Aplidia transversa transversa (Fabricius, 1801) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) – nowy gatunek chrząszcza w faunie Polski / Aplidia transversa transversa (Fabricius, 1801) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) – new species in the Polish fauna

The paper presents information on the occurence of Aplidia transversa transversa (FABRICIUS, 1801) in Poland. Over 30 individuals of this species were caught in Słubice on the Oder River (SW Poland), representing the first recorded locality of this species in Poland. A key to the identification of genera within the subfamily Melolonthinae occurring in Poland is provided. Aplidia transversa transversa (F.) is a species originally distributed in southeastern and central Europe, as well as western Turkey (BARAUD 1988). At the beginning of the 21st century, the species began to spread westward, and by the second decade, it had already been observed in southeastern France (SOLDATI & al. 2016, LAMBERT & al. 2018) and Switzerland (COSANDEY & al. 2017). However, the discovery of A. transversa near Berlin (ESSER and TAINDA 2022) was quite unexpected. These observations indicated the emergence of a large, albeit highly isolated, population well north of the species' natural range. In this context, the discovery of a large population in 2025 in Słubice on the Oder River (SW Poland) appears to confirm the trend of the species' northward expansion. Whether this occurs naturally or through subsequent introductions is a separate question. The authors of the previously cited study (ESSER and TAINDA op. cit.) suggest that the species may have been introduced to the Berlin area via gardening soil or planting material. In the case of Słubice, this may have occured during the transport of soil and stones used to modernization of flood embankments in the early 2020s. The beetles spend the day on the branches of trees and shrubs and in plant clumps (BARAUD 1988). After dusk, they exhibit behaviour similar to that of Amphimallon solstitiale (L.), flying near plants without feeding on their leaves. In the Berlin area, the beetles appear around June 20th and fly until early July. In Słubice, the appearance began two weeks later and lasted until the last third of July.