Janus Pannonius Múzeum Évkönyve 28 (1983) (Pécs, 1984)

Természettudományok - Uherkovich, Ákos: Lepidoptera on birch and alder in South and West Transdanubia, Hungary

40 ÁKOS UHERKOVICH birch-moors (Salici pentandrae-Betuletum pubescentis) (Soó 1970). This tree cannot be considered as an important foodplant because of its small quantity. Three species of alders can be found in the country. The ordinary or resin alder [Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn.) is a videly distributed tree covering 1.2 p, c. of home forest area: i. e. more than 27.000 acres. It is characteristic of alder moors (Dryopteridi-Alnetum, Thelipteridi-Alnetum, etc.) and alder groves of several types forming consociations and sub-association in oak-elm-groves and willow-poplar-groves. In other types of forests the ordinary alder occurs, too, as a pioneer tree of many damp biotops. The ratio of this species is higher in the South and West Transdanubia than in other afforested parts of Hungary. It has very large groves and stands in „Belső-Somogy" and occurs on all regions of the investigated area. The bloomy alder [Alnus incana (L.) Moench.] lives mostly along the subalpine brooks, but sometimes on lower lands in grove-forests, too. It can be found at several points of the Hungarian Middle Mountains, Western Transdanubia, by the river Danube, Mur and Drava. The alpin (green) alder (Alnus viridis (Chaix.) DC] occurs only in the western parts, its mass is insignificant. The ordinary alder can be counted as a foodplant for larvae of larger moths, the others are unimportant. Larger moths oi Hungary on birch and/or alder As it has been referred, the bulk of birch-eating moths can live on alder, too (Uherkovich 1978a). A part of species changes its foodplant just on the area of South Transdanubia, towards the north and west of this area they are monophagous birch-eating species but in our region they live on alder, too or only on it. The data for food-plants were obtained from Forster-Wohltahrt (I960, 1970, 19731980), Herczig et al. (1980), Mészáros (1981) and Hruby (I960). The other papers by Hungarian authors dealing with this theme did not give data (Mészáros 1972, 1974, Szeőke 1982). The introduced species will be grouped according to their foodplants : monophagous as well as amphiphagous and polyphagous ones preferring the birch or alder. 1. Monophagous birch-eating species. They live only on birch according to observation data of Hungarian research. One of them, Leucodonta bicoloria Den. et Schiff, was captured first about 30 years ago in the Epcrjes-Tokaj (Zemplén) Range by L. Gozmány (Issekutz 1956). Until quite recently it has been recovered on several spots of North and West Hungary. The first specimen of South Transdanubia was collected some years ago by the author (Uherkovich 1981c). Carnelutti (1978) reported its first catch in Slovenia some years ago, too. It can be supposed this is in expansion as it has been pointed out by Uherkovich (1983b). The distribution of the diurnal geometrid moth, Archiearis (Brephos) parthenias L. is not known enough as it cannot be captured with traps. (Most data of the discussed species were obtained with lamping and trappings.) Archiearis is not known on the largest part of Transdanubia (Fig. 3). Its flight period is extremely early: in advantageous years it is on the wing at the end of February and it flies in April in very cool years only. Tetheella (Tethea) fluctuosa Hbn. (the Satin Lutestring Moth) is practically a monophagous species, too. It is very rare in the warmer parts of the area, but more frequent in the West (Fig. 4). Enargia paleacea Esp., very rare in the Carpathian Basin, is a monophagous species and does not occur in South Transdanubia. 2. Amphiphagous species preierring birch. The larvae of these species - Pheosia gnoma F., Acronycta (Apatele) leporina L. and Furcula (Harpyia) bicuspis Bkh. - live first of all on birch, but, on the South mostly, they live in larger alder groves, too. They can be frequent in some places, especially in the oak-birch- and juniper-birch-stands of the Juniper Woodland at Bares (Uherkovich 1978d, 1981c), but they occur in the alder groves of the Zselic Downs, in the region of Lake Balaton, the Zala Hills and the very extensive alders of BelsőSomogy (Figs. 5-7). 3. Amphiphagous species. The frequency of these species is similar in the western and southern parts. The distribution of these ones - Endromis versicolora L., Falcaria (Drepana) lacertinaria L., and Achlya (Polyploca) ttavicornis L. - was not properly known earlier: the bulk of new data originate from collections with mercury vapour lamps and similar traps (Figs. 8-10). Endromis versicolora L. (the Kentish Glory) is most common in birch stands of the Bares Juniper Woodland and it is in aboundance in some alder groves of the hilly region surrounding the Mecsek Mountains. Several specimens were caught at daytime and with light trap at Ropolypuszta (Zselic Downs) in a large alder grove. Falcaria (Drepana) lacertinaria L. (the Scalloped Hook-tip Moth) is the most common amphiphagous birch-alder-eating species, but it has never been captured in and eastwards of Mecsek Mountains.