Volume 103, Nº 2 (2024)

For the first time, the biotopic associations of xylophilic druid fly larvae (Diptera: Clusiidae) with decaying wood, habitat conditions in wood, and trophic associations have been described. The features of the formation of the clusiid community and its composition are considered. For the first time, detailed information is provided about the species of insects (Coleoptera, Diptera) co-occurring with the clusiids in rotten wood.

An analysis of the distribution and ecological features in European Russia of the weevil Ptochus porcellus Boheman, 1834 (Curculionidae), an Eastern Euro-Caucasian — Kazakhstan southern steppe species, is provided. The northern boundary of its range has been established, on the Russian Plain it mainly passes through the very south of the forest-steppe zone, and in the Urals, — along the middle part of the steppe zone. It is shown that in the north of the range the species is associated with the most xerothermic extrazonal habitats with sparse vegetation cover. Information on the host plants of this species has been supplemented.

New data are provided on 62 species from four tribes of megachilids in the Central Russian Upland. The findings of Stelis odontopyga, Heriades crenulata, Osmia brevicornis and Megachile pilicrus in the Kursk, Voronezh and Lipetsk provinces shift northeastward their known distribution boundaries. Megachile pyrenaea was previously recorded in Russia only from Leningrad Province and the Republic of Karelia. The second location of Anthidium oblongatum in the center of European Russia has been found. With an addition of the literature data, the total number of species known for the studied area is 70.

Based on a new material, the boundaries of the ranges of Gerris costae fieberi Stichel and G. costae sahlbergi Distant in Uzbekistan have been clarified; the distribution area of the latter subspecies has been expanded to the west. A natural barrier has been identified that separates the ranges of the two subspecies. The ecological features of the habitats of these water striders are discussed. Data on the vertical distribution of the subspecies and their altitudinal limits are provided.

A new genus with a new species in the family Caliscelidae, Prosopaspis dingo gen. et sp. n., is described from Australia. It is the second representative of Caliscelidae in Australia and in Notogea as a whole. The new genus belonging to the tribe Caliscelini may be related to the African genus Rhinoploeus Gnezdilov et Bourgoin. A peculiar construction of the metope in the new genus is considered.

Two abundant acridid species (Chorthippus apricarius and Locusta migratoria) are widely distributed over South Siberia. Estimations of suitability conditions on the basis of the MaxEnt algorithm well correspond to the known localities of each species for the contemporary period. The main bioclimatic variables explaining these species distribution are associated with temperatures, especially those of the cold season. Predicted distribution patterns for 2021–2040 and 2041–2060 and for the scenarios of the high levels of the greenhouse gas emission show serious significant differences between the two model species. These forecasts demonstrate the explicit worsening of conditions for Chorthippus apricarius in South Siberia, and the significant expansion of territories applicable for Locusta migratoria in the southern parts of West Siberia and in Northern Kazakhstan. This trend looks like enhancing in the second half of the 21st century. The optimal areas for the migratory locust may cover the huge territories between 50° and 62° N and between the Ural Mts. and the north-western parts of the Altai-Sayan Mts. where a new area of possible outbreaks of L. migratoria may emerge. In the adjacent regions, the areas with suitable conditions for this species can expand significantly as well, including Primorskii Territory. Hence, the general continuation of global warming will most likely lead to some significant shifts in the distribution of some possible acridid pests across South Siberia.