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Article Reference Recent and old records of the rare myrmecophilous beetle Haeterius ferrugineus (Olivier 1789) in Belgium, Luxembourg and North-East of France
Haeterius ferrugineus (Olivier 1789) is a rarely observed histerid beetle which lives permanently in ant nests. We provide the first records of this species in Flanders, the northern part of Belgium, and give an overview of the scattered records for this species in Belgium, Grand-Duché of Luxembourg and the border region in the North of France gathered over the past 150 years.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
Article Reference Soil‑litter arthropod communities under pasture land use in southern Rwanda
Land use change caused by human activities is the main driver of biodiversity loss and changes in ecosystem functioning. However, less is known about how the conversion of a natural to pasture land favour the biological diversity of soil-litter arthropods to advance efective conservation plans and management systems. To fll the gap, this study focussed on soil-litter arthropod communities under a pasture land use in southern Rwanda. Data have been collected using pitfall traps and hand collection between April and June 2021. Sampled specimens of soil-litter arthropods have been identifed to order and family levels by using dichotomous keys. Further, the species name was given when the identifcation key was available, while the morphological description was provided in absence of the identifcation keys. Results indicated a total of 3013 individuals of soil-litter arthropods grouped into 3 classes, 13 orders, 46 families and 87 morpho-species. Coleoptera showed a high number of families, while higher abundance and the number of morpho-species were found for ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Higher abundance of sampled soil-litter arthropods is a sign that the studied area ofers suitable habitat for soil-litter arthropods. However, less abundance found for some groups of soil-litter arthropods might be infuenced by the used sampling techniques which were not appropriate for them. We recommend surveys using multiple sampling techniques to maximize chances of capturing a wide range of soil-litter arthropods
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2022
Article Reference First inventory of Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) with detection of potentially invasive species in National Park of Ehotilés islands, Côte d’Ivoire
Estuarine and wetland ecosystems are becoming increasingly altered by the concentration of human population near the coastline. A major threat to biodiversity related to this is the introduction of invasive alien species. This is particularly the case for isolated ecosystems like islands where the invasion of non-native species is often harmful. The National Park of Ehotilés Islands is an archipelago of 6 islands and a RAMSAR site subjected to disturbances, namely agriculture, illegal fisheries, and tourism. These factors often act as an accelerator for the introduction of invasive species. However, there is a lack of research on insects, specifically ants, on these islands. This study aimed to inventory the present ant fauna and estimate the vulnerability to tramp and potential invasive ant species. Ants were collected using Winkler, pitfall, and funnel traps on five islands. In total, 76 ant species were recorded. These species are distributed into 20 genera and five subfamilies: Dolichoderinae (5 species), Formicinae (11 species), Myrmicinae (49 species), Ponerinae (11 species) and Proceratiinae (1 species). We also detected two tramp and potentially invasive species: the ghost ant Tapinoma melanocephalum and the big-headed ant Pheidole megacephala. Ant communities are dominated by six species, namely Odontomachus troglodytes, Oecophylla longinoda, Nylanderia lepida, Pheidole sp.2, Monomorium invidium, and the invasive ghost ant Tapinoma melanocephalum. This work is the first to inventory ants on the Islands of Ehotilés National Park and may serve as a basis for conservation decisions as it demonstrates that this park is not spared from the introduction of invasive ant species.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2024
Inproceedings Reference Large old tropical trees as pools of biodiversity: the Life On Trees program
The aim of the Life On Trees (LOT) program is to generate baseline knowledge about the number of eukaryotic species a single large aged tropical tree can host and to understand how these communities of organisms are assembled. The program is conducted in the Amazon and Andes biodiversity hotspots. Our first project, LOT-Amazon 2022, was performed on a spectacular Dussia tree (Fabaceae), which was 50 m high and 45 m wide. The sampling was carried out by professional climbers, guided by experts of the different eukaryotic groups studied (plants, fungi, animals, protists). To better understand the contribution of different tree components (bark, leaves, fruits, flowers, living and dead wood) to overall tree biodiversity, we assigned observations into communities based on height zone or microhabitat and will examine similarities and nestedness in the composition of these communities. The first results show that a single tree can host a tremendous diversity (e.g., 42 orchids, 28 ferns, and more than 200 bryophytes, 180 lichen species identified, which are world records considering the 400m elevation). This confirms that large old tropical trees are important pools of biodiversity probably in relation with the variety of local microhabitats and tree age. Funding: Fonds de Dotation Biotope pour la Nature Web and/or Twitter account: www.lifeontrees.org
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
Article Reference Temperature dissimilarity drives flower–visitor interaction turnover across elevation in the Mexican Transition Zone
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
Article Reference Notes on the myrmecophilous spider Mastigusa arietina (Thorell, 1871)
We provide records of the rarely detected ant-associated spider Mastigusa arietina (Thorell, 1871) in northwest Belgium and discuss how to locate and capture this spider. We show that this myrmecophilous spider is much more common than currently presumed but it is often missed in common spider surveys due to its obligate association with ant nests. We also summarise and illustrate the recently gained insights into its ecology, behaviour, and interactions with its host and other ant associates.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2022
Article Reference La pratique de l’entomologie du terrain au conservatoire ou l’essentiel est de bien transmettre
The principles and conventions concerning research, killing, treatment, preparation and classification of insects in collections are discussed in this note. A special attention to the labeling and related items are recalled with the aim of harmonizing practices and correcting drifts observed over the time.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2022
Article Reference De loopkever Amara strenua en zijn recente uitbreiding in Nederland en België (Coleoptera: Carabidae)
Na lange tijd niet te zijn waargenomen, lijkt de loopkever Amara strenua weer in toenemende mate voor te komen in Nederland en België. Voor ons was dat een unieke gelegenheid om meer te weten te komen over deze internationaal schaarse soort. We hebben gekeken naar de verspreiding van A. strenua, de karakteristieken van zijn habitat en naar zijn biologie. Door middel van kweekproeven kon voor het eerst de larve (stadium II) beschreven worden. Ten slotte beschrijven we een nieuw kenmerk om A. strenua van A. kulti te onderscheiden.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023 OA
Article Reference Remarks on Hymenoptera on urban green roofs in Belgium
In this paper we discuss all Hymenoptera (10.085 specimens) caught on several urban green roofs in Belgium during 2020 and 2021. We thereby try to connect species’ ecology and the specific habitat of extensive green roofs. Based on these findings we suggest what life communities can indeed be expected there. Six species on 120 taxa discovered are first reported for Belgium: Gonatopus lunatus (var. bifasciatus) Klug, 1810 (Aculeata: Dryinidae); Synacra paupera Macek, 1995 (Parasitica: Diapriidae); Alysia lucicola Haliday, 1838, Idiasta dichrocera Konigsmann, 1960 and Leiophron deficiens (Ruthe, 1856) (Parasitica: Braconidae) and Gelis declivis Forster, 1850 (Parasitica: Ichneumonidae).
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023 OA
Article Reference Faunistic survey of myrmecophilous and other ant-associated beetles and spiders in the Belgian province of Limburg (Araneae, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
Many researchers have been fascinated by the social organisation within an ant colony. They have noticed that several other invertebrates are found in or near the ants’ nests, notably a variety of Coleoptera and to a lesser extent, some spiders. Many of these observations have been written down, some just as a brief statement but sometimes a detailed report of these interactions as a result of accurate and prolonged monitoring was published. All this information allowed us to make a comparison with the ant species associated with beetles and spiders in the Belgian province of Limburg. We will discuss a large number of species within their respective families and mention in particular a certain connection between the guest and its host, a relationship which cannot necessarily be called myrmecophilous
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023