Report on the trip to "Stone Graves"

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Pirx, 06.06.2009 23:07

A short report on the trip to the "Stone Graves"

Members: alex2611, Shtil and Pirx.

Summer is already in the yard, it's time and honor to know. We went to the small (300 ha) nature reserve "Stone Graves", which is located in the south of the Donetsk region in Ukraine. We were there from May 15 to May 17, 2009. Its full name is the "Stone Graves" branch of the Ukrainian Steppe Nature Reserve (47°18'N 37°04'E = 40 km NW of Mariupol).

This reserve is miniature and is a rounded section of untilled steppe on granite in the middle of endless Ukrainian fields. The granites are Archean, up to 1.8 billion years old. Actually, this is an exposed piece of the Ukrainian crystal shield, emerging from a pair of ridges with peaks 100 meters high (about 300 n.o. m.), which in the middle of the steppe really resemble mountains ("graves"). In terms of vegetation, the "Pebbles" represent a pronounced petrophilic variant of mixed grass-tipchak-feather grass steppes, in the subzone of which they are located. Two narrow-locality endemics among flowering plants (this is cool for such a small island, they are not found outside the reserve).

For lovers of antiquity, we customize the traditional accordion about the fact that this is one of the most likely places of the battle of Kalka. The reserve is surrounded by two rings of mounds — one with a diameter of 9 km, the second — 18 km. The purpose of our expedition was to collect steppe insects, primarily bees, diptera, beetles, etc. I had all the necessary credentials with me — this is strictly done in the reserve.

We drove through Mariupol, then got on a dusty suburban bus, listening to a heartbreaking chanson from mobile phones of fellow travelers (local flavor) and the squeak of chickens under someone's seat. We came out at the turn to Nazarovka.

The day of arrival was overcast, we were more comfortable in a new place and getting acquainted with the surroundings than we were collecting, although alex2611 immediately came across some bees outside the fence of the estate and explained something to them.

kivsyak on moss

The most catchy place (trail in the gap between the mountains of the eastern ridge, eastern exposure). Habitat of babbling flies Merodon avidus (Rossi, 1790), M. tener Sack, 1913, M. nigritarsis Rondani, 1845 (the latter species will be included in the next edition of the "Red Book of Ukraine") and other goodies.

alex2611 catches leaf eaters on asparagus. Subsequently, it turned out that among them there were 8 specimens of a new species for the fauna of the reserve, Crioceris asparagi (Linnaeus, 1758).

Due to frequent spring rains this year, the reserve was unusually wet (streams in granite).

With a sense of deep satisfaction, I was greeted with such a leaf eater. This is(Timarcha)tenebricosa(Fabricius 1775), already mentioned more than once on the forum. In the south, it is common, in the Crimea it is generally a landscape view, but in the Northern Azov region it is extremely local, in some places it has died out. "Kamushki" is one of two or three places of its habitat in the south-east of Ukraine.

Picture on the wall in our house (hotel). In general, the evening turned out to be very rich )), a number of toasts were devoted to both narrow problems of entomology and universal values.... And when we were about to go to bed, the director of the reserve, Viktor Aleksandrovich Sirenko, arrived, and we were overwhelmed by his hospitality. After eating pink lard with various vytrebenki and washing down cognac and vodka with raw eggs, we were completely prettier. But tomorrow we'll go hunting! I had to crawl away. They slept like the dead.

This post was edited by Pirx-08.06.2009 03: 07

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07.06.2009 0:47, Pirx

May 16, 2009

It was a lovely morning, and the weather was fine. The estate of the reserve pleased with festive colors and in general.

strategic point

our accommodation

the long-suffering chapel

There are also forest cenoses in the reserve. Small aspen trees near the entrance.

Some parts of the reserve are painfully reminiscent of the Crimean yayly, although the dark color of the granite gives out.

One of the estate's residents.

Guard Ginger (etymology is not clear).

In the afternoon, Alex and I were joined by Shtil, and in the evening, together, we slightly destroyed the entomofauna that had come to life after the heat.

The Timarchs again begged to be photographed.

One of the two common species of black heifers here.

It seems to be the same view.

Lethrus (Lethrus) apterus (Laxmann, 1770). Their time and their place.

The same eggs, current on the side.

Larva of Thymarchus. Not only that, by the evening they were sent to the grass, mainly to their forage plant (bedstraw), so they still don't seem to be described (if I'm lying, correct, info through second hands).

