PL
Kwietnica okazała Protaetia aeruginosa (Drury, 1770) jest chrząszczem należącym do rodziny poświętnikowatych. W Polsce objęta jest ochroną gatunkową i znajduje się na Czerwonej liście zwierząt ginących i zagrożonych. Zasiedla przerzedzone i dobrze nasłonecznione fragmenty lasów liściastych ze starymi drzewami oraz stare zadrzewienia nadrzeczne, przydrożne i parkowe. Larwy żerują w próchnie wysoko położonych dziupli drzew liściastych, zwłaszcza dębów. Dla zachowania kwietnicy okazałej w Polsce najistotniejsze jest pozostawianie starodrzewi dębowych oraz starych dziuplastych dębów rosnących na obrzeżach lasów i w zadrzewieniach. W pracy przedstawiono morfologię, biologię i problemy ochrony kwietnicy okazałej, kładąc szczególny nacisk na jej występowanie w Polsce. Opisano 26 nowych stanowisk tego gatunku w kraju, których rozmieszczenie wskazuje, iż chrząszcz ten najchętniej i najliczniej zasiedla dęby rosnące w pradolinach dużych rzek.
EN
Protaetia aeruginosa (Drury, 1770) is a beetle belonging to the Scarabaeidae family. So far, 6 species of the genus Protaetia Burmeister, 1842 have been recorded in Poland. Information about the presence of one of them, i.e. P. ungarica (Herbst, 1790), is based on two records made before 1926 and requires a confirmation. In Poland, P. aeruginosa is a protected species included in the Red List of Threatened Species, with the category VU (Vulnerable), characterized by a high risk of endangerment in the wild. The species inhabits thinned out and sunny patches of deciduous forests with old trees, as well as old clumps of trees near the rivers and roads, and in parks. Larvae feed on humus in tree hollows situated in the upper parts of trunks and branches, and in crowns of deciduous trees, especially oaks. This particular species avoids humus accumulations situated near the trunk base and adjoining ground surface. Such localities are preferred by another large representative of Scarabaeidae, namely Osmoderma barnabita Motschulsky, 1845. Before the year 2000, P. aeruginosa had been found at only 10 sites in Poland. The remaining 14 records had a general character, without specific information about localities. The present work, which contains information about new sites, indicates that the occurrence of this species in Poland is more common than it was suspected and confirms that P. aeruginosa prefers hollows in old oaks. Altogether, 26 new occurrence sites of this species were described in Poland. Their distribution indicates that the beetle favours oaks growing in ice-marginal valleys of large rivers. In order to preserve P. aeruginosa in Poland, it is crucial to preserve old oak forests and single old oaks with hollows, which grow on the outskirts of forests, in tree stands near rivers and roads, as well as in parks. Good insolation must be ensured in oak forests, which means that the tree crowns should not be allowed to become too thick. As for flood land with single oaks and clumps of oak trees, it is advisable to introduce clumps of young trees and cut the grass, or restore the original function of such areas, namely that of cattle grazing