Insects Associated with the European Mistletoe (Viscum album) in Western Ukraine: a Pilot Study
The first insect-targeted study of the European mistletoe, Viscum album L., was conducted in Ukraine. In total, 35 species of insects reared from mistletoe were identified to belong to 5 orders, 20 families and 34 genera. Twenty-seven identified species were reared from mistletoe for the first time,...
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Zoodiversity| _version_ | 1874092720375463936 |
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| author | Zamoroka, A. M. Shparyk, V. Yu. Dovhaniuk, I. Ya. Varga, O. O. |
| author_facet | Zamoroka, A. M. Shparyk, V. Yu. Dovhaniuk, I. Ya. Varga, O. O. |
| author_institution_txt_mv | [
{
"author": "A. M. Zamoroka",
"institution": "Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine",
"orcid": "0000-0001-5692-7997"
},
{
"author": "V. Yu. Shparyk",
"institution": "Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine",
"orcid": "0000-0001-8047-6356"
},
{
"author": "I. Ya. Dovhaniuk",
"institution": "Uzhhorod National University, Uzhhorod, Ukraine",
"orcid": ""
},
{
"author": "O. O. Varga",
"institution": "Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology NAS of Ukraine",
"orcid": ""
}
] |
| author_orcid_str_mv | 0000-0001-5692-7997 0000-0001-8047-6356 |
| author_sort | Zamoroka, A. M. |
| baseUrl_str | https://ojs.akademperiodyka.org.ua/index.php/Zoodiversity/oai |
| collection | OJS |
| container_end_page | |
| container_issue | 5 |
| container_start_page | |
| container_title | Zoodiversity (Vestnik Zoologii) |
| container_volume | 57 |
| datestamp_date | 2026-08-20T12:37:11Z |
| description | The first insect-targeted study of the European mistletoe, Viscum album L., was conducted in Ukraine. In total, 35 species of insects reared from mistletoe were identified to belong to 5 orders, 20 families and 34 genera. Twenty-seven identified species were reared from mistletoe for the first time, including 17 species of Hymenoptera, 8 species of Coleoptera and 2 species of Diptera. Our results revealed significant gaps in knowledge about insects associated with mistletoe. This is appeared in the fact that more than 77 % of the insects we reared have never been detected on mistletoe before. It is obviously that 70 % to 90 % of the insects associated with mistletoe remain unknown. We also found a highly probable tripartite link between the European mistletoe, parasitic fungus Sphaeropsis visci and the saproxylic and mycetophagous Coleoptera. The in[1]teraction of Coleoptera with S. visci is facultatively mutualistic, and beetles act as vectors to spread spores and mycelium among mistletoes. In addition, we found the mass breading of invasive species Leiopus femoratus on V. album. Hence, V. album might play a crucial role in the mass and rapid invasion of L. femoratus in Europe. |
| doi_str_mv | 10.15407/zoo2023.05.433 |
| first_indexed | 2025-07-17T12:36:31Z |
| format | Article |
| fulltext |
© Publisher Publishing House "Akademperiodyka" of the NAS of Ukraine, 2023. The article is published under
an open access license CC BY-NC-ND (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
UDC 595.7:582.728.4(477)(1-15)
INSECTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE EUROPEAN MISTLETOE (VISCUM ALBUM)
IN WESTERN PART OF UKRAINE: A PILOT STUDY
A. M. Zamoroka1, V. Yu. Shparyk1, I. Ya. Dovhaniuk1,3 & O. O. Varga2
1Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University, Taras Shevchenko st., 54, Ivano-Frankivsk, 76018 Ukraine
2Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology NAS of Ukraine, vul. B. Khmelnytskogo , 15, Kyiv, 01054 Ukraine
3Uzhhorod National University, Narodna Square, 3, Uzhhorod, 88000 Ukraine
E-mails: 1andrew.zamoroka@pnu.edu.ua,1viktor.shparyk@pnu.edu.ua, 1,3dovganyuk_iryna@ukr.net, 2sancho.
varga@gmail.com
A. M. Zamoroka (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5692-7997)
V. Yu. Shparyk (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2054-8279)
I. Ya. Dovhaniuk (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7555-517X)
O. O. Varga (http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6285-7830)
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:0D058A1E-420A-4D73-91F1-D18AA4395836
Insects Associated with the European Mistletoe (Viscum album) in Western Ukraine: a Pilot Study.
Zamoroka, A. M., Shparyk, V. Yu., Dovhanyuk, I. Ya. & Varga, O. O. — The first insect-targeted study
of the European mistletoe, Viscum album L., was conducted in Ukraine. In total, 35 species of insects
reared from mistletoe were identified to belong to 5 orders, 20 families and 34 genera. Twenty-seven
identified species were reared from mistletoe for the first time, including 17 species of Hymenoptera, 8
species of Coleoptera and 2 species of Diptera. Our results revealed significant gaps in knowledge about
insects associated with mistletoe. This is appeared in the fact that more than 77 % of the insects we reared
have never been detected on mistletoe before. It is obviously that 70 % to 90 % of the insects associated
with mistletoe remain unknown. We also found a highly probable tripartite link between the European
mistletoe, parasitic fungus Sphaeropsis visci and the saproxylic and mycetophagous Coleoptera. The in-
teraction of Coleoptera with S. visci is facultatively mutualistic, and beetles act as vectors to spread spores
and mycelium among mistletoes. In addition, we found the mass breading of invasive species Leiopus
femoratus on V. album. Hence, V. album might play a crucial role in the mass and rapid invasion of
L. femoratus in Europe.
Key words : Viscum album, insects, saproxylic beetles, parasitoids, aphidophagous Diptera, invasive
species, insect-plant interaction, parasitism, mutualism.
Zoodiversity, 57(5):433–450, 2023
DOI 10.15407/zoo2023.05.433
434 A. M. Zamoroka, V. Yu. Shparyk, I. Ya. Dovhaniuk & O. O. Varga
Introduction
The European mistletoe (Viscum album L.) is a hemiparasitic plant of arboreal species that alters host
physiology affecting the ecosystem services (Watson, 2001; Mathiasen et al., 2008). Mistletoe attracts attention
of wide range of experts in biology and ecology, including entomologists. However, arthropods associated with
mistletoe remained scarcely studied.
The interaction between white or European mistletoe and its host plants is fairly well studied, but mis-
tletoe as an arthropod host is still poorly understood (Krasylenko et al., 2020). Since the beginning of the 20th
century, the number of known species of herbivorous insects associated with mistletoe has gradually increased.
Schumacher (1918) presented the first data on insects feeding and living on V. album and listed 21 insect spe-
cies, 6 of which he proposed as mistletoe specialists. The remaining 15 species were recognised as secondary
migrants. Schumacher’s data were duplicated in Tubeuf (1923) monograph on mistletoe.
