Matskási István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 83. (Budapest 1991)
Korsós, Z.: Abundance and seasonal activity of millipedes in a dolomitic grassland community (Diplopoda)
ANNALES HISTORICO-NATURALES MUSEI NATIONALIS HUNGARICI Turnus 83. Budapest, 1991 p. 239-244. Abundance and seasonal activity of millipedes in a dolomitic grassland community (Diplopoda) by Z. KORSÓS, Budapest KORSÓS, Z.: Abundance and seasonal activity of millipedes in a dolomitic grassland community (Diplopoda). -Annls hist-nat Mus. nam. hung. 1991, 83: 000-000. Abstract - Two millipede species (Megaphyllum unilineatum C. L. KOCH, 1838 and Kryphioiulus occultus (C. L. KoCH, 1847)) were collected by pitfall trapping in a dolomitic steppe meadow in 1988. Numbers of males, females and juveniles showed interesting changes, with respect to the characteristic seasonal activity of both species. Comments on the biology of these millipedes are given. With 1 table and 2 figures. INTRODUCTION Millipedes are considered to be an important component in the process of making humus and soil from leaf litter (BLOWER 1956). However, we know little about their life history, population biology, and ecology in spite of some serious and detailed investigations (e.g. BAKER 1979, DUNGER & STEINMETZGER 1981, GEOFFROY 1981, MEYER 1985, VOIGTLÄNDER 1987). This may partly be due to the large number of the still unsolved taxonomical and systematical problems of the group. In Hungary, too, there are only a few papers dealing with the ecology of millipedes. LOKSA (1966) gave a very thorough analysis of the soil-dwelling arthropod communities, including those of millipedes, of warm dwarf oak forests. POBOZSNY (1978) studied the role of millipedes in litter decomposition mainly from the production biology point of view. A field population study carried out by HORNUNG (1990) in a sandy grassland on a common species, Megaphyllum unilineatum is also relevant to the present study. All these investigations are mainly case studies making reference usually to a narrow field of the millipede ecology. The present study is not an exception, so for extensive summarizing theories we have to wait until a sufficient number of small, precise works based on taxonomically clear species-groups accumulates. Material and methods In connection with the "Succession Research Project" of the Hungarian Natural History Museum, a study area selected for population analysis of millipedes (and also for other soil-dwelling arthropods) was chosen on the Odvas Hill, a dolomitic part of the Buda Mts, at the western border of Budapest. Its description can be found in the paper by KJSBENEDEK (1991). 108 pitfall traps were used on the northern slope of the Odvas Hill, in a closed dolomitic grassland plant association (Festuco pallenti-Brometum pannoniéi). They were emptied 14 times from the middle of April until the end of October in 1988, i.e. during the active period of the soil-dwelling arthropods. The pitfall traps were plastic jars with a diameter of about 9 cm and were situated in three hierarchical groups, some hundred meters away from each other. Each group consisted of 3 x 3 x 4 traps, the quartet lying in a square meter.
