URBAN FAUNA. Studies of animal biology, ecology and conservation in European cities

URBAN FAUNA Studies of animal biology, ecology and conservation in European cities Editors Piotr Indykiewicz Leszek Jerzak Jörg Böhner Brendan Kavanagh Bydgoszcz 2011

URBAN FAUNA Studies of animal biology, ecology and conservation in European cities Editors Piotr Indykiewicz, Leszek Jerzak, Jörg Böhner, Brendan Kavanagh Bydgoszcz 2011

EDITORS: Piotr Indykiewicz, Leszek Jerzak, Jörg Böhner, Brendan Kavanagh REVIWERS: Tadeusz Barczak, Jerzy Błoszyk, Janusz Dąbrowski, Aleksander Herczek, Sławomir Kaczmarek, Piotr Kamiński, Andrzej Klimek, Janusz Markowski, Włodzimierz Meissner, Hanna Piekarska-Boniecka, Barbara Piłacińska, Maria Wawrzyniak, Barbara Wilkaniec COVER DISIGN BY: Jan Korbolewski & Piotr Indykiewicz Copyright by Piotr Indykiewicz ISBN: 978-83-7590-083-5 PUBLISHER: Uniwersytet Technologiczno-Przyrodniczy w Bydgoszcz (University of Technology and Life Sciences in Bydgoszcz) PRINTED IN POLAND BY: ELPIL in Siedlce Book orders or exchange for other publications: passer@utp.edu.pl

URBAN FAUNA Studies of animal biology, ecology and conservation in European cities Piotr Indykiewicz, Leszek Jerzak, Jörg Böhner, Brendan Kavanagh (eds.) UTP Bydgoszcz 2011 211-217 Jerzy Nadolski 1, Marek Michalski, Barbara Loga Natural History Museum, University of Łódź, Kilińskiego 101, PL-90-011 Łódź, Poland 1 e-mail: nadolski@biol.uni.lodz.pl Paper wasps (Hymenoptera; Polistinae) in the city of Łódź (Poland) Abstract: The study investigates paper wasps (Polistinae) in the three habitats: parkland, woodland and in the centre of Łódź, using Moericke s traps. Altogether, 25 specimens of Polistes nimpha (18 females and 7 males) and 44 specimens of P. dominula (38 females and 6 males) were caught. P. gallicus could not be detected within the studied habitats. Numerous supposed earlier records of this species are caused by the fact that the name P. gallicus was consequently used as a synonym for P. dominula. The results indicate that the investigated wasp species prefer parkland habitat over woodland. Their presence in the very city centre is rather sporadic. No statistically significant differences between the studied species were found with regard to their phenology. Key words: Urban fauna, paper wasps, Polistes nimpha, P. dominula, P. gallicus Introduction For a few years, a gradual process of synatropisation and synurbisation of many animal species of various systematic groups could be observed. In this aspect, insects are a significant group, especially representatives of the order Hymenoptera, which penetrate many urban areas in vast numbers (Zapporoli 1997, Banaszak & Kasprzak 1978, Banaszak 1982, Kowalczyk et al. 1990, Banaszak, Nadolski et al., Szczepko et al., Nadolski 2008). The presence of social wasps in urban areas is commonly known and often observed. Numerous and large-scale studies investigated the species composition of this group of insects, its proportions as well as the dynamics of quantitative changes in the urbanized areas (Skibińska 1982, 1987), including sites within the municipal borders of Łódź (Kowalczyk 1991, Pawlikowski 1998, Nadolski 2001, Nadolski, Kowalczyk & Kurzac 2005, Pawlikowski et al. 2005). Recently, a significant proportion of paper wasps (Polistinae) within the Aculeata inhabiting urban areas has been observed and their presence recorded in many regions of Poland, including large agglomeration areas (Kowalczyk 211

