Materiały do poznania rozmieszczenia Scarabaeoidea (Coleoptera) Polski. Część 1. Lucanidae / Contributions to the knowledge Scarabaeoidea (Coleoptera) in Poland. Part 1. Lucanidae

Data on the occurrence of six species from the family Lucanidae in various regions of Poland have been presented. The data derived from field studies and observations conducted over the past 40 years have been supplemented with historical materials from the author's collection. The paper presents previously unpublished data on the occurrence of six species from the family Lucanidae in Poland. These findings complement the information contained in the „Catalogue of the Fauna of Poland” (BURAKOWSKI et al. 1983) as well as in the author’s earlier publications (BUNALSKI 2006, 2019; BUNALSKI & PRZEWOŹNY 2008). Most Lucanidae species are currently rarely observed in Poland, which is likely due to their generally low activity and environmental changes that have taken place over the past few decades.The most frequently observed species in the northern and central regions is Dorcus parallelipipedus (PANZ.), which inhabits various types of forests containing dead or decaying deciduous trees. The least observed species in the same areas is Aesalus scarabaeoides scarabaeoides (PANZ.), which is more typical of southern Poland. It is worth noting that the long-term monitoring of Lucanus cervus (L.) indicates the persistence of only scattered populations of this species in Poland. The greatest threats to these populations are changes in the age and species structure of forest stands as well as excessive shading of larval habitats at several sites.