Somogyi Múzeumok Közleményei 17/B. - Természettudományi tanulmányok (2006)
Farkas, Sándor: The terrestrial Isopod Fauna of South Transdanubia (Hungary) - Dél-Dunántúl szárazföldi ászkarák (Isopoda: Oniscidea) faunája
Somogyi Múzeumok Közleményei В - Természettudomány 17:159-168(2006) Kaposvár, 2007 The terrestrial isopod fauna of South Transdanubia (Hungary) FARKAS SÁNDOR Faculty of Animal Science, University of Kaposvár, H-7400 Kaposvár, Guba S. u. 40, Hungary; E-mail: farkaskeatk@freemail.hu FARKAS S.: The terrestrial isopod fauna of South Transdanubia. Abstract: Extensive investigations between 1996 and 2004 yielded 31 terrestrial isopod species from South Transdanubia (SW - Hungary). The records originated from hand and pitfall sampling of characteristic habitats in 343 sites that are situated in 175 UTM squares covering the whole territory. The most common species are Armadillidium vulgare, Porcellium collicola, Hyloniscus riparius and Trachelipus rathkii. The rare species are Protracheoniscus franzi and Porcellium recurvatum. Significant share of the species (29 %) are distributed in Central and SE-Europe while the proportion of lllyrean and Alpine elements is low. The amount of introduced isopods is 23 %. Using IndVal statistical method, the next species were found to be characteristic of typical habitats: Armadillidium zenckeri (marshes), Protracheoniscus politus, (dry oak woodlands), Lepidoniscus minutus (fresh oak woodlands), Trachelipus nodulosus, Porcellium collicola, (black locust plantations), Androniscus roseus, Haplophthalmus mengii, Cylisticus convexus, Platyarthrus hoffmannseggii, Porcellio scaber, Porceliionides pruinosus and Proporcellio vulcanius (synanthropic habitats). No characteristic species was found in riverine and swamp woodlands. Keywords: Isopoda; Oniscidea; woodlice; Hungary; South Transdanubia; biogeography; habitat preference Introduction Studies on the Hungarian Isopoda fauna started over 150 years ago but there had been hardly any information on the common, rare or characteristic species and their distribution in the country up to 1996. Records of 42 species were known from the approximately five percent of the UTM squares that cover the country (FORRÓ and FARKAS 1998). The isopod fauna of Hungary or at least a part of the country has not been analysed from zoogeographical point of view yet. After the political changes in 1989, the importance of nature conservation became stronger and the new governments initiated the establishment of many new preserves in Hungary. The first step of natural protection measures was the precise appraising of the species richness. As a part of this process, a systematic eco-faunistical research has been started in 1996 to collect data on the isopod fauna and the distribution of the species. The three southern counties (Somogy, Baranya and Tolna: „South Transdanubia"; 14,227 km 2 ; 15.3 % of Hungary) belonged to the less researched areas: distribution records of only 16 species were known from here (FORRÓ and FARKAS 1998). This area was sampled during the last eight years, aiming to discover the isopod fauna and to describe the assemblages in the main habitat types of the region. The surveys resulted several, mainly faunistical (FARKAS 1998a, FARKAS 1998b, FARKAS 2004a, FARKAS 2004b) and ecological (FARKAS 1998c, FARKAS 1999) publications. This paper has three main aims: (i) to give the complete list of species in the region and to point the common and rare species; (ii) to analyse the isopod fauna from zoogeographical point of view; (iii) and to describe the characteristic species for typical habitats of South Transdanubia, such as marshes, riverine, swamp and oak woodlands, black locust plantations and synanthropic sites.