Throughout the 20th century, there were no specific studies of insect groups on mistletoe, and very little
information on the development of insects on mistletoe in the publications of the time. Horion (1935) reported
the rearing of the beetle Stenostola ferrea (Schrank, 1776) (Cerambycidae) on mistletoe. Duffy (1953) listed
European mistletoe as a food plant for cerambycid species in Great Britain, including Pogonocherus hispidus
(Linnaeus, 1758) and Pogonocherus hispidulus (Piller & Mitterpacher, 1783). Gutowski (1995) has repeated the
same data.
At the beginning of the 21st century, mistletoe and associated insects again attracted the attention of
scientists. Hellrigl (2006) published a paper on insects living on mistletoe in South Tirol. He summarized data
from different sources and his own study presenting the list of 21 species of insects. He suggested 8 species as
mistletoe specialists and 13 as secondary migrants. Later, Varga et al. (2012) presented very similar data from
Hungary. Lazaro-Gonzalez et al. (2017) conducted a comparative study of insect communities on European
mistletoe and its host plants, black pine (Pinus nigra) and Scots pine (P. sylvestris). Although their research is
important for understanding the ecological heterogeneity of ecosystems and biodiversity, unfortunately most
of the insects they collected on European mistletoe were only identified by order and family. The only exception
was the well-known specialists on V. album, in particular Cacopsylla visci, Pinalitus viscicola, Anthocoris visci.
Several partial studies of the recent decades (Hansen & Hodkinson, 2006; Struwe et al., 2009; Krasylenko et al.,
2023), that non-targeted on the viscum insect communities (hereinafter — non-target studies), provided the
same data as the authors mentioned above.
In this insect-focused study, we present the most comprehensive data on mistletoe-associated insects from
Ukraine, significantly expanding knowledge on the subject. We reared and identified 35 insect species from
V. album, 27 of them for the first time. Viscum album was identified as a new food plant for four insect spe-
cies.
Material and Methods
The whole clumps of mistletoe (n = 15) were sampled within the Central Ciscarpathia (Ivano-Frankivsk
Region, Ukraine) in four localities namely: Ivano-Frankivsk (48.911879, 24.684231), Sokil (49.097852,
24.625574), Maydan (49.007488, 24.578528), Tsenzhiv (48.995938, 24.599763). Each locality represents four
types of ecosystems with different degree of anthropogenic transformation and mistletoe spreading. The first
type was a park orchard with various tree species in the city of Ivano-Frankivsk (257 m a. s. l.). The second type
was an artificial lime hedgerow with various shrubs along H10 highway in the Maydan locality (329 m a. s. l.).
The third type was an apple and pear orchard in the Sokil locality (236 m a. s. l.). The fourth type was the natural
oak-hornbeam forest in the Tsenzhiv locality (377 m a. s. l.). Samples were obtained from four host tree species
namely small-leaved lime (Tilia cordata Mill.), apple (Malus domestica Borkh.), sycamore maple (Acer pseu-
doplatanus L.) and Canadian poplar (Populus×canadensis Moench). Twelve of fifteen sampled V. album were
infected by parasitic fungus Sphaeropsis visci.
The mistletoe samples were cut with part of the host branch and placed in a plastic zip-lock bag for trans-
port to the laboratory, where they were placed in closed plastic containers. The samples collected in October
were kept at 4 °C for 14 days and at 24 °C for the following 50 days. The first adult parasitoid wasps were reared
on the 60th day, and saproxylic beetles appeared on the 78th day after collecting mistletoe in the field. The mis-
tletoe collected in February was kept at 24 °C for 14 days before the first insects were reared.
The reared insects were identified at least to genus level and stored in 96 % ethyl alcohol in labelled plastic
tubes. All material was collected by the authors and deposited in the collection of the Department of Biology
and Ecology, Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University (PUIF).
Additionally, to reveal the nature of the xylobiont insects galleries within the plants tissues, we manually
made longitudinal sections of the mistletoe stems at the point of its connection with the branch of the host
435Insects Associated with the European Mistletoe (Viscum album) in Western Part of Ukraine: a Pilot Study
plant. The photographs were taken using Nikon D90 camera. Images were then aligned and stacked in theDLT-
CamViewer x86, 3.7.7892 software package and additionally.
Results
Resultantly, we identified 36 species of insects reared from mistletoe, which belong to
5 orders (Coleoptera — 12 species, Hemiptera — 2 species, Hymenoptera — 18 species,
Lepidoptera — 1 species, Diptera — 3 species), 20 families and 34 genera. Families and
genera are presented in alphabetic order in the annotated list below.
Coleoptera
Anthribidae
Rhaphitropis marchica (Herbst, 1797)
Reared mater ia l . Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk Region: Sokil, 13.10.2013, 269 specimens, ex larva; May-
dan, 28.02.2014, 10 specimens, ex larva; Ivano-Frankivsk, 16.02.2014, 262 specimens, ex larva (A. Zamoroka)
(PUIF).
Biology. Polyphagous on Sordariomycetes (Ascomycota) fungi associated with
dead wood of deciduous trees (Yunakov et al., 2018). We reared numerous specimens of
R. marchica from V. album heavily infected with the fungus Sphaeropsis visci (Sollm.) Sacc.
(Dothideomycetes).
Cerambycidae
Exocentrus lusitanus (Linnaeus, 1767)
Reared mater ia l . Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk Region: Maydan, 28.02.2014, 7 specimens, ex larva; Tsen-
zhiv, 28.02.2014, 8 specimens, ex larva (A. Zamoroka & V. Shparyk) (PUIF).
Biology. Larvae are polyphagous on deciduous trees with a preference for Tilia spp.;
V. album is a new and previously unknown food plant for E. lusitanus. Adults feed on thin
twigs and probably fruit bodies of saproxylic fungi (Zamoroka & Kapeliukh, 2016).
Leiopus femoratus Fairmaire, 1859
Reared mater ia l . Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk Region: Sokil, 13.10.2013, 100 specimens, ex larva, May-
dan, 28.02.2014, 29 specimens, ex larva; Ivano-Frankivsk, 16.02.2014, 262 specimens, ex larva; Tsenzhiv,
28.02.2014, 14 specimens, ex larva (A. Zamoroka & V. Shparyk) (PUIF).
Biology. An invasive Mediterranean species that is expanding its range northwards
(Zamoroka & Kapeliukh, 2012; Zamoroka, 2022). The larvae are polyphagous on deciduous
trees. Viscum album is a new and previously unknown food plant for L. femoratus. Adults
probably feed on phloem of twigs and thin branches (Zamoroka & Kapeliukh, 2016).
Mesosa curculionoides (Linnaeus, 1761)
Reared mater ia l . Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk Region: Sokil, 13.10.2013, 2 specimens, ex larva; Maydan,
28.02.2014, 1 specimen, ex larva (A. Zamoroka & V. Shparyk) (PUIF).
