Wouter Dekoninck

Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences · Scientific Service Heritage, Department Entomology

'Carabidologists do it all' (Niemelä 1996a) is a phrase with which most European carabidologists are familiar. Indeed, during the last half a century, professional and amateur entomologists have contributed enormously to our understanding of the basic biology of carabid beetles. The success of the field is in no small part due to regular European C...

Mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) distribution data from a recent inventory of native and invading mosquito species in Belgium were compared with historical data from the period 1900-1960 that were retrieved from a revision of the Belgian Culicidae collection at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences. Both data sets were used to investigate tr...

The myrmecophilous isopod Platyarthrus hoffmannseggii Brandt, 1833 and the myrmecophilous springtail Cyphoderus albinus Nicolet, 1842 are commonly found in nests of a wide range of ant species in Belgium. Here we report the first record of both myrmecophiles in nests of the invasive garden ant Lasius neglectus in the Citadelpark of Ghent, Belgium....

We aimed to assess the distribution and trends in abundance and rooting elevation in relation to substrate type (soft sediment/riprap) for three Schoenoplectus club-rush species in the Zeeschelde estuary (Belgium). Surveys took place in 1995, 2003 and 2013, following dike fortifications for the SIGMA flood control plan. Compared to 1995 club-rush t...

Urbanization has been identified as a significant anthropogenic factor in the decline of macroinvertebrate populations in terms of abundance, biomass, and species richness over the past few decades. Green roofs are commonly promoted as means of mitigating the negative impacts of urbanization. In this study we investigated twenty green roofs in the...

In this paper, we discuss all Hymenoptera (10,085 specimens) captured on several urban green roofs in Belgium during 2020 and 2021. Our research aims to establish connections between species’ ecology and the specific habitat of extensive green roofs. Based on our findings, we propose potential life communities that can thrive in these habitats. Not...

Bees are vital to both ecosystems and humans worldwide; supplying a range of key support facilities for the successful breeding of the majority of flowering plants. The aim of this study was to assess the bee species composition in a Sudano‐Guinean savanna zone and determining the impact of a set of environmental parameters influencing this species...

The European biodiversity and forest strategies rely on forest sustainable management (SFM) to conserve forest biodiversity. However, current sustainability assessments hardly account for direct biodiversity indicators. We focused on forest multi-taxon biodiversity to: i) gather and map the existing information; ii) identify knowledge and research...

In the tropical forest‐savannah mosaic of Lamto Reserve in Ivory Coast ants play an important role in the biodiversity conservation. This work aimed to explore the structure and composition of the arboreal ant assemblages in a forest‐savannah mosaic located in central Côte d'Ivoire. Ants were collected by baited trap (Protein bait: tuna and sugar b...

Semi‐natural grasslands in Western Europe are degrading and declining. Their plant species diversity and associated fauna, such as arthropods, are decreasing fast making restoration crucial. Carabid beetles are an essential link in ecosystem functioning (e.g., through herbivory and predation) and provide important ecosystem services (e.g., pest con...

In the Botanic Garden Jean Massart in Auderghem (Brussels, Belgium), mosquitoes were collected with Malaise traps (2016-2017). These mosquitoes were stored in 70% ethanol and sorted out for morphological identification. Due to the long-term ethanol storage in Malaise trap, species-specific characters like scales may be lost, hindering morphological...

The Galápagos ant fauna has long been understudied, with the last taxonomic summary being published almost a century ago. Here, we provide a comprehensive and updated overview of the known ant species of the Galápagos Islands with updated species distributions. The list is based on an extensive review of literature, the identification of more than...

Abstract Ants are known to contribute to the physical and chemical improvement of the soil. In this context, the hypothesis put forward is that ants improve the nitrogen (N) supplementation necessary to ensure the high primary production measured in the Lamto savannah. Recent investigations in the humid savannah ecosystem showed that ant nests’ ass...

In the context of global insect decline, the urbanisation process plays a key role. However, urban pavements, which are considered to be impervious to biodiversity, can harbour ground-nesting insects under certain conditions. Recent observations have revealed the presence of Formicidae nests under urban pavements. The aim of this work is to determi...

Few studies explored effects of chemical fertilizers on diversity and abundance of soillitter arthropods in the tropics. To fill this gap, a study focussed on the abundance of soil-litter arthropods and selected soil physicochemical properties in coffee plantations treated with chemical fertilizers and in plantations of coffee and banana treated wi...

From 2019 until 2021, we investigated extensive green roofs in Flanders (Belgium) for their arthropod communities. On two different roofs we found, amongst the collected specimens, a species new for the Belgian ant fauna: Hypoponera eduardi (Forel, 1894). The presence of multiple worker ants belonging to this species indicates that it has formed a...