J. Nadolski, M. Michalski, B. Loga 1995, Kowalczyk & Szczepko 2001, Kowalczyk & Kurzac 2005, 2007, Kowalczyk & Nadolski 2007). So far, four species of the genus Polistes have been described: P. biglumis (Linnaeus, 1758), P. nimpha (Christ, 1791), P. gallicus (Linnaeus, 1767) and P. dominula (Christ, 1791) (Cranshaw 2011) (syn P. dominulus) (Kowalczyk & Szczepko, Wiśniowski, Oleksa & Wiśniowski 2005), of which three have been listed for Łódź: P. gallicus, P. dominula and P. nimpha (Kowalczyk 1995, Kowalczyk & Szczepko 2001, 2008, Kowalczyk & Kurzac 2005, Kowalczyk & Nadolski 2007). Recently, some doubts were raised concerning the presence and distribution of P. gallicus on the territory of Poland. The synonyms commonly used in descriptions of that species (Dubatolov 1998) have generated much confusion and resulted in the lack of clear criteria for the evaluation of the frequency and area of occurrence. The aim of this paper is to present results on the occurrence of Polistinae in the area of Łódź and to rectify inaccuracies concerning the presence of these wasps on the city s territory. Study area and methods The study was carried out between and in three contrasting habitats: city centre, parkland and woodland. To collect paper wasps, Moericke traps were used, round yellow or white containers, with a diameter of 16.6 cm, filled with a mixture of water, glycol and detergent (Moericke 1951, Banaszak et al. 1994, Nadolski et al. ). The study sites were located in the Henryk Sienkiewicz park (habitat type city centre), in the Łódź Botanical Garden and neighbouring Łódź Zoological Garden (parkland) and in the Łagiewniki forest (woodland). Altogether 54 traps were used, the number of which at a certain site depended on the size of the study area. Traps were hung below branches under the crown at different heights (1 to 4 m). Within the areas no. 1 and no. 2 (see below) the traps were also placed on roofs of buildings and wooden sheds. The Moericke traps were regularly emptied every seven to ten days. Study area 1: Henryk Sienkiewicz Park, with an area of approximately 5.2 ha. This park is one of the oldest in Łodź. Founded at the end of the 19 th century, it is located in the centre of the city and surrounded with dense urban structures. Study area 2: Parkland consisting of two units, the Łódź Botanical Garden (67 ha) and the neighbouring Łódź Zoological Garden (17 ha). Both gardens are located in the western part of the city. The Botanical Garden has a collection of over 3,500 species of native as well as foreign plants. The Zoological Garden is a densely forested park, remains of the so called Primeval Forest of Łódź. Both areas are a remnant of an ancient deciduous forest dominated by hornbeam Carpinus betulus and oaks Quercus robur and Q. petraea. Study area 3: Woodland habitat, the Łagiewniki forest, a rich deciduous forest of considerable size (about 1,250 ha), located N E of Łódź. This area is also a remnant of the Primeval Forest of Łódź. The whole complex together with its protection zone is part of the Łódź 212

Paper wasps (Hymenoptera; Polistinae) in the city of Łódź Hills Landscape Park (Kurowski 2001). The study sites are located in the central part of the forest, covering about 200 ha to the north of the Łagiewniczanka River and to the east of Wycieczkowa Street. Oaks Quercus robur and Q. petraea are the dominating tree species. For the statistical analysis, dates were coded as numbers, starting with April 1 st as number 1 (so that May 1 st = 31, and so on). Graphics and the statistical analysis were made using STATISTICA 9 (StatSoft, Inc. 2009). Results Altogether, 25 specimens of Polistes nimpha (18 females and 7 males) and 44 specimens of P. dominula (38 females and 6 males) were caught. The quantitative structure of the Polistinae community for each habitat is presented in table 1. P. gallicus could not be detected at any of the studied habitats. Table 1. Numbers of Polistinae collected with Moericke traps in the studied habitats during consecutive years City Centre Parkland Woodland P. nimpha P. dominula P. nimpha P. dominula P. nimpha P. dominula 0 0 1 0 1 2 0 9 6 0 19 17 0 0 9 0 0 5 200 180 160 140 day 120 100 80 60 40 20 Polistes nimpha Polistes dominula species Mean Mean +/ Stand. error Mean +/ Stand. deviation Figure 1. Shows the time of presence of Polistes nimpha and P. dominula within the studied habitats in Łódź, with no significant differences between the two species (ns, Kruskal-Wallis test) 213