Biology. Larvae are polyphagous on deciduous trees. There are known observations
of M. curculinoides adults feeding on fruit bodies of the saproxylic fungus Schizophyllum
commune Fr. (Zamoroka & Kapeliukh, 2016).
436 A. M. Zamoroka, V. Yu. Shparyk, I. Ya. Dovhaniuk & O. O. Varga
Oplosia cinerea (Mulsant, 1839)
Reared mater ia l . Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk Region: Maydan, 28.02.2014, 1 specimen, ex larva; Ivano-
Frankivsk, 16.02.2014, 2 specimens, ex larva (A. Zamoroka) (PUIF).
Biology. Larvae are polyphagous on deciduous trees; V. album is a new food plant for
O. cinerea, which was unknown previously.
Pogonocherus hispidus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Reared mater ia l . Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk Region: Sokil, 13.10.2013, 17 specimens, ex larva; Maydan,
28.02.2014, 1 specimen, ex larva; Ivano-Frankivsk, 16.02.2014, 14 specimens, ex larva; Tsenzhiv, 28.02.2014,
2 specimens, ex larva (A. Zamoroka & V. Shparyk) (PUIF).
Biology. Larvae are polyphagous on deciduous trees, especially on Tilia. The feeding
of adults on fruit bodies of the saproxylic fungus Nectria sp. is known (Zamoroka & Kape-
liukh, 2016).
Stenostola ferrea (Schrank, 1776)
Reared mater ia l . Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk Region: Maydan, 28.02.2014, 3 specimens, ex larva; Tsen-
zhiv, 28.02.2014, 1 specimen, ex larva (A. Zamoroka & V. Shparyk) (PUIF).
Biology. Larvae are polyphagous on deciduous trees with preferences on Tilia spp.
(Zamoroka & Kapeliukh, 2016).
Chrysomelidae
Longitarsus sp.
Reared mater ia l . Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk Region: Ivano-Frankivsk, 16.02.2014, 1 specimen, ex larva
(A. Zamoroka) (PUIF).
Biology. Larvae develop mainly on herbaceous plants. Our record of Longitarsus sp.
on V. album is probably occasional.
Ciidae
Orthocis alni (Gyllenhal, 1813)
Reared mater ia l . Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk Region: Tsenzhiv, 28.02.2014, 1 specimen, ex larva (A. Za
moroka & V. Shparyk) (PUIF).
Biology. Larvae and adults of O. alni are associated with the fruiting bodies of a wide
range of saproxylic fungi, mostly Polyporaceae but also Corticiaceae and others (Alexan-
der, 2002). The species has not previously been seen on V. album. We reared the only speci-
men on a twig of V. album infected by S. visci.
Cucujidae
Lathropus sepicola (P. W. J. Müller, 1821)
Reared mater ia l . Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk Region: Sokil, 13.10.2013, 1 specimen, ex larva (A. Zamo
roka & V. Shparyk) (PUIF).
Biology. Larvae of Lathropus sepicola feed on saproxylic fungi (Uliana, 2003). The
species was first reared from V. album heavily infected by S. visci.
437Insects Associated with the European Mistletoe (Viscum album) in Western Part of Ukraine: a Pilot Study
Curculionidae
Ernoporus tiliae (Panzer, 1793)
Reared mater ia l . Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk Region: Sokil, 13.10.2013, 134 specimens, ex larva, (A. Za
moroka & V. Shparyk) (PUIF); Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk Region: Maydan, 28.02.2014, 6 specimens, ex larva
(A. Zamoroka & V. Shparyk) (PUIF).
Biology. Larvae feed under the bark of Tilia spp. (Alexander, 2002). It was also repor
ted in association with lime wood infected by the parasitic fungus Geosmithia sp. (Kubá-
tová et al., 2004). Our records of E. tiliae on V. album infected by S. visci were the first
evidence of the association of these three species.
Trogossitidae
Nemozoma elongatum (Linnaeus, 1761)
Reared mater ia l . Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk Region: Sokil, 13.10.2013, 4 specimens, ex larva (A. Zamo
roka & V. Shparyk) (PUIF).
Biology. Larvae and adults are predators and feed on the eggs of bark beetles as well
as on larvae of wood-boring beetles and other insects (Miłkowski et al., 2019). We first
spotted N. elongatum on V. album inhabited by E. tiliae, Rh. marchica, L. femoratus and
others.
Hemiptera
Aphididae
Aphis fabae Scopoli, 1763
Reared mater ia l . Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk Region: Sokil, 13.10.2013, 4 specimens, ex larva (A. Zamo
roka & V. Shparyk) (PUIF).
Biology. Polyphagous on various angiosperms (Wieczorek et al., 2019).
Psyllidae
Cacopsylla visci (Curtis, 1835)
Reared mater ia l . Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk Region: Sokil, 13.10.2013, 62 specimens, ex larva; Maydan,
28.02.2014, 24 specimens, ex larva; Ivano-Frankivsk, 16.02.2014, 131 specimens, ex larva; Tsenzhiv, 28.02.2014,
10 specimens, ex larva (A. Zamoroka & V. Shparyk) (PUIF).
Biology. Monophagous specialist on V. album (Schumacher, 1918; Hellrigl, 2006).
Hymenoptera
Braconidae
Eubazus sp.
Reared mater ia l . Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk Region: Sokil, 13.10.2013, 1 specimen, ex larva (A. Zamo
roka & V. Shparyk) (PUIF).
Biology. Larvae are the primary koinobiont endoparasitoids of Curculionidae eggs
and larvae (Alauzet, 1987). Rhaphitropis marchica is likely a possible host of Eubazus
sp. reared during this study. The association of Eubazus sp. with insect communities on
V. album was previously unknown.
438 A. M. Zamoroka, V. Yu. Shparyk, I. Ya. Dovhaniuk & O. O. Varga
Cyanopterus sp.
Reared mater ia l . Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk Region: Sokil, 13.10.2013, 1 specimen, ex larva (A. Zamo
roka & V. Shparyk) (PUIF).
Biology. Larvae of wasps of the genus Cyanopterus Haliday, 1835 are primary ec-
toparasitoids of Cerambycidae larvae (Tobias, 1978). The association of Cyanopterus sp.
with insect communities on V. album was previously unknown.
Spathius sp.
Reared mater ia l . Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk Region: Ivano-Frankivsk, 16.02.2014, 1 specimen, ex larva
(A. Zamoroka) (PUIF).
Biology. Larvae of Spathius sp. are primary parasitoids of Cerambycidae and Curcu-
lionidae larvae, including E. tiliae. The association of Spathius sp. with insect communities
of V. album was previously unknown.
Cynipidae
Phanacis sp.
Reared mater ia l . Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk Region: Ivano-Frankivsk, 16.02.2014, 1 specimen, ex larva
(A. Zamoroka) (PUIF).
