Phyllophagous sawflies (Hymenoptera, Symphyta) in pine stands (Pinus sylvestris) in a sandy lowland, Slovakia

Abstract

In the period of 2008 and 2009, the authors studied and compared taxocoenoses of phyllophagous sawflies (Symphyta, Hymenoptera) on Scotch pine on four study plots in the Borská nížina lowland (southwestern Slovakia). In total, 6 species of sawflies belonging to two families were found. Nursery Pine Sawfly (Gilpinia frutetorum) with the markedly highest abundance in all study plots is the most numerous species. The highest total abundance of sawfly larvae was found on 20-year-old pine trees of forest stand wall and in close stand of young 10-year-old pines. According to the dendrogram based on Wishart’s index two different groups of sawfly communities are specified: sawfly communities in dense stands in contrast with sawfly communities in open pine stands. Statistically significant difference between the values of Shannon-Wiener’s diversity of sawfly communities in open and dense stands was found. The test ANOSIM shows that there is no significant difference between study plots with regard to species composition of a sawfly community and abundance of individual species.