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)
The traps were filled with ethylene-glycol as a non-attractive preservative. The collected animals were identified to species and sex and are now deposited in the Myriapoda Collection of the Hungarian Natural History Museum. RESULTS Only two millipede species were found in the pitfall traps: Megaphyllum unilineatum C. L. KOCH, 1838 and Kryphioiulus (=Cylindroiulus, =Allajulus, see READ 1990) occultus (C. L. KOCH, 1847). Specimens of the first species were more abundant, which is not surprising considering its wide ecological tolerance and its general distribution, including somes xerophitic occurrences. The specimens collected were separated to males, females and juveniles, based on their genital features. In Table 1, the raw data of the pitfall traps are summarized. Altogether 500 specimens of Megaphyllum unilinatum and 107 specimens of Kiyphioiulus occultus were collected. It is already obvious at first sight that the number of females are usually higher in both species (Table 1). Mean sex ratio is 3.42 and 2.77 for females/males, in M. unilineatum and K. occultus, respectively. Table 1. Number of specimens collected by pitfall traps checked fourteen times Date of collection Megaphyllum unilineatum Kryphioiulus occultus male female juv. male female juv. (1) 12. April 15 50 1 9 1 (2) 26. April 15 65 8 17 (3) 12. May 27 73 6 16 2 (4) 27. May 8 19 1 4 (5) 7. June 5 11 1 (6)21. June 1 10 (7) O.July 7 (8) 21. July 2 (9) 12. Aug. 1 (10) 24. Aug. 2 1 (11) 2. Sept. 3 2 4 (12) 14. Sept. 3 10 4 15 (13) 6. Oct. 17 29 4 5 1 1 (14) 19. Oct. 24 07 31 6 Total 115 349 36 30 73 4 It can be also seen from the data that the diplopods almost disappear in the summer months. Their seasonal activity dynamics are shown in Figs 1-2. Diagrams of males and females in both species run almost in parallel. However, there are certain differences in the start of the decline in activity. Specimens of Kryphioiulus occultus begin to disappear from the traps by the 5th-6th collecting dates, i.e. at the end of May, beginning of June; while in the other species, the males disappear in June, but the females only at the end of July. The beginning of the autumn activity period seems to be in the first half of September in both species. It is also worthwhile to mention, that juvenile specimens of Megaphyllum unilineatum appear in big numbers in autumn, while in the other species they were quite sporadic both in spring and at the end of the activity period.
