Occurrence of Psocoptera in boreal old-growth forests
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33338/ef.84389Abstract
We aim to assess habitat and host-tree preferences of psocids (Insecta: Psocoptera) sampled in old-growth-forest biodiversity studies conducted during 1997–2003 in central and southern Finland. Thirty-one out of the recognized sixty-nine Finnish species were found in the samples, four of which (Elipsocus abdominalis, Reuterella helvimacula, Stenopsocus lachlani and Trichadenotecnum majus) might be associated with old-growth forests or with old trees. Psocidus flavonimbatus, a rare taiga species only previously known from the 19th century holotype from Estonia, was repeatedly collected in Kuhmo region, eastern Central Finland. This species is possibly associated with boreal spruce-dominated old-growth forests and likely to prefer Norway spruce as a host tree. We also provide new distribution data for several species and discuss their host-tree preferences.
