Vol 99, No 2 (2019)

The structure of Collembola diversity in green-moss pine forests in the Caucasus Mountains and the Russian Plain was compared. The study was based on intensive multi-scale sampling ranging from several square centimeters to a hundred square meters. Repeated samplings in similar habitats in different localities and regions allowed us to compare the springtail diversity structure in geographically remote areas despite incomplete knowledge of their faunas. Species richness on all the spatial scales was found to be about twice as high in the mountains as on the plain. According to additive partitioning, differences in species composition in differently sized areas increased in proportion to the distances between them. Differences in springtail species composition in similar habitats within a region were mainly related to species replacements, while variation between different regions occurred due to different species richness values. The ratio of regional to local faunal species lists was higher in the mountains than on the plain. Nevertheless, the forest springtail fauna in the Caucasus seems to have lost some of its original diversity. The rarity of endemic springtail species even in natural reserves suggests a high level of incompleteness of the regional species pool on the Russian Plain. Since the same widespread species are numerous in both regions while the species richness is higher in the Caucasus, the montane forests of the latter region probably served as a source of colonization of the Russian Plain’s forests by Collembola in the Holocene.

Trap nests for aculeate Hymenoptera were exposed during 15 years (2002–2016) in 80 localities of Crimea. A total of more than 500 trap nests containing about 25 000 cavities were used. As a result, 6 895 nests of 97 species from 9 families of Hymenoptera were obtained: Pompilidae (5 species / 118 nests), Vespidae (27/1201), Ampulici-dae (1/6), Sphecidae (2/8), Crabronidae (10/591), Colletidae (7/202), Megachilidae (37/4619), Apidae (3/9), and Formicidae (5/141). The rate of trap nest colonization by different species and groups of aculeate Hymenoptera is discussed. Attractiveness of trap nests to these insects is discussed in relation to their bionomics (nest structure, nesting substrate choice, number of generations per year, trophic relations, and philopatry). A strong correlation between the rate of colonization of trap nests and the amount of rains fallen at the beginning of the corresponding season in the given locality was observed. Nests of some unusual inhabitants of the trap nests, including Eumenes papillarius (Christ) and Eumenes sp., are reported. The number of obtained nests of species of the family Megachilidae was compared with the number of museum specimens of the corresponding species; the correlation between these parameters exists but it is relatively low. Two species of wasps and 9 species of bees are considered as suitable for breeding.

All the developmental stages of Teloganopsis orbicularissp. n. from the Far East of Russia are described. The male imago of the new species is characterized by the rounded lobes of the penis and by broad hind wings. T e larvae have a light medial longitudinal stripe and groups of short setae on the medial longitudinal stripe on tergites IV–IX. The hypopharynx is rounded; the superlinguae are broad, ovate. The maxillae are uniformly broad with a bevel-edged fang-like top; the palpus is missing. The glossae are rounded, broad, and closely approximate. The eggs are ellipsoidal with one polar roundish cap. The chorion surface is covered with a reticulation of broad, gently sloping spongy ridges and deep round tartareous meshes. The systematic position of the new species is discussed.

Endelus (Endelus) kabakovisp. n. belonging to the newly established Endelus pyrrosiae Kurosawa, 1985 species group, and Endelus (Endelus) barbaraesp. n. of the Endelus (Endelus) collinus Obenberger, 1922 species group are described from Vietnam.

A new genus, Wittinia gen. n., is proposed for Megalopygidae moths restricted to the Western Hemisphere. Two species are included: Wittinia cremor sp. n., the type species (type locality: Ecuador, camp. Bella Vista), and W. zebra sp. n. (type locality: Colombia, Boyaca, Acabuco, Vereda el Centro). A diagnosis of the genus and a list of generic autapomorphies are given.

Ixodid ticks from different regions of the Baikal Region were examined for the presence of transmissive pathogens during 5 seasons (2013–2017). Frequency of occurrence of the revealed markers in ascending order: tickborne encephalitis virus (TBEV), human monocytic ehrlichiosis (HMC), human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA), ixodid tick-borne borrelioses (ITBB), and tick-borne rickettsioses (TBR). The most significant differences in the rate of infection were noted in relation to spatial-temporal and species parameters. In the Baikal Region, infected ticks Ixodes persulcatus were found significantly more frequently than Haemaphysalis concinna. Besides, from 2 to 4 pathogens in different combinations were found simultaneously in 15% of suspensions of the taiga tick.