0000000000164249

AUTHOR

Jukka Salmela

A new Neoplatyura Malloch from Finland (Diptera, Keroplatidae).

The genus Neoplatyura Malloch is globally represented by 50 species, of which four are European species. In this article a new European Neoplatyura from Finland is described. The new species, Neoplatyura noorae Salmela, sp. n. is a dark brown species with tibial bristles arranged in rows. The new species is here reported from seven localities in Finnish Lapland. Based on available data, the new species occurs in mires, especially in calcareous rich fens.

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Sciaridae (Diptera) from central Finland: faunistics and taxonomy

Sciaridae (Diptera) from forest and mire habitats from three localities in central Finland were identified. The material consisted of 609 specimens belonging to 106 species. The following species were found as new to Finland: Bradysia subbetuleti, B. submoesta, B. subscabricornis, Corynoptera fera, C. furcifera, C. saetistyla, C. subsedula, Cratyna spiculosa, Leptosciariella helvetica, Lycoriella micria, Pseudolycoriella brunnea, P. nodulosa, Scatopsciara neglecta, Trichosia glabra and Sciara sp. n. (Menzel & Salmela, in prep.) and Ctenosciara exigua sp. n. The latter is described as new to science. Bradysia subbetuleti, Leptosciariella atricha, Leptosciariella tuberculigera and Lycorie…

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Regional variations in occupancy frequency distributions patterns between odonate assemblages in Fennoscandia

Odonate (damselfly and dragonfly) species richness and species occupancy frequency distributions (SOFD) were analysed in relation to geographical location in standing waters (lakes and ponds) in Fennoscandia, from southern Sweden to central Finland. In total, 46 dragonfly and damselfly species were recorded from 292 waterbodies. Species richness decreased to the north and increased with waterbody area in central Finland, but not in southern Finland or in Sweden. Species occupancy ranged from 1 up to 209 lakes and ponds. Over 50% of the species occurred in less than 10% of the waterbodies, although this proportion decreased to the north. In the southern lakes and ponds, none of the species o…

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Intraguild predation and interference competition on the endangered dragonfly Aeshna viridis

We examined the effects of intraguild predation (IGP) and interference competition on an endangered dragonfly, Aeshna viridis Eversm. (Odonata: Anisoptera). A. viridis is rare in Europe due to the decrease in suitable habitats harboring the macrophyte Stratiotes aloides L. Stratiotes plants are the principal oviposition substrate for A. viridis females and protect the larvae of A. viridis from fish predation. In our study lakes A. viridis larvae are sympatric with larvae of Aeshna grandis and Aeshna juncea. The susceptibility of A. viridis larvae to IGP by similar-sized larvae of A. grandis and A. juncea was tested in a laboratory predation experiment. Microhabitat use of A. viridis and A. …

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A molecular-based identification resource for the arthropods of Finland

Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Authors. Molecular Ecology Resources published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. To associate specimens identified by molecular characters to other biological knowledge, we need reference sequences annotated by Linnaean taxonomy. In this study, we (1) report the creation of a comprehensive reference library of DNA barcodes for the arthropods of an entire country (Finland), (2) publish this library, and (3) deliver a new identification tool for insects and spiders, as based on this resource. The reference library contains mtDNA COI barcodes for 11,275 (43%) of 26,437 arthropod species known from Finland, including 10,811 (45%) of 23,956 insect species. To quantify the…

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New and poorly known Holarctic species of Boletina Staeger, 1840 (Diptera, Mycetophilidae)

The genus Boletina is a species rich group of fungus gnats. Members of the genus are mainly known from temperate, boreal and arctic biomes. Phylogeny of the genus is still poorly resolved, dozens of species are insufficiently described and undescribed species are often discovered, especially from samples taken from the boreal zone. Four new species are described. Boletina valteri Salmela sp.n. (Finland), Boletina kullervoi Salmela sp.n. (Finland), B. hyperborea Salmela sp.n. (Finland, Norway, Sweden, Canada) and B. nuortti Salmela sp.n. (Finland). Boletina arctica Holmgren is redescribed and reported for the first time from the Canadian high arctic zone. Boletina borealis Zetterstedt and B.…