We provide records of the rarely detected ant-associated spider Mastigusa arietina (Thorell, 1871) in northwest Belgium and discuss how to locate and capture this spider. We show that this myrmecophilous spider is much more common than currently presumed but it is often missed in common spider surveys due to its obligate association with ant nests....

In this note the status of the burying beetle Nicrophorus sepultor Charpentier, 1825 as a Belgian species is confirmed based on eight specimens found in the collections of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS). The records are presented, mapped and the diagnostic features of this species are given.

We report the first observation of an outdoor nest of the ant species Crematogaster scutellaris (Olivier, 1792) in Belgium. In spring 2022, a nest of this species was discovered at Rood Klooster in Auderghem, Brussels Capital Region. Large and very active trails of workers were detected in a hedge and along the walls of a small building. The nest i...

Vector-borne diseases are responsible for more than 17% of human cases of infectious diseases. In most situations, effective control of debilitating and deadly vector-bone diseases (VBDs), such as malaria, dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, Zika and Chagas requires up-to-date, robust and comprehensive information on the presence, diversity, ecology...

A new inland population of the rare ground beetle Amara strenua Zimmerman, 1832 is reported for Belgium. This species was encountered during a survey using pitfall traps at Abdij van Park near Heverlee. This observation marks the first record in Flemish Brabant, as well as the most inland known population of A. strenua in Flanders. Details on the h...

Aedes japonicus has expanded beyond its native range and has established populations in several European countries including Belgium where the species was first reported in 2002 at Natoye. During a recent nationwide monitoring program (MEMO, Monitoring of Exotic Mosquitoes, 2017-2020), Natoye was monitored to check for the efficiency of the intensi...

Culex pipiens s.s. is one of the most common mosquitoes found breeding in human habitats throughout the temperate northern hemisphere. The species is easily confused with Culex torrentium as they only differ by a few subtle morphological characteristics. Further, Culex pipiens biotypes, which are morphologically indistinguishable, are known vectors...

Land use change caused by human activities is the main driver of biodiversity loss and changes in ecosystem functioning. However, less is known about how the conversion of a natural to pasture land favour the biological diversity of soil-litter arthropods to advance effective conservation plans and management systems. To fill the gap, this study fo...

The objective of the article is to evaluate a new method of sampling tree ants, the "funnel trap". Indeed, ants constitute an important part of arboreal arthropod biomass in rainforests. Nevertheless, there are only a few methods which permit a rapid assessment of these insects in the canopy layer. This study aims at evaluating the efficiency of a...

We present various predation records based on museum-preserved snakes from southeastern Republic of Guinea, West Africa: Aparallactus niger (Atractaspididae) on an earthworm (Oligochaeta); Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia (Colubridae) on Sclerophrys sp. (Anura; Bufonidae); Grayia smithii (Colubridae) and Natriciteres variegata (Natricidae) on Arthroleptis...

This survey reports on the DNA identification and occurrence of Culex torrentium and Cx. pipiens s.s. in Belgium. These native disease-vector mosquito species are morphologically difficult to separate, and the biotypes of Cx. pipiens s.s. are morphologically indistinguishable. Culex torrentium and Cx. pipiens s.s. were identified using the COI and...

Invasive mosquito species (IMS) and their associated mosquito-borne diseases are emerging in Europe. In Belgium, the first detection of Aedes albopictus (Skuse 1894) occurred in 2000 and of Aedes japonicus japonicus (Theobald 1901) in 2002. Early detection and control of these IMS at points of entry (PoEs) are of paramount importance to slow down a...

Les principes et conventions concernant la récolte, la mise à mort, le traitement, la préparation et le classement des insectes en collection sont abordés dans cette note. Une attention particulière pour l'étiquetage des insectes ainsi que des éléments s'y rapportant sont rappelés dans le but d'harmoniser les pratiques et de corriger les dérives ob...

This study aimed to assess the influence of bees' floral preference on cashew agronomics performances in Côte d'Ivoire. Therefore, a sampling design with a total of 40 cashew trees preferred by bees and 40 trees that were not preferred by bees was established in 4 main producing regions. In addition, bees' foragers and agronomics performances of tr...

The MODIRISK project studied mosquito biodiversity and monitored and predicted biodiversity changes, to actively prepare to address issues of biodiversity change, especially invasive species and new pathogen risks. This work is essential given continuing global changes that may create suitable conditions for invasive species spread and the (re-)eme...

