Checklist of stored product insects of Germany

Abstract

Stored product insects infest stored grain, flour, dry herbs, dry fruits, nuts, and many other dry stored products of plant origin. Beside these stored product pests, insects with different feeding habits are associated with stored products, e.g. mould feeders, saprophagous species, pre­dators or parasitoids. In this study, with the help of reviews and determination keys for stored-product and urban pests a list of stored-product pests was compiled. Thereafter, the species recorded for Germany were identified with the help of faunistic publications and deter­minations of the author. This resulted in a checklist of 213 insect species associated with stored products. These species were classified according to their feeding habits. About 16% of all species were found to be primary stored product pests. The most species-rich groups are secondary stored product pests and mould feeders with 28% and 29% of all species, respectively. The checklist was compared with the last such list by Zacher (1938). Beside the checklist, species were discussed that were rarely imported or occur in areas of ports only. The bethylid wasps Cephalonomia waterstoni and Cephalonomia tar­salis were recorded for the first time in Germany from Bavaria and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and Niedersachsen and Brandenburg, respectively. From Brandenburg, Plastanoxus westwoodi was recorded for the second time from Germany and added to the list of Bethylidae from Ger­many. The impact of such checklists for stored products protection, registration of plant protection products and the study of invasive species were discussed.