On Deraeocoris lutescens (Schilling) and Pinalitus atomarius (Meyer-Dür) in Sweden (Heteroptera: Miridae)

Deraeocoris lutescens (Schilling) and Pinalitus atomarius (Meyer-Dür) are recently recorded as new to Sweden from the Stockholm area, even though both have previously been mistakingly listed from Sweden in the World catalogue of Miridae by Schuh (1995). The predatory species D. lutescens, first caught in 1990, is evidently a newcomer and a southern immigrant to the Swedish fauna, currently occurring commonly on its preferred host trees in city parks and suburban areas of Stockholm. P. atomarius, a phytophagous species associated with conifers, was collected, locally in large numbers, on silver fir, Abies alba. The latter, recognized here as the primary host-plant of P. atomarius, is not native to Sweden or neighbouring countries, but planted for ornamental purposes. Biological and distributional data on the two species are summarized and notes on their taxonomy and current classification are given. Literature records indicate a recent, northward expansion of some more southerly species of Heteroptera, mainly several arboreal Miridae, noted also in other parts of Western Europe

The scuttle fly (Diptera: Phoridae) assemblages of a wildfire-affected hemiboreal old-growth forest in Tyresta (Sweden)

In natural forests, fire is an important disturbance factor and many studies have been carried out concerning its effect on different ecosystems, but no studies have previously been done considering the scuttle flies in hemiboreal forests. Here, we carried out an ecological investigation of the scuttle fly assemblage in a hemiboreal old-growth forest in Tyresta National Park and Nature Reserve (Sweden) from material collected, using Malaise traps, after wildfires in 1997 and 1999. We evaluated abundances of species, dominance structure, species richness (by non-parametric species richness method — Chao 1) as well as phenology. The most abundant species of the dominant group (i.e. Megaselia pleuralis, M. nigriceps, M pulicaria-complex and M. brevicostalis) are multivoltine and saprophagous, displaying spring and late summer/autumn activity