Field attraction of Coleoptera to odours of the wood-decaying polypores Fomitopsis pinicola and Fomes fomentarius

• Published in: Annales zoologici fennici Vol. 32; no. 4; pp. 391 - 402
• Main Authors: Jonsell, Mats, Nordlander, Göran
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Finnish Zoological and Botanical Publishing Board 01-01-1995
• Subjects: Bark beetles; Beetles; Cisidae; Coleoptera; Coriolaceae; Fomes fomentarius; Fomitopsis pinicola; Forest insects; Fruiting; Fruiting bodies; Fungi; Insect traps; Odors; Taxa; Sweden
• ISSN: 0003-455X; 1797-2450

The attraction of beetles (Insecta: Coleoptera) to odours of the wood-decaying polypore fungi Fomitopsis pinicola and Fomes fomentarius was studied at one spruce-dominated and one birch-dominated locality in a semi-natural forest in central Sweden. Beetles were caught in window traps without a bait (control) or baited with chopped, living fruiting bodies of either of the two polypores. The pattern of attraction was analyzed for 96 taxa, which were assigned to different categories according to the substrate they utilize. The attraction patterns were compared with catch data from window traps beneath living fruiting bodies and with rearing data. Beetles of the family Cisidae breeding in F. pinicola were strongly attracted to the odour of this fungus. In contrast, the species of a similar cisid guild associated with F. fomentarius was not attracted to any of the fungal odours. Two monophagous species of the anobiid genus Dorcatoma associated with F. pinicola and F. fomentarius respectively, were not significantly attracted to odour host but were caught in large numbers at living fruiting bodies. This aggregation was probably due to response to attractive pheromones. Knowledge about the precision in orientation as well as the capacity of dispersal of these insects is considered important for evaluating how they are affected by forestry practices.