Biology. Neither Phanacis sp. nor Aylacini were previously known to be trophically
associated with the mistletoe. Here, we report the association of cynipids with V. album for
the first time.
Colletidae
Hylaeus confusus Nylander, 1852
Reared mater ia l . Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk Region: Tsenzhiv, 28.02.2014, 4 specimens, ex larva
(A. Zamoroka & V. Shparyk) (PUIF).
Biology. Hylaeus confusus is a solitary bee species nesting in the xylophagous beetles’
galleries. Here, we firstly reported nesting of H. confusus on V. album.
Eulophidae
Aprostocetus sp.
Reared mater ia l . Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk Region: Sokil, 13.10.2013, 5 specimens, ex larva; Maydan,
28.02.2014, 2 specimens, ex larva; Ivano-Frankivsk, 16.02.2014, 8 specimens, ex larva (A. Zamoroka) (PUIF).
Biology. The species of the genus are ectoparasitoids parasitising eggs of a large of the
variety of such insects as Hemiptera, Lepidoptera, Orthoptera, Odonata, and Coleoptera
(Graham, 1987; Hérard et al., 2005). The association of Aprostocetus sp. with insect com-
munities on V. album was previously unknown.
Sympiesis gordius (Walker, 1839)
Reared mater ia l . Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk Region: Ivano-Frankivsk, 16.02.2014, 2 specimens, ex
larva (A. Zamoroka) (PUIF).
439Insects Associated with the European Mistletoe (Viscum album) in Western Part of Ukraine: a Pilot Study
Biology. Larvae are ectoparasitoids of leafrollers larvae (Lepidoptera) (Yefremova,
1997). It is likely that S. s gordius parasitises C. woodiana larvae, the V. album monopha-
gous specialist. The association of S. gordius with insect communities on V. album is de-
scribed for the first time.
Eupelmidae
Eupelmus pini Taylor, 1927
Reared mater ia l . Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk Region: Ivano-Frankivsk, 16.02.2014, 1 specimen, ex larva
(A. Zamoroka) (PUIF).
Biology. Eupelmus pini is a primary parasitoid on wide range of xylophagous Coleop-
tera larvae (e. g., Scolitinae, Curculionidae, Cerambycidae) (Fusu, 2009; Gibson & Fusu,
2016). It is also suggested as hyperparasitoid through Braconidae (Gibson & Fusu, 2016).
The association of E. pini with insect communities on V. album was previously unknown.
Eusandalum inerme (Ratzeburg, 1848)
Reared mater ia l . Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk Region: Tsenzhiv, 28.02.2014, 1 specimen, ex larva (A. Za
moroka & V. Shparyk) (PUIF).
Biology. Eusandalum inerme is a primary parasitoid on wide range of xylophagous
Coleoptera larvae (e. g., Anobiidae, Bostrichidae, Buprestidae, Cerambycidae, Lucanidae,
Lyctidae, Scolytinae) (Bouček, 1967; Noyes, 2018). The association of E. inerme with insect
communities on V. album was previously unknown.
Eurytomidae
Eurytoma tilicola Hedquist, 1966
Reared mater ia l . Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk Region: Sokil, 13.10.2013, 10 specimens, ex larva; May-
dan, 28.02.2014, 1 specimen, ex larva; Ivano-Frankivsk, 16.02.2014, 11 specimens, ex larva (A. Zamoroka &
V. Shparyk) (PUIF).
Biology. Larvae are the primary ectoparasitoids of S. ferrea larvae (Zerova, 2010). The
association of E. tilicola with insect communities on V. album was previously unknown.
Ichneumonidae
Dolichomitus agnoscendus (Roman, 1939)
Reared mater ia l . Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk Region: Tsenzhiv, 28.02.2014, 17 specimens, ex larva
(A. Zamoroka & V. Shparyk) (PUIF).
Biology. Larvae are the primary idiobiont ectoparasitoids of wood-boring beetles,
mainly on Cerambycidae (Varga, 2012, 2014). The association of D. agnoscendus with in-
sect communities on V. album was previously unknown.
Platygastridae
Synopeas sp.
Reared mater ia l . Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk Region: Tsenzhiv, 28.02.2014, 6 specimens, ex larva
(A. Zamoroka & V. Shparyk) (PUIF).
440 A. M. Zamoroka, V. Yu. Shparyk, I. Ya. Dovhaniuk & O. O. Varga
Biology. Larvae are solitary koinobiont endoparasitoids ovipositing inside the eggs
or newly hatched larvae of gall midges (Diptera, Cecidomyiidae) (Abram et al., 2012). We
reared several specimens of Cecidomyiid from the species A. viscicola the monophagous
specialist of V. album. The association of Synopeas sp. with insect communities on Viscum
album was previously unknown.
Pteromalidae
Aggelma sp.
Reared mater ia l . Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk Region: Sokil, 13.10.2013, 1 specimen, ex larva (A. Zamo
roka & V. Shparyk) (PUIF).
Biology. Unknown. Aggelma sp. might be a primary parasitoid of E. tiliae. The as-
sociation of Aggelma sp. with insect communities on V. album was previously unknown.
Platygerrhus affinis (Walker, 1836)
Reared mater ia l . Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk Region: Ivano-Frankivsk, 16.02.2014, 26 specimens, ex
larva (A. Zamoroka) (PUIF).
Biology. Larvae are primary parasitoids of wood-boring Coleoptera, in particular
S. ferrea and E. tiliae (Mitroiu, 2005). The association of P. affinis with insect communities
on V. album was previously unknown.
Platygerrhus sp.
Reared mater ia l . Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk Region: Ivano-Frankivsk, 16.02.2014, 9 specimens, ex
larva (A. Zamoroka & V. Shparyk) (PUIF).
Biology. Larvae are primary parasitoids of wood-boring Coleoptera (Mitroiu, 2005).
The association of Platygerrhus sp. with insect communities on V.album was previously
unknown.
Anisopteromalus sp.
Reared mater ia l . Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk Region: Sokil, 13.10.2013, 1 specimen, ex larva (A. Zamo
roka & V. Shparyk) (PUIF).
Biology. Anisopteromalus sp. is a primary parasitoid on beetles’ larvae in stored
products (e. g., cereals, etc.). Its development on S. paniceum (Linnaeus, 1758) larvae was
reported by Baur et al. (2014). The association of Anisopteromalus sp. with xylophagous
insects in general and insects developing on V. album, in particular, was documented for
the first time.
Trigonoderus princeps Westwood, 1832
Reared mater ia l . Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk Region: Tsenzhiv, 28.02.2014, 2 specimens, ex larva
(A. Zamoroka & V. Shparyk) (PUIF).
Biology. Larvae are solitary ectoparasitoids of Cerambycidae and Curculionidae (Sco
lytus ratzeburgi Janson, 1856) larvae (Hérard et al., 2005). The association of T. princeps
with insect communities on V. album was previously unknown.
