Papers by Wouter Dekoninck
The Non-validated red lists of Flanders, Belgium is a species checklist dataset published by the ... more The Non-validated red lists of Flanders, Belgium is a species checklist dataset published by the Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO) and described (v1.1) in Maes et al. 2019b (https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.7.e34089). It includes 3.161 taxa from 19 Flemish red lists that are considered non-validated, i.e. which did not use quantitative criteria and a representative sample of occurrences across all ecological regions in Flanders (Maes et al. 2015) for red list assessment. Here this compilation is published as a standardized Darwin Core Archive and includes for each taxon: the scientific name, higher classification (provided by the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy, https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei), stable taxon identifier and Dutch vernacular name (in the taxon core) and the red list category in Flanders as published, its IUCN equivalent and year of assessment (respectively in occurrenceRemarks, threatStatus and eventDate in the distribution extension). Issues with the dataset can be r...
The Galápagos ant fauna has long been understudied, with the last taxonomic summary being publish... more 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 382,023 specimens deposited in different entomological collections, as well as recent expeditions to the islands. The fauna is composed of five subfamilies (Dolichoderinae, Dorilynae, Formicinae, Myrmicinae and Ponerinae), 22 genera and 53 species, though 3 of these species are considered dubious records. Finally, we provide an illustrated identification key of the species in the archipelago.
Bulletin de la Société Royale Belge d'Entomologie, 2018
Bulletin de la Société Royale Belge d'Entomologie, 2018
The first record of a colony of Polyergus rufescens (LATREILLE, 1798) in Belgium is from 1943 (RA... more The first record of a colony of Polyergus rufescens (LATREILLE, 1798) in Belgium is from 1943 (RAIGNIER & VAN BOVEN, 1949). However BONDROIT (1911, 1918) mentions the record of a single worker in Yvoir but he was doubtful about this record. The last Belgian record of a colony P. rufescens was in Genk by VANBOVEN in 1963 (VANKERKHOVEN, 1999). We rediscovered the species in August 2000 at the Nature reserve the Hageven in Neerpelt, Flanders (294 workers of P. rufescens were collected). The workers were collected with pitfalls traps. At the same time eggs and pupae of a Serviformica's species were found indicating a successful slave-making raid. The habitat where the species was found can be described as an ant-species rich, dry Calluna-Corynephorus-vegetation. The rediscovery of this vulnerable species in Belgium after over 37 years can be considered as hopeful but does not imply a sustainable presence in other comparable habitats in Belgium. Also the importance of ant community-c...
Journal of the European Mosquito Control Association, 2021
s of the 10th EMCA Conference: “New insights into mosquito and blackfly control”. October 3-7, 2021.
African Journal of Ecology
African Journal of Ecology
In the tropical forest‐savannah mosaic of Lamto Reserve in Ivory Coast ants play an important rol... more 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 bait: sweet milk) and beating of low vegetation. During the entire sampling campaign, 59 ant species belonging to 18 genera and five subfamilies (Formicinae, Ponerinae, Myrmicinae, Dolichoderinae and Pseudomyrmecinae) were recorded. The mean ant species richness of shrub savannah (SS) was significantly lower than of both forest island (FI) and forest gallery. Likewise, a significant difference was observed for species composition when comparing the arboreal ant communities of SS, gallery forest and FI.
Conservation Biology
Red wood ants (RWAs) are a group of keystone species widespread in temperate and boreal forests o... more Red wood ants (RWAs) 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. We reviewed the current protection status of RWAs throughout Europe and their International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) threat classification. Only some RWA species have been assessed at a global scale, and not all national red lists of the countries where RWAs are present include these species. Different assessment criteria, inventory approaches, and risk categories are used in different countries, and data deficiency is frequent. Legislative protection is even more complex, with some countries protecting RWAs implicitly together with the wildlife fauna and others explicitly protecting the whole group or particular species. This complexity often occurs within countries, for example, in Italy, where, outside of the Alps, only the introduced species are protected, where...