J. Nadolski, M. Michalski, B. Loga Discussion and conclusions The results indicate the presence of only two species of paper wasps on the territory of Łódź, Polistes nimpha (Christ, 1791) and P. dominula (Christ, 1791) (Cranshaw 2011). The already before mentioned species P. gallicus was not recorded (Linnaeus, 1767) (Kowalczyk 1994, Kowalczyk & Kurzac 2005, Kowalczyk & Nadolski 2007, Kowalczyk & Szczepko 2008). Its absence in the area is obvious, and the numerous supposed earlier records are caused by the fact that the name P. gallicus was consequently used as a synonym for P. dominula. Therefore, any hitherto existing information about the presence of P. gallicus on the territory of Łódź should be rectified by changing it to the accepted name of the species, i.e. P. dominula (Cranshaw 2011). To avoid such inaccuracy in the future, the nomenclature should be systematized and any potential imprecision should be rectified. The other species recorded on the territory of Łódź, P. nimpha, has been properly named and, therefore, its presence does not require any correction. Telling the difference between the three species is not especially difficult (Dvořák & Roberts 2006). Although Kowalczyk and Szczepko () described in detail the problem of the taxonomic evaluation of P. dominula, they do not precisely distinguish between the two names (P. gallicus and P. dominula) as designation of two separate species. Present studies point at morphological, genetic and biochemical distinction of both these wasps. Therefore, we should treat them as separate species, as already done by many authors (Carpenter 1997, Dvořák 2005, Fanelli et al. 2005, Picket et al. 2006, Bilò & Bonifazi 2008, Pickett & Carpenter 2010). Finally, the terminological problems concerning the above mentioned species should be clearly explained once again. Polistes dominula (often misspelled as dominulus), sometimes referred to as the European paper wasp, is one of the more common and wellknown species of social wasps in Europe. P. dominula (dominulus) is frequently referred to as P. gallicus, which is a separate species. It was originally described in 1791 by Johann Ludwig Christ as Vespa dominula. P. gallicus (also historically referred to as P. foederatus) is a fairly common species of paper wasp, difficult to distinguish from the above mentioned European paper wasp, P. dominula, with which it had long been confused. Nearly every reference to P. gallicus prior to 1985 was actually referring to P. dominula. Therefore, due to the great similarity between the two species many published studies, for which there are no vouchered reference specimens, cannot be reliably assigned to either species (O Donnel 1998). The present study shows that the numbers of both recorded species of Polistinae fluctuate quite dynamically and increase relatively fast on the territory of Łódź. Earlier studies by Kowalczyk (1994) and occasionally recorded single instances of the presence of P. gallicus (described as a synonym of P. dominula) and P. nimpha let the author conclude about the rarity of these species on the urban territory. Besides, it should be noted that during the time of the studies, even in, these wasps were not recorded in all three habitats 214

Paper wasps (Hymenoptera; Polistinae) in the city of Łódź (Tab. 1). Only later, and especially recently, an increase in the numbers of both species is evident (author s own observations), indicating that they should be treated as permanent though not really numerous in Łódź. The results of the above-mentioned studies also show that these species prefer parkland habitat over woodland area. Their presence in the very city centre is rather sporadic (Tab. 1). No statistically significant differences between the studied species were found with regard to their phenology. Thus it is difficult to evaluate the current knowledge about the distribution of these species and whether they are endangered, especially in the light of the results of studies done so far, which are not clear and explicit. Only a full verification of all notations and a uniform nomenclature may result in full and reliable evaluation of the distribution of the Polistinae in Poland. Summing up, researchers investigating this group of insects should feel encouraged to verify previous studies, notations and nomenclature of paper wasps on the territory of Poland. Bibliography Banaszak J., Kasprzak K., 1978: Przegląd badań nad fauną bezkręgowców terenów miejskich. Przegl. Zool. 22(3): 239-249. Banaszak J., 1982: Apoidea (Hymenoptera) of Warsaw and Mazovia. Memorabilia Zool. 36, 129-142. Banaszak J., Cierzniak T., Szymański R., 1994: Influence of colour Moericke traps on numbers and diversity of collected bees (Apoidea, Hymenoptera). Acta. Univ. Lodz., Folia Zool. 3: 29-35. Banaszak W.A., : Przegląd badań nad owadami zapylającymi Poznania (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) [in] P. Indykiewicz, T. Barczak (eds.) Fauna miast Europy Środkowej 21. Wieku, LOGO, Bydgoszcz, 155-156. Bilò B.M., Bonifazi F., 2008: Pokrok v imunoterapii jedy blanokřídlého hmyzu. Curr. Opin. Allergy Clin. Immunol./CS 2:1-7. Carpenter J.M., 1997: Phylogenetic Relationships among European Polistes and the Evolution of Social Parasitism (Hymenoptera: Vespidae, Polistinae). [in:] P. Grandcolas (ed.), The Origin of Biodiversity in Insects: Phylogenetic Tests of Evolutionary Scenarios. Mem. Mus. Natn. Hist. Nat. 173: 135-161. Cranshaw W., 2011: Proposal Form for new Common Name or Change of ESA-Approved Common Name. Entomol. Society of Amerrica. Dubatolov V. V., 1998: Social wasp (Hymenoptera, Vespidae: Polistinae, Vespinae) of Siberia in the collection of Siberian Zoological Museum. Far Eastern Entomologist 57: 1-11. Dvořák L., 2005: European paper wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Polistinae) in the collections of the Moravian Museum, Brno. Acta Musei Moraviae, Scientiae biologicae (Brno) 90: 235-241. Dvořák L., Roberts S.P.M., 2006: Key to the paper and social wasps of Central Europe (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Acta Entomol. Musei National. Pragae 46: 221-244. Fanelli D., Henshaw M., Cervo R., Turillazzi S., Queller D.C., Strassmann J.E., 2005: The social parasite wasp Polistes atrimandibularis does not form host races. European Soc. for Evol. Biol. 18: 1362-1367. 215

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