longipennis Kraatz, reported by previous authors, needs to be confirmed with new findings. Micropeplus latus Hampe is reported for the first time from Poland, based on a specimen collected in the Małopolska Upland, close to the Świętokrzyskie Mts. An updated identification key for Polish Micropeplus spp. is presented and habitus photographs of M. latus are provided.

Distributional data for 10 species of Peltidae, Lophocateridae, Trogossitidae and Thymalidae recorded from Poland are summarised, and numerous unpublished records are reported. Data on feeding and habitat preferences are analysed. Calitys scabra and Temnoscheila caerulea are probably extinct in Poland. Grynocharis oblonga, Nemozoma elongatum and Tenebroides mauritanicus are relatively common in Poland. Nemozoma caucasicum is currently spreading within Europe and several new records in Poland are reported. Peltis ferruginea, P. grossa, and Thymalus limbatus are restricted to natural forests in Poland, where they are sometimes abundant. We suggest adding Peltis ferruginea and Thymalus limbatus to the Polish Red List of Animals. The opinion that Grynocharis oblonga and Tenebroides mauritanicus are relicts of natural forests does not seem justified.