‘MEMO: Monitoring of Exotic MOsquitoes in Belgium’ is a sampling event dataset published by the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) in Antwerp, Belgium. It forms part of the early detection of exotic mosquito species (EMS) along high-risk introduction routes in Belgium, where data are collected at defined points of entry (PoEs) using a standardise...

Red wood ants (RWA) are a group of keystone species widespread in temperate and boreal forests of the Northern Hemisphere. Despite this, there is increasing evidence of local declines and extinctions. Here, we give an overview of the current protection status of RWA throughout Europe and review their IUCN threat classification. Only some RWA specie...

This survey reports on the DNA identification and occurrence of Culex torrentium and Cx. pipiens s.s. in Belgium. These native disease vector mosquito species are morphologically difficult to separate and the biotypes of Cx. pipiens s.s. are morphologically indistinguishable. Culex torrentium and Cx. pipiens s.s. were identified using the COI and A...

A box with Ichneumonidae collected by the Belgian entomologist Adolphe Crèvecoeur was thoroughly analysed. One hundred and nine specimens from a total of 127 (85%) are identified to species level. Sixty three species are reported, with 12 being new for the Belgian fauna. Rearing records of Bathyplectes cingulatus (Brischke, 1880), Lathrolestes macr...

The collection of Philippe Fastré at RBINS includes 400 drawers, 37.000 specimens and approximately 2.000 species of lepidopterans (Insecta). The majority of species in this collection are Erebidae and Noctuidae from Central and South Asia. To help make this information available we digitized the type material of this collection. Out of the 400 dra...

Background: Invasive mosquito species (IMS) and their associated mosquito-borne diseases are emerging in Europe. In Belgium, the first detection of Aedes albopictus occurred in 2000 and of Aedes japonicus in 2002. Early detection and control of these IMS at points of entry (PoE’s) are of paramount importance to slow down any possible establishment....

Aedes koreicus is a proven pathogen-vector in the laboratory, and was, therefore, included in the Belgian exotic mosquito monitoring since its detection in 2008 at an industrial area in Maasmechelen (MM). At and around MM, Ae. koreicus was monitored longitudinally or cross-sectionally between 2012 and 2019. To follow-up its dispersal, a nearby indu...

Aedes japonicus has established in many European countries. Our study had two objectives: (1) investigate the origin of new introductions in eastern Belgium; and (2) verify the origin of specimens that were recently recorded at Natoye, while the species was declared eliminated after control campaigns. To this end, genotypic variation at 7 microsate...

Contemporary forest management strives to satisfy contrasting demands on forest ecosystems by promoting multiple ecosystem services. These services are affected in varied manners by alternative management actions operating at local or landscape scales, potentially leading to trade‐offs and synergies that may impede or encourage forest managers to c...

Ants are widely regarded as ecosystem engineers because of their effect on soil structure and on the flow of energy. However, little is known about their influence on the carbon flux in tropical humid savannah. Recent investigations in a humid savannah ecosystem in Lamto showed that ant nests’ association with perennial grasses enhances their growt...

Recently, human activities have impacted biodiversity-rich forest in western Rwanda, creating a need to enhance restoration activities of degraded lands in the region. To evaluate the effects of reforestation activities on the community composition of soil-litter ants, research was conducted in Gishwati tropical montane forest, located in northern-...

Culiseta (Allotheobaldia) longiareolata (Macquart) (Diptera: Culicidae) is an ornithophilic mosquito species that occurs in the southern Palaearctic Region from the Azores to Central Asia, the Ethiopian Region, India, and Pakistan. Although it has a widespread distribution range, the species was only recently reported in Western and Central Europe....

In spite of the low agronomic performances of Ivorian cashew orchards, Côte d'Ivoire recently became the first worldwide producer and exporter of raw cashew nuts. To maintain this ringleader position, several factors should be understood including the ecological factors supporting this success. Pollination service due to bees was recognized to impa...

In spite of the low agronomic performances of Ivorian cashew orchards, Côte d'Ivoire recently became the first worldwide producer and exporter of raw cashew nuts. To maintain this ringleader position, several factors should be understood including the ecological factors supporting this success. Pollination service due to bees was recognized to impa...

Alle Taxa Biodiversiteit Inventarisatie en 30 jaar natuurbeheer

The present study aimed at identifying the members of the Anopheles maculipennis complex (Diptera: Culicidae) occurring in Belgium. Therefore, the second internal transcribed spacer of nuclear ribosomal DNA (ITS2) and the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) loci were sequenced in 175 and 111 specimens, respectively, collected between 2...

Soil-litter arthropods are critical for ecosystem functioning and sensitive to land use change, and hence to the variations in soil physicochemical properties. The relationships between soil-litter arthropod communities and soil physicochemical properties, however, remain poorly studied in Rwanda. We explored the relationships between the families...