441Insects Associated with the European Mistletoe (Viscum album) in Western Part of Ukraine: a Pilot Study
Trigonoderus sp.
Reared mater ia l . Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk Region: Maydan, 28.02.2014, 2 specimens, ex larva
(A. Zamoroka & V. Shparyk) (PUIF).
Biology. Larvae are solitary ectoparasitoids of Cerambycidae and Curculionidae. The
association of Trigonoderus sp with insect communities on V. album was previously un-
known.
Lepidoptera
Tortricidae
Celypha woodiana (Barrett, 1882)
Reared mater ia l . Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk Region: Sokil, 13.10.2013, 2 specimens, ex larva (A. Zamo
roka & V. Shparyk) (PUIF).
Biology. Monophagous specialist on V. album (Schumacher, 1918; Hellrigl, 2006).
Diptera
Cecidomyiidae
Asynapta viscicola Skuhravá, 2007
Reared mater ia l . Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk Region: Sokil, 13.10.2013, 7 specimens, ex larva (A. Zamo
roka & V. Shparyk) (PUIF).
Biology. Monophagous specialist on V. album (Schumacher, 1918; Hellrigl, 2006).
Syrphidae
Scaeva pyrastri (Linnaeus, 1758)
Reared mater ia l . Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk Region: Sokil, 13.10.2013, 2 specimens, ex larva (A. Zamo
roka & V. Shparyk) (PUIF).
Biology. Larvae are typically aphidophagous predators. The association of S. pyrastri
with aphidids feeding on V. album was observed for the first time.
Syrphus vitripennis Meigen, 1822
Reared mater ia l . Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk Region: Sokil, 13.10.2013, 2 specimens, ex larva (A. Zamo
roka & V. Shparyk) (PUIF).
Biology. Larvae are typically aphidophagous predators. The association of S. vitripen-
nis with aphidids feeding on V. album was recorded for the first time
Discussion
Our results confirmed the high diversity of insects associated with mistletoe and add-
ed to the list of known species. We significantly increased the number of known species
of such insects from 49 to 77 species (13 new from Hymenoptera, 8 from Coleoptera and
2 from Diptera). A comparison of our results with those of previous researchers is shown
in table 1.
442 A. M. Zamoroka, V. Yu. Shparyk, I. Ya. Dovhaniuk & O. O. Varga
It is noteworthy that our results differ significantly from those of previous studies (tab-
le 2). In particular, our list of species reared from mistletoe only agrees by 7.2 % with the list
published by Schumacher (1918), by 7.7 % with Varga et al. (2012) and by 13.1 % with Helrigl
(2006). The non-target studies were not systematic in nature and are extremely difficult to
compare. This is due to the very small number of insect species (1–9) included in these stud-
ies (Hansen & Hodkinson, 2006; Struwe et al., 2009; Krasylenko et al., 2023). Nevertheless,
these studies are an important source for understanding the distribution of certain species,
mostly mistletoe monophages, in Europe (Hansen & Hodkinson, 2006; Struwe et al., 2009).
However, our analysis shows that the similarity of our results to non-target studies does not
exceed 4.8 %. It should be noted that such a result is not statistically significant.
In general, the low similarity between our and published insect faunal lists can be ex-
plained by methodological differences in their collection. In particular, we reared insects
from mistletoe during the winter diapause, while other studies mainly used the less effec-
tive method of shaking mistletoe to collect insects (Varga et al., 2012; Krasylenko et al.,
2023), and partly the method of rearing insects from mistletoe clumps collected in summer
(Varga et al., 2012). Our study shows that collecting mistletoe during the winter diapause
of insects and their larvae gives better results for rearing parasitic wasps and saproxylic
beetles. On the other hand, sampling mistletoe in summer gives better results for the col-
lection of Hemiptera.
Our insect list (35 species) has only 8 species in common with all previously pub-
lished data (42 species). This is 11.6 %. At the same time, we found a maximum similarity
of 24.2 % between the insect lists of Varga et al. (2012) and Hellrigl (2006). We believe
that such significant differences are due to an insufficient study of insects associated with
mistletoe. Based on these data, we estimate that between 70 % and 90 % of the insect
diversity associated with European mistletoe remains unknown. Further research will
certainly reveal the considerable diversity and complexity of insect communities on Eu-
ropean mistletoe.
T a b l e 1 . The data on mistletoe-associated insects (species number) from published and current studies
Taxa Schumacher,
1918
Hellrigl,
2006
Varga et al.,
2012
Current
study
Non-target
studies*
General
diversity
Coleoptera 8 10 5 12 2 27
Hemiptera 11 5 9 2 5 19
Hymenoptera 0 3 4 17 1 24
Lepidoptera 2 2 2 1 0 3
Diptera 0 1 0 3 1 4
Total 21 21 20 35 9 77
*Hansen & Hodkinson, 2006 (1 species); Struwe et al., 2009 (2 species); Krasylenko et al., 2023 (9 species)
T a b l e 2 . The percentage (%) variation of similarity between published and current studies
Study Schumacher, 1918 Hellrigl, 2006 Varga et al., 2012 Current study
Schumacher, 1918 100 17.1 17.7 7.2
Hellrigl, 2006 17.1 100 24.2 13.1
Varga et al., 2012 17.7 24.2 100 7.7
Current study 7.2 13.1 7.7 100
443Insects Associated with the European Mistletoe (Viscum album) in Western Part of Ukraine: a Pilot Study
We found only three insect species that are considered to be specialised monophages
on V. album, namely Celypha woodiana (Lepidoptera), Asynapta viscicola (Diptera) and
Cacopsylla visci (Hemiptera). The species we discovered, Aphis fabae, is polyphagous on a
wide range of angiosperms. The species listed above were also discovered by previous re-
searchers in Europe (Schumacher, 1918; Hellrigl, 2006; Hansen & Hodkinson, 2006; Stru-
we et al., 2009; Varga et al., 2012; Krasylenko et al., 2023). Of greatest interest, however, are
species whose association with mistletoe was not previously known. In our study, these are
two large groups of species representing the orders Coleoptera and Hymenoptera.