A little spirituality isn't for everyone.

The thymarch larva is scary. If you pick it up, it burps a pinkish-crimson liquid.

Swarms of freckles suddenly appeared in the dry grass.

Confused by this fly. We couldn't catch it, and Alex and I couldn't even identify the family.

Shtil enjoys kosher beetles. Nearby are piles excavated by the common mole rat (Spalax microphthalmus Guldenstaedt, 1770). In our region, they may contain all sorts of magical things (in piles), such as Aphodius (Acrossus) spalacophilus Novikov, 1996.

This post was edited by Pirx - 07.06.2009 01: 02

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07.06.2009 9:50, Shtil

I add the Lepidopter fauna.
In general, the diversity of species was not spoiled. As usual, mass species are Pieris, Colias erate, Anthocharis cardamines and Pontia daplidice.
Only Iphiclides podalirius and Zerynthia polyxena are sailing ships.
Golubyanki were represented by Lycaena phlaeas, Callophrys rubi and Celastrina argiolus, with the first two species in the mass.
Of the satyrids, there was only Coenonympha pamphilus, and of the nymphalids, Issoria lathonia. Erynnis tages is one of the thickheads.

As for raznousykh, you can mention Tyria jacobaeae, Deilephila porcellus, + a few moth and scoop took, but I will determine in the winter.

Unfortunately, it didn't work out to catch the light, although in Pebbles there are notable years! Herds of hawkmoth, cocoonworms are very cute, about the rest I'm silent howling. And a couple of years ago, on a moonless dark night, small carabids came out into the light. About five species in total, but the number of them was amazing. About 20 kilograms of ground beetles. Ground beetles in the hair, in the pockets, in the tea, in the ears, hana in general.

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07.06.2009 10:19, алекс 2611

I confirm that this is exactly what happened!
I was pleased with the hospitality and care shown by the guys. I still walk very poorly (especially on rough terrain) and really behaved like a white sahib - while the guys ran around the neighborhood and caught various insects (including for me), I caught bees near the estate. This Pirx still flattered me by photographing me standing next to a thicket of zhivuchki. In fact, I stupidly sat down next to a thicket of flowers and sat quietly catching bees. The specifics of the group - I caught three-quarters of the bee species diversity within a radius of 200 meters from the estate. But for the other groups, the guys helped me a lot. Without them, the Sirfid wouldn't even have caught the beetles properly.

After the banquet with the participation of the director of the reserve, for some reason, I woke up in two T-shirts and one sock. I don't know how the Natives used my sock, but just before leaving I found it safe and sound

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19.01.2010 16:51, Penzyak

That's the point that in our country (and in the Saratov region), in addition to the spring generation of polyxena, the end of April-beginning of June, is (rarely) found and ???, - butterflies fly in July (fresh), and in Tatarstan until the beginning of August... We need to understand what it is...
Our caterpillars pupate mainly on the forage plant itself - by tying a belt to the stem of C. R. G. Many pupae die from riders...view so far ???
I met a blooming kirkazon in early August - in a dark place (floodplain), the plant was a climbing type of small liana...? Miracles in general, it is probably worth opening a new branch along the polyxene?
Yes, okoem - I correspond with Gordienko, think he caught jazius in Artek in the 80s!?

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27.01.2010 10:18, Penzyak

Dear GUK,
Much MORE VALUABLE is information about SPECIFIC observations of polyxena sailboat populations in the field!! So for me the NEWS that you have butterflies of this species fly at the end of June and July!? As far as I know, they fly in the Saratov region already in mid-April and logically these butterflies should not live until the end of May!? And you live / explore further south...

okoem
In our country, as a rule, the polyxene ends its years by mid-June (populations in remote floodplain areas of Sura). At this time, in the south of the region, in the floodplain of the Khopra River, caterpillars are already appearing on the kirkazon - BUT there are no more butterflies in sight...

And the essence of what I asked in my previous posts - IS IT POSSIBLE TO HAVE A SECOND GENERATION IN THIS SPECIES!? If I can contact Mr. Leontiev (Yelabuga) on this issue (Kazan entomologists AU!!!) then much will become clear. And, one thing is quite clear: it is still too early to say that science knows EVERYTHING about the biology and ecology of polyxena. And I am SINCERELY sorry that this type is excluded from the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation 2001 ("list of requiring attention" is just a non-binding list, alas...) .

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