REPRESENTATIVES OF THE SUPERFAMILIES VESPOIDEA, APOIDEA (SPHECIFORMES) AND CHRYSIDOIDEA IN THE COLLECTION OF THE ZOOLOGICAL MUSEUM OF IVAN FRANKO NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF LVIV

Abstract

Background. This paper presents analysis of a collection of wasps (Vespoidea, Apoidea (Spheciformes) and Chrysidoidea) housed in the Zoological Museum of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. The collection includes 779 specimens of wasps which belong to 70 species and 32 genera. The collection is represented by specimens collected from 1966 and 1972 to the present. Most of the specimens were collected in Ukraine, eight specimens were collected in the United States of America (2012), Germany (2005), Latvia (2005), Lithuania (2005), Italy (2012) and Egypt (2005).
The aim of the study is to analyze the biodiversity and distribution of wasp species on the territory of Western Ukraine and some other regions of Ukraine and to prepare the preliminary list of the wasp species of this region, based on entomological collections.
Material and Methods. The object of our research was the collection of wasps (Vespoidea, Apoidea (Spheciformes) and Chrysidoidea). Wasps were collected by the museum and zoology department staff, students, amateur naturalists and mostly by the first author of this study. Insects were identified using binocular stereoscopic microscope Bresser Advance ICD 10x-160x and specialized keys.
Results. We analyzed 779 specimens of wasps which belong to 70 species, seven families (Vespidae, Pompilidae, Scoliidae, Tiphidae, Sphecidae, Crabronidae and Chrysididae) and 32 genera (Ammophila, Ancistrocerus, Anoplius, Argogorytes, Bembecinus, Bembix, Cerceris, Chrysis, Dolichovespula, Ectemnius, Eumenes, Gorytes, Lestica, Lindenius, Oxybelus, Palarus, Parnopes, Pemphredon, Philanthus, Priocnemis, Polistes, Psenulus, Sceliphron, Scolia, Tiphia, Vespa and Vespula). The publication provides a list of species stored in the Zoological Museum and their analysis by region and years of collection.
Conclusions. The collection of the Zoological Museum of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv presents specimens of wasp species from 15 regions of Ukraine and six other countries. The largest number of specimens (716) was collected on the territory of Western Ukraine. Among all analyzed specimens, one species is invasive for the territory of Europe – Sceliphron curvatum. Such studies allow us to compile a preliminary list of wasp species on the territory of Western Ukraine for the first time.