Voucher specimens

[Pierre Zagatti]

P. Stadel Nielsen wrote:
> <cut>
> The large beetle Osmoderma eremita had one
> of its largest know colonies in a row of old lime (Tilia) trees where
> the larvae lived in hollow parts of the trunks. The trees were owned
> by an estate and as they didn't want the trees they just cut them
> down. The content containing hundreds of larvae of this and other rare
> species were fed to the chickens and the remaining wood was cut to
> firewood. The collector (at the Museum in Copenhagen) who heard about
> this, had to get a permission to secure specimens from this now
> extinct population, but the owner could destroy the trees completely
> free and legally. Even when asked to intervene to at least save some
> of the trees, Danish authorities couldn't do anything as there were/is
> no legislation to prevent such disasters (private property). Instead
> they were very keen to ensure that the collector had a permission to
> pick some of the beetles.

Last year, the discovery of a new population of Osmoderma in a forest
in Val de Loire led the authorities to stop the construction of a
new motorway. The main reason was the mediatic campaign, with titles
like: Beetles against cars....

Nevertheless, I think that these _dendropoikilobiont_ species will
disappear soon. They live only in VERY old trees (200 years) and
their isolated populations usually reach 100 individuals for 3
suitable hollow trees only !

--
Pierre Zagatti
INRA Phytopharmacie et Mediateurs Chimiques
78026 Versailles Cedex
France
zagatti at versailles.inra.fr
http://www.jouy.inra.fr/papillon/