Among the 12 species of beetles reared from V. album, no oligophagous specialists
were found, on the contrary, all of them are polyphagous. The rearing of three mycetopha-
gous beetles such as Lathropus sepicola, Orthocis alni and Rhaphitropis marchica from mis-
tletoe was unexpected. These beetles inhabit the fruiting bodies of saproxylic macromycetes
(Ulyana, 2003; Yunakov et al., 2018), which were not found on V. album. The other seven
species reared on European mistletoe were the primary xylophages. They include Ernopo-
rus tiliae, Exocentrus lusitanus, Leiopus femoratus, Mesosa curculionoides, Oplosia cinerea,
Pogonocherus hispidus and Stenostola ferrea. It is noteworthy that the larvae of these species
are also partially related to wood-inhabiting fungi. Moreover, most of them cannot develop
without the presence of fungal hyphae in the tissues of the host plant. Fungi play a very
important role in the larval development and feeding of adults of many saproxylic insect
species, and even in the evolution of their ability to decompose cellulose (Sasakura et al.,
2022; Shin & Pauchet, 2023). In our study, the only fungal species we found was the para-
sitic fungus S. visci, of which numerous pycnidia were found on V. album specimens. In our
opinion, it is S. visci that ensures the development of fungal-associated mycetophages and
saproxylic beetles on European mistletoe. This suggests a link between the parasitic fungus
S. visci and the beetles reared on V. album in this study.
Varga et al. (2012) discussed that the mechanism of infection of V. album by the para-
sitic fungus S. visci is not fully understood. They suggested that abiotic factors such as
temperature and relative humidity play a significant role in this process. However, our
observations indicate that the most likely mechanism of V. album infection is the transfer
of spores and mycelia of S. visci by the vectors, which are the longhorn beetles (Ceramby-
cidae), fungus weevils (Anthribidae), true weevils (Curculionidae) etc. The most of these
beetles have special internal and external organs for the accumulation, transfer and dis-
tribution of spores and mycelium, called mycangia (Bartnik et al., 2001; Grebennikov &
Leschen, 2010; Sasakura, 2022; Kishigami et al., 2023). Females in typical cases bring fungi
culture during oviposition, which contributes to the formation of both the environment for
the development of larvae and the dispersing of fungi (Kishigami et al., 2023). It is clear that
S. visci spreads by this mechanism.
Sphaeropsis visci is certainly a source of fungal protein for the larvae, and probably also
for the adults of mycetophagous and saproxylic beetles that we found. Thus, we consider
S. visci to be a new, previously unknown food resource for mycetophagous and saproxylic
beetles. For many saproxylic beetles, additional nutrition with the fruiting bodies of various
fungi has been previously recorded (Adlbauer, 2004; Kubátová et al., 2004; Zamoroka &
Kapeliukh, 2016). In particular, Ernoporus tiliae often inhabits linden wood affected by
the parasitic fungus Geosmithia sp. (Kubátová et al., 2004). Adlbauer (2004) reported an
additional feeding of Exocentrus lusitanus on the fruiting bodies of unidentified species of
saproxylic fungi and Mesosa curculionoides on Schizophyllum commune and Pogonocherus
hispidus on Nectria sp. We reared 405 imagines of Leiopus femoratus from mistletoe, whose
additional feeding on fungi remains unknown. However, it was documented feeding of the
444 A. M. Zamoroka, V. Yu. Shparyk, I. Ya. Dovhaniuk & O. O. Varga
imago of the closely related species of Leiopus nebulosus Linnaeus, 1758 on the saproxylic
fungus Diatrype bullata (Hoffm.: Fr.) Tul. (Michalcewicz, 2002). Therefore, we assume that
Leiopus femoratus can also additionally feed on fungi fruiting bodies. It should be empha-
sized that feeding of mentioned Cerambycidae on S. visci fruit bodies parasitising the Eu-
ropean mistletoe has never been directly observed. However, we hypothesize that mistletoe
infected by S. visci attracts adult female Cerambycidae and leads them to oviposit on both,
infected and healthy plants. At the same time, Cerambycidae act as vectors for the spread
of spores and mycelium of S. visci, actively infecting new V. album clumps. It is likely that
a facultative mutualistic relationship exists between Cerambycidae and S. visci. Thus, Cer-
ambycidae mediate the infection of new mistletoe clumps with the fungus. We reared three
species of mycetophagous beetles, 2 of which had not been observed on V. album before.
These include Lathropus sepicola and Orthocis alni. A third species, Rhaphitropis marchica,
was recorded on mistletoe in the study of Schumacher (1918). We reared 333 specimens
of Rhaphitropis marchica from mistletoe samples infected by the fungus Sphaeropsis visci.
Larvae and adults of Rhaphitropis marchica usually feed on saproxylic fungi from the class
Sordariomycetes (Ascomycota) (Yunakov et al., 2018). The association of Rhaphitropis
marchica with S. visci has been never described before. We reared only one specimen each
of Lathropus sepicola and Orthocis alni from mistletoe. Lathropus sepicola feeds on a very
wide range of saproxylic fungi (Ulyana, 2003). Similarly, Orthocis alni is known from many
species of Polyporaceae and Corticiaceae (Ulyana, 2003). However, none of these species
have been previously recorded on Sphaeropsis visci.
Among Viscum-associated insects, a predatory beetle Nemozoma elongatum was
found, which both in the larval and imaginal stages, actively preys on the larvae and eggs of
a wide range of saproxylic beetles (Miłkowski et al., 2019).
Our finding of Longitarsus sp. on mistletoe remains unclear since the larvae develop in the
roots of various grasses, while their pupation occurs in the soil. Probably, the last-stage larva
might be transferred from the soil to the mistletoe by bird vectors. It is noteworthy Lazaro-
Gonzalez et al. (2017) observed nonidentified Alticinae on the European mistletoe in Spain.
Since all the saproxylic beetles we reared from European mistletoe during the study are
polyphagous on deciduous trees, it is natural to ask whether the larvae of these insects mi-
grated secondarily from the tissues of the host plant to the mistletoe stems or whether they
developed exclusively in the mistletoe stems. In order to clarify this question, we have made
a series of longitudinal sections of the mistletoe stems (fig. 1, D–D1) and of the branches
of the host plants at their junctions (fig. 1, A–C, A1–C1). As can be seen from the sections,
mistletoe stems contain mainly small-diameter galleries (fig. 1, D–D1) of small species
(e. g. Rhaphitropis marchica, Ernoporus tiliae, Exocentrus lusitanus, Leiopus femoratus, Po-
gonocherus hispidus). At the same time, large-diameter galleries extend from the mistletoe
stems into the tumour on the branch of the host plant (fig. 1, B–B1, C–C1). Such galleries
are found in relatively large species such as Mesosa curculionoides, Oplosia cinerea, Stenos-
tola ferrea. Thus, many species can develop exclusively in the stems of V. album without
any contact with the tissues of the host plant. Such a result is very important in view of the
current problem in the ecological literature of the spread of broadleaf-associated saproxylic
beetles into coniferous forests (Hellrigl, 2006; Lazaro-Gonzalez et al., 2017). In this study,
we did not use samples of V. album parasitising on coniferous trees. However, our results
provide a starting point for understanding how to solve this ecological problem.