Whereas bait and pitfall trappings are two of the most commonly used techniques for sampling ant assemblages, they have not been properly compared in temperate open habitats. In this study, taking advantage of a large-scale project of heathland restoration (three sites along the French Atlantic Coast forming a north-south gradient), we evaluated th...

Background Aedes japonicus japonicus has expanded beyond its native range and has established in multiple European countries, including Belgium. In addition to the population located at Natoye, Belgium, locally established since 2002, specimens were recently collected along the Belgian border. The first objective of this study was therefore to inve...

A thorough knowledge of the presence and spatio-temporal distribution patterns of vector species are pivotal to assess the risk of mosquito-borne diseases in Europe. In 2018, a Culex larva was collected during routine monitoring activities to intercept exotic Aedes mosquito species in the port of Antwerp (Kallo, Belgium). The larva, collected from...

The flat-footed fly Paraplatypeza bicincta (Szilady, 1941) is reported for the first time from Belgium. Details on the localities and ecology are given. Résumé Paraplatypeza bicincta (Szilady, 1941), une « mouche aux pieds plats », est mentionnée pour la première fois en Belgique. Les caractéristiques des localités et écologiques sont données. Same...

We report new records of the very rare and endangered European Amazon ant, Polyergus rufescens (Latreille, 1798) in the Province of Limburg, Belgium in the summer of 2020. During a large-scale invertebrate survey in large heathland patches in Zonhoven and Houthalen workers and queens were collected with pitfall traps and observed at the site. The i...

Two records from Ropalodontus novorossicus Reitter, 1901, a Ciidae species new for Belgium are reported. The specimens were collected in September 2018 in Gosselies and in September 2020 in Aalst. Species biology and details of the localities are discussed.

In the course of the Belgian Silphidae Project, four specimens of Silpha tyrolensis Laicharting, 1781 were encountered when studying the unidentified Silphidae in the entomological collection of the Haute École Provinciale de Hainaut-Condorcet in Ath. These are the first records of this species for Belgium and are from the period 1990-2010. Subsequ...

Ants constitute an important part of arboreal arthropod biomass in rainforests. Nevertheless, there are only a few methods which permit a rapid assessment of these insects in the canopy layer. This study aims at evaluating the efficiency of a new variant type of pitfall trap i.e. “the funnel trap”, to sample arboreal ants in a secondary and gallery...

Communities across trophic levels, and the functional roles they play, are vital for the sustained provision of ecosystem services. In forest systems, diversification of overstorey composition has been shown to be a key driver of biodiversity, but its influence on across‐trophic level relationships remains scarcely known. Species across trophic lev...

Whereas bait and pitfall trappings are two of the most commonly used techniques for sampling ant assemblages, they have not been properly compared in temperate open habitats. In this study, taking advantage of a large-scale project of heathland restoration (3 sites along the French Atlantic Coast forming a north-south gradient), we evaluated the re...

A lectotype (male) and paralectotypes (male, female) of Pneumia vittata (Tonnoir, 1919) comb. nov. (= Pericoma crispi Freeman, 1953 syn. nov.) from Belgium are designated. The species is redescribed and illustrated, and a diff erential diagnosis is given. The former designation of a holotype, paratypes and paratypoids by Jung is invalid because it...

In September 2020 a specimen of the Corylophidae Arthrolips fasciata (Erichson, 1842) was discovered in mushrooms on decaying beech in a garden in Sint-Denijs-Westrem. In October 2020 a second specimen of this species was discovered in Beisbroek Sint-Andries Bruges also on decaying beech. These are the first records of the species in Belgium. Hence...

We present a list of five species of Asilidae collected in February-March 2018 near Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. Three species are new for science and are described here: Pegesimallus uhuruensis sp. nov., Ommatius uhuruensis sp. nov. and Oligopogon kilimanjaroensis sp. nov. Moreover, the species Machimus ugandiensis Ricardo, 1919 was recorded for t...

We present the first comprehensive review of the ant taxa of the Galápagos archipelago. The review is based on data gathered during literature searches, field surveys, and the revision of museum specimens, and includes information on the distribution, habitat, and ecology of 47 species. At least nine of these species are assumed to be native or end...

Between 1993 and 2018 a management to encourage development towards heathland and oligotrophic dry grasslands in Nature Reserve Schobbejakshoogte east of Bruges was carried out. In eutrophic grassland, not managed dunes, heathlands and forest, a continuously and alternatively grazing management deforestation and cutting sods resulted in a mosaic of...