lncurvariidae and Prodoxidae (Lepidoptera) from Siberia and the Russian Far East, with descriptions of two new species

The Incurvariidae and Prodoxidae of eastern Russia total 19 species in eight genera. Phylloporia bistrigella (Haworth), now reported from Yukon, is tentatively included in the list, although it has not yet been discovered in the Eastern Palaearctic. Four species previously known only from Europe, lncurvaria vetulella (Zetterstedt), I. circulella (Zetterstedt), Lampronia luzella (Hubner), and L. provectella (Heyden) are reported from Siberia; lncurvaria kivatshella Kutenkova is synonymized with I. vetulella. Lampronia sakhalinella sp. n. is described from Sakhalin. L. altaica Zagulajev is reported from North Korea; the female postabdomen and genitalia of this species are described and figured. The genus Greya Busck, previously known only from North America, is reported from the Palaearctic, with G. variabilis Davis & Pellmyr and G. kononenkoi sp. n. recorded from the Chukchi Peninsula, and G. marginimaculata (Issiki) comb. n. originally described from Japan is expected from the Russian Far East. Among the nine species not known from Europe, one species is reported from Altai only; two show a Beringian distribution; six species are associated with the southern areas of the Far East and Japan, and one is distributed from the Irkutsk region to Sakhalin and Primorye

Lepidoptera of Terskij seashore of the Kola Peninsula, Northwestern Russia

The fauna of moths and butterflies of the Western part of the Kola Peninsula is reasonably well documented, while data from Eastern part are scarce, and only five species have so far been recorded from the White Sea shore between Kuzomen and Ponoi. Here we report the results of sampling conducted on June 29–July 2, 2004, in 14 sites along a 150 km stretch between Kuzomen and Pulonga. Among 146 collected species of Lepidoptera, 12 are recorded for the first time from the Kola Peninsula, which increased the regional fauna to 688 species. For Udea nebulalis, which is for the first time reported from Russia, we provide additional records from Karelia

Lepidoptera of tundra habitats of the northern Kola Peninsula, Northwestern Russia

Sampling of 10 sites in 1994–2006 along roads connecting Murmansk with Teriberka and Dalniye Zelentsy yielded 140 species of moths and butterflies. Epinotia immundana and Ortholepis vacciniella are recorded for the first time from the Kola Peninsula, which increased the regional fauna to 690 species. Although some arcto-alpine species have been collected (in particular Sparganothis praecana, Catastia kistrandella, Euphydryas iduna, Glacies coracina), the fauna was clearly dominated by species typical for the forested habitats of the central part of the Kola Peninsula. This result suggests that the ‘routine’ sampling in north-eastern tundra between Murmansk and Ponoj might not be as important in terms of biogeography as it has been expected. Instead, new collecting trips should be oriented to areas with special vegetation, primarily limestone or sandy areas which are more likely to support more eastern and/or arctic species

Distribution records of aphids (Hemiptera: Phylloxeroidea, Aphidoidea) associated with main forest-forming trees in Northern Europe

We report records of 25 species of aphids collected from four species of woody plants (Pinus sylvestris, Picea abies, Betula pubescens and B. pendula) at 50 study sites in Northern Europe, located from 59° to 70° N and from 10° to 60° E. Critical evaluation of earlier publications demonstrated that in spite of the obvious limitations of our survey, the obtained information substantially contributed to the knowledge of the distribution of aphids in North European Russia, including Murmansk oblast (103 species recorded to date), Republic of Karelia (58 species), Arkhangelsk oblast (37 species), Vologda oblast (17 species) and Republic of Komi (29 species). We confirm the occurrence of Cinara nigritergi in Southern Karelia; Pineus cembrae, Cinara pilosa and Monaphis antennata are for the first time recorded in Norway

Population densities and diversity of Calliphoridae (Diptera) around a nickel-copper smelter at Monchegorsk, Northwestern Russia

In the summer of 2000, we collected blowflies (Calliphoridae) in ten sites around the Severonikel smelter on the Kola Peninsula. Meat-baited funnel traps (three per site), operated from June 10 to August 30, yielding 973 specimens of ten blowfly species; eight species are reported from the Kola Peninsula for the first time. The maximum catch (495 individuals), obtained at the site located 1 km from the smelter, was due to the synanthropic preferences of the two most common species, Protophormia terraenovae and Cynomya mortuorum. Neither total abundance nor diversity of blowflies attracted by meat baits changed along the pollution gradient

Stinging wasps, ants and bees (Hymenoptera: Aculeata) of the Murmansk region, Northwest Russia

A total of 123 species of aculeate Hymenoptera are reported from the Murmansk region based on museum collections, unpublished datasets and previously published records. Collection localities are provided for each species. Erroneous or doubtful records of additional 19 species are discussed. Noteworthy findings include e.g. Ammophila campestris, Bombus consobrinus, B. hyperboreus, Crabro maeklini, Dipogon vechti, Formica suecica, Gorytes neglectus, Osmia cf. disjuncta and O. maritima. The species Ammophila campestris, Bombus veteranus, Crossocerus varus, Formica polyctena, Lindenius albilabris, Megachile analis and Osmia cf. disjuncta have their northernmost known localities in the Murmansk region. We estimate that approximately 100 additional aculeate species could still be found from the area