The complex of hymenopteran parasitoids associated with V. album includes several
families of Chalcidoidea, Ichneumonoidea and Platygastroidea. On the basis of their life
strategy, parasitoids can usually be divided into two broad categories — idiobionts, which
445Insects Associated with the European Mistletoe (Viscum album) in Western Part of Ukraine: a Pilot Study
kill or permanently paralyse their hosts at the time of oviposition, and koinobionts, which
allow their hosts to continue developing after the attack (Askew & Shaw, 1986). Parasitoid
wasp species differ in which host life stage they attack — eggs, larvae, pupae or adults. They
mainly follow one of two main strategies of parasitism: either they are endoparasitic, de-
veloping inside the host, or ectoparasitic, developing outside the host. The hymenopteran
parasitoid complex associated with Viscum album can be formally divided into two groups:
1) wood borer parasitoids and 2) parasitoids of other insects.
Parasitoids of wood-borers. The species of Braconidae, Eurytomidae, Eupelmidae, Ich-
neumonidae and Pteromalidae are included in this group. The ichneumonoid wasp families
Braconidae and Ichneumonidae include numerous genera of parasitoids of saproxylic bee-
Fig. 1. Longitudinal section through the tissues of the host tree (Tilia cordata) and European mistletoe (Viscum
album): A–A1 — section through intact tissues of mistletoe and host tree; B–B1, CC1 — section through infest-
ed by xylophagous insects’ tissues of mistletoe and host tree; D–D1 — section through infested by xylophagous
insects’ mistletoe tissue. A–D — sections in the original colors, A1–D1 — sections in the false colors. Labels:
a (red) — xylophagous insects’ galleries; b (pink) — wood of the host tree; c (orange) — bark and phloem of
the host tree; d (yellow) — mistletoe wood; e (green) — bark and phloem of mistletoe; f (grey) — the external
surface of plants.
446 A. M. Zamoroka, V. Yu. Shparyk, I. Ya. Dovhaniuk & O. O. Varga
tles, four of which have been associated with Viscum logs. Dolichomitus agnoscendus belongs
to the ichneumonid subfamily Pimplinae. The species of the genus are idiobiont ectopara-
sitoids of wood-boring beetles, mainly Cerambycidae (Varga, 2012; 2014). Dolichomitus ag-
noscendus is reported as a parasitoid of Pogonocherus hispidulus (Aubert, 1969). Neverthe-
less, the other reared large-bodied beetle species, Exocentrus lusitanus, Leiopus femoratus,
Mesosa curculionides, Oplosia cinerea, Stenostola ferrea, are believed to be hosts of the cur-
rent Dolichomitus species as well. The hymenopteran complex of parasitoids of the above
cerambycid species includes also Braconidae species of the subfamilies Braconinae and Do-
ryctinae. The Braconinae species of the genus Cyanopterus, reported as ectoparasitoid of
cerambycid larvae (Tobias, 1978) were reared from V. album stems during this study. Simi-
larly, most of the Doryctinae genera contain mainly idiobiont ectoparasitoids of different
saproxylic beetles’ larvae, especially subcortical species. Thus, the member of the unidenti-
fied Doryctinae genus and Spathius species are believed to parasitise some of the cerambycid
larvae found during the study as well as curculionoid species, Ernoporus tiliae. Ernoporus
tiliae larvae are probably hosts also for Eupelmidae species. Eupelmus pini is reported as
idiobiont ectoparasitoid of bark beetles’ larvae (Gary & Gibson, 2011), while Eusandalum
inerme — as parasitoid of Ernobius spp. (Bouček, 1967). Among recorded pteromalid wasps
there is at least one species, Platygerrhus affinis, which is known as the primary parasitoid
of wood-boring Coleoptera, mainly Stenostola ferrea and Ernoporus tiliae (Mitroiu, 2005).
The biology of Aggelma species is unknown, but it was reared from Pinus nigra twigs in-
fested by Magdalis spp. (Curculionidae), Anthaxia quadripunctata (Buprestidae), Pityoph-
torus glabratus, Pityogenes sp. (Scolytidae) and Ernobius mollis (Anobiidae) in Romania by
Mitroiu et al. (2007). Thus, we suppose that our specimens might be parasitoids of Ernobius
tiliae reared from V. album. Another pteromalid parasitoid species, Trigonoderus princeps, is
known as a solitary ectoparasitoid of different cerambycid larvae as well as birch bark beetle,
Scolytus ratzeburgi (Hérard et al., 2005). The chalcidoid species of the family Eurytomidae,
Eurytoma tilicola, is known as the ectoparasitoid of Stenostola ferrea larvae (Zerova, 2009).
The braconid species of the subfamily Brachistinae, chiefly of the genus Eubazus, are
koinobiont endoparasitoids of predominantly Curculionidae larvae. At least part of the
species lay their eggs in eggs of the host or very young larvae and develop internally when
the larva is full-grown and has a final ectoparasitic phase (ovo-larval parasitoid) (Alauzet,
1987). It is possible that Eubazus species attack hosts from the other Curculionoidea fami-
lies with similar biology, e.g., those living in a dead wood. It is likely that Rhaphitropis
marchica is a possible host of Eubazus parasitoids reared during this study. The species of
the pteromalid genus Anisopteromalus are known as parasitoids of various stored-product
pests, e. g., Stegobium paniceum (Baur et al., 2014). The latter beetle species can also destroy
wooden furniture. Thus, it might be assumed that the reared Anosopteromalus species in-
fested small beetles with similar biology, e. g., Ernoporus tiliae in our study.
Parasitoids of other insects. Most of Eulophidae species of the genus Aprostocetus are
parasitic, though phytophagy is known in some cases. Species of the genus are external
egg parasitoids of Hemiptera, Lepidoptera, Orthoptera, Odonata, and Coleoptera (Gra-
ham, 1987). Nevertheless, at least one species, Aprostocetus anoplophorae was found to be
a gregarious egg parasitoid of some cerambycids (Hérard et al., 2005). Thus, it is difficult
to state clearly, are our reared specimens associated with hosts on leaves or saproxylic ones.
The Eulophidae genus Sympiesis contains ectoparasitoids of leafrollers larvae (Lepidop-
tera) (Yefremova, 1997). Similarly, the microlepidopterans are also hosts for ichneumonid
species of the tribe Phaeogenini, which are endoparasitoids (Siytan, 1977). Most Synopeas
species (Platygastridae) are solitary koinobiont endoparasitoids ovipositing inside the eggs
447Insects Associated with the European Mistletoe (Viscum album) in Western Part of Ukraine: a Pilot Study
or newly hatched larvae of gall midges (Diptera, Cecidomyiidae) (Abram et al., 2012). We
recorded one ichneumonid species from the subfamily Cryptinae. Unfortunately, the iden-
tification even to genera level, especially males (in our case) is difficult and almost impossi-
ble even for Ichneumonidae experts without experience in studying the subfamily. Thus, it
is difficult to suppose the host association for our specimen. Cryptines are mostly ectopara-
sitoids of different insect pupae (Jonaitis, 1981).
