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Distribution and abundance of Agriotes ustulatus in three regions in Croatia

Wireworms are a major polyphagous pests in arable cropland in Croatia. The most important and numerous ones belong to the genus Agriotes. The species include A. lineatus L., A. sputator L., A. obscurus L. i A. brevis Cand. and A. ustulatus Schall, which is the most important one. According to literature, the species A. ustulatus Schall. is dominant in eastern region of Croatia, while A. lineatus L. is dominant in western region. Investigations recently conducted indicated some changes in the distribution and abundance of these species. The study’ s aim was to determine the distribution and abundance of A. ustulatus in three different regions of the country (eastern, middle and western regions) in 2007 and 2008 based on crop type and climatic conditions. In order to determine the adult abundance, individual YALTOR funnel traps were baited with synthetic sex pheromones. The monitoring period started at the end of May and lasted until September. Specimens were collected weekly. Dominance was calculated by Balogh´s formula. For each region, the climatic data, which included average monthly temperatures and total amount of rainfall, were collected. In dry and hot 2007, the dominance index in the eastern region was 81.93%, 80.28% in the middle region and 55.87% in the western region. In the more humid and cooler 2008, the dominance index was lower for all localities when compared to 2007. In the eastern region it was 54.89%, 53.36% in the middle region and 39.34% in the western region. Based on this study, the dominance of A.ustulatus has increased in the western region and now is the most dominant species in all regions.

abundance; Agriotes ustulatus; distribution; Croatia

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