S. Mahunka szerk.: Folia Entomologica Hungarica 43/1. (Budapest, 1982)

FOLIA ENTOMOLOGICA HUNGARICA ROVARTANI KÖZLEMÉNYEK XLIII. 1. 1982 p. 159-164 The role of Antispila treitschkeella F. R. (Lepidoptera: Heliozelidae) in the matter circulation of Quercetum petreae-cerris forest (North Hungary) By L. SZABÓ (Received December 1, 1981) Abstract: Number of individuals and weight of Antispila treitschkeella F.R. were determined in 1977-80. The number of individuals in the sample area ranged between 10.84-34.41 x 10

6 ind.ha" . The dry weight of animals varied between 1.66-4.65 kg ha . Consumption expressed in dry weight was 17,62-153.80 kg ha . In the area 8.979.2% of the leaves of Cornus mas shrubs was consumed. Among ecological capacities the respiration of the young larvae is very high, probably due to their mining habit. It is well-known that phytophagous organisms play a very important role in the matter circulation and energy flow of terrestrial ecosystems. Phytophagous insects (and Lepidoptera larvae above all) decrease the leaf surface by consumption. At the same time with their faeces falling on the ground they "cut" the circulation of the most important nutrients short, which can in the long run cause an increase in primary production (KULMAN 1971; WITTER 1975 in MATTSON and Addy 1975). The role of Lepidoptera larvae in matter circulation has been examined a great many times by different authors (GERE 1958; NAKANO and MONSI 1968; WITKOWSKI and Kosior 1974; VARGA, LAKATOS and MARES 1976; KACZMAREK and WASILEWSKI 1977; AXELSSON 1977; KLEINERT 1978). These investigations have considered mainly the species that live on the surface of leaves and feed on the whole leaf. Only very few papers (SZOCS 1964, 1977) analyse the quantitative rates of mining larvae and their importance in the matter circulation of ecosystems. This lack could surely be explained with the fact that the growth of the Insects and larvae mining in the inner parts of leaves rarely take over such a rate that would already be significant from the forestry or agricultural point of view. First of all species of Tischeridae, Nepticulidae and Lithocolletidae families can cause smaller or greater losses. No economical significance was attached to the species of the family Heliozelidae (SZOCS 1977) because of their relatively smaller counts. The investigation of mining larvae is very important since they occupy a special microhabitat beside other phyllophagous organisms and this can be neglected no more in a complex ecosystem analysis when the larvae are present in great numbers. Study area and methods of investigation Our study was carried out in the oak forest (Quercetum petreae-cerris) of the Sikfokut Project sample area (JAKUCS 1972, 1978). One of the characteristic features of the forest is the shrub level being very rich in species and containing a large number of individuals. In the shrub level the dominant species is the cornel (Cornus mas L.). It has a number of leaves of 5 643 900 ha-1

, weight of 185.28 kg ha-1 in dry weight, area of leaves 0.5491 ha ha-1 * Sikfokut Project No. 67.