The rearing of the gall wasp from the cynipoid genus Phanacis was one of the most
unexpected findings during the study. All species of this relatively small Palaearctic genus,
with a few exceptions, are associated mainly with Asteraceae, forming small cell-like galls
hidden in the plant without any visible external deformation of its stem (Melika, 2006). We
have reared only one specimen of Phanacis and it remains entirely unknown whether it is
actually associated with mistletoe or whether our finding is occasional.
Next, our finding of two aphidophagous Syrphidae (Diptera) species — Scaeva pyrastri
and Syrphus vitripennis — on V. album is novel, but not unexpected. Mistletoe is a food
plant for several species of aphids (Schumacher, 1918; Hellrigl, 2006; Varga et al., 2012),
which are a food source for the mentioned Syrphidae. It should be noted that S. pyrastri and
S. vitripennis are considered to be inhabitants of trees, bushes and shrubs (Speight, 2020).
Hypothetically, there are two ways of getting hoverflies larvae on mistletoe: 1) Syrphidae
larvae feed and develop on the host plant and accidentally migrate to pupate on mistletoe;
2) syrphids indeed associated with the trophic web of mistletoe. However, it is obvious that
their stratigraphic distribution in ecosystems remains underestimated. We assume that
other aphidophages might also inhabit mistletoe infested with aphid colonies, and their
diversity should be much higher.
Finally, our unexpected find was a species of a solitary bee Hylaeus confusus (Hyme-
noptera Colletidae), reared from V. album. The feeding of H. confusus on mistletoe is un-
known, and it might be a pollinator and/or feed on the nectar from mistletoe flowers. In
our study, Hylaeus confusus might use cerambycids galleries for nest building and breeding
and the interaction between H. confusus and V. album is probably only topical.
In conclusion, our study shows a significant underestimation of the insect diversity as-
sociated with European mistletoe. This is due to a number of key factors. Firstly, the limited
number of studies focusing on insects. Second, the different methods used in the studies.
Thirdly, the difficulty in identifying separate groups of insects. In our study, we showed
that over 77 % of the identified insects associated with European mistletoe were previ-
ously unknown. In addition, all the mycetophagous and saproxylic beetles we identified
are broadly polyphagous, so there is a very high probability that other species from these
ecological groups will be recorded in future studies. Next, the diversity of mycetophagous
and saproxylic beetles determines the diversity of their associated parasitic wasps. An im-
portant part of future studies will be to compare insect communities associated with Euro-
pean mistletoe from different biomes in Europe and from different host plants, especially
conifers. Of particular interest is the comparison of insect communities associated with Eu-
ropean mistletoe and other parasitic Santalales species of Europe, especially yellow-berry
mistletoe (Loranthus europeus Jacq.).
Acknowledgments
We are very grateful to Maryna D. Zerova, Alex Gumovsky (Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology, Ukraine),
George Melika (University of Barcelona, Spain), Ovidiu Popovici, Lucian Fusu and Mircea Mitroiu (Alexan-
dru Ioan Cuza University, Romania) for their help in identifying some hymenopteran specimens; and to two
anonymous reviewers for their constructive and helpful comments.
448 A. M. Zamoroka, V. Yu. Shparyk, I. Ya. Dovhaniuk & O. O. Varga
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Received 25 February 2023
Accepted 5 September 2023
|
| id | oai:ojs.akademperiodyka.org.ua:article-468 |
| institution | Zoodiversity |
| issn | 2707-7268 |
| keywords_txt_mv | |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-08-21T01:01:33Z |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publisher | Publishing House "Akademperiodyka" of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine |
| record_format | ojs |
| resource_txt_mv | ojsakademperiodykaorgua/f3/1001318688b0072aea106663514d45f3.pdf |
| spelling | oai:ojs.akademperiodyka.org.ua:article-4682026-08-20T12:37:11Z Insects Associated with the European Mistletoe (Viscum album) in Western Ukraine: a Pilot Study Zamoroka, A. M. Shparyk, V. Yu. Dovhaniuk, I. Ya. Varga, O. O. Viscum album insects saproxylic beetles parasitoids aphidophagous Diptera invasive species insect-plant interaction parasitism mutualism The first insect-targeted study of the European mistletoe, Viscum album L., was conducted in Ukraine. In total, 35 species of insects reared from mistletoe were identified to belong to 5 orders, 20 families and 34 genera. Twenty-seven identified species were reared from mistletoe for the first time, including 17 species of Hymenoptera, 8 species of Coleoptera and 2 species of Diptera. Our results revealed significant gaps in knowledge about insects associated with mistletoe. This is appeared in the fact that more than 77 % of the insects we reared have never been detected on mistletoe before. It is obviously that 70 % to 90 % of the insects associated with mistletoe remain unknown. We also found a highly probable tripartite link between the European mistletoe, parasitic fungus Sphaeropsis visci and the saproxylic and mycetophagous Coleoptera. The in[1]teraction of Coleoptera with S. visci is facultatively mutualistic, and beetles act as vectors to spread spores and mycelium among mistletoes. In addition, we found the mass breading of invasive species Leiopus femoratus on V. album. Hence, V. album might play a crucial role in the mass and rapid invasion of L. femoratus in Europe. Publishing House "Akademperiodyka" of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine 2023-10-09 Article Article application/pdf https://ojs.akademperiodyka.org.ua/index.php/Zoodiversity/article/view/468 10.15407/zoo2023.05.433 Zoodiversity; Vol. 57 No. 5 (2023): Zoodiversity Zoodiversity (Vestnik Zoologii); Том 57 № 5 (2023): Zoodiversity 2707-7268 2707-725X 10.15407/zoo2023.05 en https://ojs.akademperiodyka.org.ua/index.php/Zoodiversity/article/view/468/233 Copyright (c) 2023 Viktor Shparyk |
| spellingShingle | Zamoroka, A. M. Shparyk, V. Yu. Dovhaniuk, I. Ya. Varga, O. O. Insects Associated with the European Mistletoe (Viscum album) in Western Ukraine: a Pilot Study |
| title | Insects Associated with the European Mistletoe (Viscum album) in Western Ukraine: a Pilot Study |
| title_full | Insects Associated with the European Mistletoe (Viscum album) in Western Ukraine: a Pilot Study |
| title_fullStr | Insects Associated with the European Mistletoe (Viscum album) in Western Ukraine: a Pilot Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Insects Associated with the European Mistletoe (Viscum album) in Western Ukraine: a Pilot Study |
| title_short | Insects Associated with the European Mistletoe (Viscum album) in Western Ukraine: a Pilot Study |
| title_sort | insects associated with the european mistletoe (viscum album) in western ukraine: a pilot study |
| topic_facet | Viscum album insects saproxylic beetles parasitoids aphidophagous Diptera invasive species insect-plant interaction parasitism mutualism |
| url | https://ojs.akademperiodyka.org.ua/index.php/Zoodiversity/article/view/468 |
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