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Black fungus-gnats in deciduous forest habitat in northern Europe, with the description of <i>Bradysia arcula</i> sp. n. (Diptera: Sciaridae)

The sciarid fauna of a deciduous forest in Kivijärvi Nature Reserve, southern Finland, was studied. In all, 58 species were found in a material of 247 specimens, collected with Malaise traps. The material included the following species new to the Finnish and North European fauna: Corynoptera postforcipata Rudzinski, Leptosciarella juniperi (Mohrig & Blasco-Zumeta), Leptosciarella subcoarctata Mohrig&Menzel, Leptosciarella yerburyi (Freeman), Phytosciara macrotricha (Lengersdorf) and Sciara nursei Freeman. Bradysia arcula sp. n., found also in two other localities in Finland, is described, and a key to the Finnish species of the Bradysia praecox group is provided

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Risk of Local Extinction of Odonata Freshwater Habitat Generalists and Specialists

Understanding the risk of a local extinction in a single population relative to the habitat requirements of a species is important in both theoretical and applied ecology. Local extinction risk depends on several factors, such as habitat requirements, range size of species, and habitat quality. We studied the local extinctions among 31 dragonfly and damselfly species from 1930 to 1975 and from 1995 to 2003 in Central Finland. We tested whether habitat specialists had a higher local extinction rate than generalist species. Approximately 30% of the local dragonfly and damselfly populations were extirpated during the 2 study periods. The size of the geographical range of the species was negati…

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Local Extinction of Dragonfly and Damselfly Populations in Low- and High-Quality Habitat Patches

Understanding the risk of extinction of a single population is an important problem in both theoretical and applied ecology. Local extinction risk depends on several factors, including population size, demographic or environmental stochasticity, natural catastrophe, or the loss of genetic diversity. The probability of local extinction may also be higher in low-quality sink habitats than in high-quality source habitats. We tested this hypothesis by comparing local extinction rates of 15 species of Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) between 1930-1975 and 1995-2003 in central Finland. Local extinction rates were higher in low-quality than in high-quality habitats. Nevertheless, for the thre…

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Redescription of Tipula octomaculata Savchenko, with notes on related Holarctic species (Diptera, Tipulidae)

Tipula (Pterelachisus) octomaculata Savchenko, 1964 (Diptera, Tipulidae) has hitherto been known only from the type locality in north-western Russia, and no material besides the holotype male has been available for study. In this article we report T. octomaculata for the first time from Finland, redescribe the species and compare its morphological characters with those of related Nearctic species (T. trivittata Say, T. angulata Loew, T. entomophthorae Alexander). The Finnish finding locality in Ks: Taivalkoski, North boreal ecoregion, is briefly discussed.

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High within- and between-trunk variation in the nematoceran (Diptera) community and its physical environment in decaying aspen trunks

Dead wood is a primary habitat for a large number of insects, including species from many nematoceran (Diptera) groups. The species living in dead wood must be adapted to the ephemeral and ever-changing nature of their substrate. There is a growing body of knowledge about the effects of dead wood quality and the surrounding landscape on the saproxylic beetle community, but we know very little about the other saproxylic insects. Moreover, we know only very little about the variation in the insect community between different parts of decaying wood pieces. Using emergence traps, we studied the saproxylic nematoceran communities occupying different parts of decaying fallen aspen trunks in a bor…

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Environmental correlates of the conservation value of boreal headwater streams and their riparian forests

Headwater streams and their riparian forests are considered as biodiversity hotspots and key habitats for the conservation of aquatic and terrestrial biota [1, 2]. However, most previous research has focused on single organism groups and studies providing a more comprehensive assessment of the conservation status of both stream and riparian fauna and flora do not exist. We used data ranging from near-pristine to strongly modified boreal headwater streams and their riparian forests to assess which in situ and larger scale environmental factors are the best determinants of the overall conservation value of sites. We then evaluated validity of the selected variables in predicting the conservat…

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