Wioletta Wawer

Polish Academy of Sciences | PAN · Museum and Institute of Zoology

During recent decades, the wasp spider, Argiope bruennichi (Scopoli, 1772), has expanded relatively quickly towards north Europe. As a consequence of its spreading, it is newly exposed to various factors of selection. We studied the impact of egg sac parasitoids on the mortality of A. bruennichi in three regions differing in climate conditions and...

Pediobius brachycerus (Thomson, 1878), a hyperparasitoid of spider egg sacs, is reported from Poland with abundant distribution data. It has been mostly noted from wet and open habitats. Clubiona stagnatilis Kulczyński, 1897 and Argiope bruennichi (Scopoli, 1772) are recorded as its primary hosts, the former species for the first time. The host ass...

The article presents the profile and scientific achievements of the Polish entomologist - orthopterologist Anna Liana, who dealt with the systematics, biology, ecology and bionomics of orthopterans and related groups of insects as well as physiography and the issues of nature conservation. A list of publications and a list of described taxa are att...

Type specimens representing the spider family Linyphiidae from the Władysław Kulczyński Linyphiidae Araneae collection are catalogued for the first time. Notes on the history of the entire spider collection of the Museum and Institute of Zoology (Warsaw, Poland) are provided. A total of 347 specimens belonging to 57 species and 2 subspecies from Eu...

The history of the collection of contemporary animals of the Museum and Institute of Zoology PAS dates back to the second half of the 18th century. The oldest specimens come from the collection of Sylwiusz Münkwitz, which became the foundation of the assemblage of the Zoological Cabinet of the University of Warsaw (1818-1919). During the hundred...

Expanding range is an inherent feature of any species and may be caused by climate change, destruction or other change of habitat, or lack of natural enemies. In a new habitat the species may be neutral, or as predator it can displace related species through competition. A strong expansion to northern Europe was observed in the thermophilous spider...

A dozen specimens of Eumodicogryllus bordigalensis were found in three localities in Poland as well more than thirty foreign specimens of the species collected in southern Europe, the Caucasus and Mongolia. They are deposited in the collection of the Museum of Zoology PAS. The adult specimens were studied in detail and measured. The indigenous spec...

Recent decades have witnessed an intensified expansion of thermophilic organisms from southern into northern Europe. Argiope bruennichi, an orb-weaver spider species, is extending its range relatively fast and gradually becoming a common species in Europe. The aim of this study was to investigate how this relatively newly-come taxon is affecting an...

Urbanised areas are capable of exerting a strong impact on the distribution of genetic diversity within populations of animals. Urban invertebrate species are currently either relicts from pre-urban ecosystems, or have immigrated during or following urbanisation. We analysed 10 microsatellite loci in 196 specimens of the harlequin ladybird (Harmoni...

Global warming and intensive transport favor the spreading of species. In 2015, three theridiid spider species were found in Poland for the first time: Kochiura aulica, Latrodectus geometricus and Theridion melanostictum. Kochiura auilica was transported in pomegranates from Turkey and T. melanostictum in pomegranates from Chile. One female of Latr...

The wasp spider Argiope bruennichi (Scopoli, 1772) is of Mediterranean-Pontian origin, but for decades it has been expanding northwards, including into the territory of Poland. Based on well-documented expansion records, we can distinguish "old" (south-eastern and south-western) and "new" populations (north-eastern), respectively, from the 1930s to...

Spider database just finished!

Currently the wasp spider is distributed over the whole territory of Poland and it has become a very common species. Data regarding the occurrence of A. bruennichi in the mountains are still scarce. This paper summarizes previously published reports and presents new sites of Argiope bruennichi in the Beskids Mountains.

The aim of the study was to investigate density and habitat preferences of Argiope bruennichi in various types of low vegetation communities in Kampinos National Park. In 10 plant communities, which considerably differed in the plants species composition and the humidity, the following density of A. bruennich females per 25 m2 was found: Molinion c...