Parasites & Vectors
Invasive mosquito species (IMS) and their associated mosquito-borne diseases are emerging in Euro... more 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 any possible establishment. This article reviews the introductions and establishments recorded of three IMS in Belgium based on published (2007–2014) and unpublished (2015–2020) data collected during several surveillance projects. In total, 52 PoEs were monitored at least once for the presence of IMS between 2007 and 2020. These included used tyre and lucky bamboo import companies, airports, ports, parking lots along highways, shelters for imported cutting plants, wholesale markets, industrial areas, recycling areas, cemeteries and an allotment garden at the country border with colonised areas. In general, monitoring was performed between A...
This survey reports on the DNA identification and occurrence of Culex torrentium and Cx. pipiens ... more 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 ACE2 loci. We recorded 1,248 Cx. pipiens s.s. and 401 Cx. torrentium specimens from 24 locations in Belgium (collected between 2017 and 2019). Culex pipiens biotypes pipiens and molestus, and their hybrids, were differentiated by fragment size analysis of the CQ11 locus (956 pipiens and 227 molestus biotype specimens, 29 hybrids). Hybrids were observed at 13 out of 16 sympatric sites. These results confirm that both species are widespread in Belgium, but while Cx. torrentium revealed many COI haplotypes, Cx. pipiens s.s. showed only one abundant haplotype. This latter observation may either reflect a recent population-wide demographic or ra...
Vectors of human disease series
The MODIRISK project studied mosquito biodiversity and monitored and predicted biodiversity chang... more 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-)emergence of vector-borne diseases in Europe. Key strengths of MODIRISK, in the context of sustainable development, were the links between biodiversity and health and the environment, and its contribution to the development of tools for describing the spatial distribution of mosquito biodiversity. MODIRISK addressed key topics of the global Diversitas initiative, which was a main driver of the Belspo ‘Science for a Sustainable Development’ research program. Three different MODIRISK datasets were published in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF): the Collection dataset (the Culicidae collection of the Museum of Natural History i...
Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies, 2021
In spite of the low agronomic performances of Ivorian cashew orchards, Côte d'Ivoire recently bec... more 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 impact cashew production. Therefore, determining cashew trees that are more attractive to bees can contribute to promote pollination activities. To detect these cashew trees possessing the flowers preferred by bees, two types of investigations were undertaken: (1) a socioeconomic survey in 3167 cashew hectares belonging to 381 producers and (2) an experimental detection of the bees' floral preference. As results, 58 of the 381 interviewed producers had identified the bees' floral preference resulting in a detection of 681 cashew trees. The flowers of the preferred cashew trees were visited 5 times more and they attracted 3 times more bee foragers as compared to nonpreferred cashew trees. These findings may be included in research programs focus on: (i) improvement of agronomic performances and (ii) effective management of bees' community.
Journal of Ecology, 2021
Communities across trophic levels, and the functional roles they play, are vital for the sustaine... more 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 levels in varied overstorey compositions are also differentially susceptible to fragmentation context. We hypothesise that fragmentation will disrupt community relationships associated with particular overstorey compositions. We test this hypothesis using a tree diversity research platform across 53 deciduous woodland plots in central Belgium. We estimate species’ abundances within nine, generally taxonomic, community groups across trophic levels: understorey vegetation; leaf miners and gall formers; woodlice, millipedes; carabid beetles, harvestmen, spiders, birds, bats. We use multiple co‐inertia analyses to examine how taxonomic and trophi...
Background: Invasive mosquito species (IMS) and their associated mosquito-borne diseases are emer... more 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. This paper gives an account of the IMS surveillance in Belgium between 2007 and 2020 and reviews the introductions and establishments recorded in that period.Methods: In total 52 PoE’s were monitored at least once for the presence of IMS between 2007 and 2020. These included used tyre and lucky bamboo import companies, airports, ports, parking lots along highways, shelters for imported cutting plants, wholesale markets, industrial areas, recycling areas, and cemeteries and an allotment garden at the country border with colonised areas. In general, monitoring was performed between April and November. Mosquitoes were captured with adult and...
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Papers by Wouter Dekoninck