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Distribution and seasonal abundance of adultTipulidae (Diptera) in the Dovrefjell National Park,South Norway*TROND HOFSVANG, JOHN O. SOLEM AND SIMEN BRETTENHofsvang, T., Solem, J.O. & Bretten, S. 1987. Distribution and seasonal abundance ofadult Tipulidae (Diptera) in the Dovrefjell National Park, South Norway. Fauna nory.~, Ser. E, 34,51-56.IIn Malaise traps from II sites IS species of adult Tipulidae were collected in theDovrefjell National Park, South Norway; 4 in the middle alpine zone, II in the lowalpine zone and 10 in the subalpine zone. The only record of Tipula (Pterelachisus)middendorffi Lackschewitz in Fennoscandia is reported here. In Norway Tipula (Saytschenkia)pagana Meigen was earlier only known from the Oslo area and Nephrotomalundbecki (Nielsen) only from North Norway.Common species were T. (A.) salicetorum, T. (V.) excisa, T. (S.) gimmerthali, T. (S.)inyenusta and T. (S.) subnodicornis. Rare species were T. (V.) laccata, T. (V.)nubeculosa, T. (S.) pagana, T. (S,) grisescens, N.lundbecki and P. subserricornis. TheRiver Driva divide the area sampled into an eastern and a western area and greatdifferences in the species composition between the two areas were found. Data onhabitat preferences are given.Trond Hofsvang, Norwegian Plant Protection Institute, Dept. of Entomology, P.O.B.70, N-1432 As-NLH, Norway.John O. Solem, University of Trondheim, The Museum, Erl. Skakkesgt. 47, N-7000Trondheim, Norway.Simen Bretten, University of Trondheim, KongsvoU Biological Station, 7340 Oppdal,Norway.INTRODUCTIONThe insect fauna of National Park in Norwayis very poorly known. This paper is in a serieswith aim to increase the knowledge of theinsect fauna of the Dovrefjell National Park.Our National Parks are areas with a highdegree of protection, and scientific documentationof the fauna will increase the value ofthe parks as reference areas. Such referenceareas are especially important in long termstudies of insect communities. Such longterm studies may include natural changes incommunities and changes caused by externalfactors which artificially may stress communities,e.g. acid rain.Tipulidae is worldwide the largest familyin the order Diptera, may be divided intothree subfamilies, Tipulinae, Cylindrotominaeand Limoniinae (Byers 1984). Some investigatorserase these subfamilies to families* Printing grant given by Kongsvoll biologicalstation.Fauna norv. SeT. B. 34: 51-56. Oslo 1987.(van Leeuwen 1978, Mendl 1978), and wehave adopted this view, and our fam. Tipulidaeis comparable to subfam. Tipulinae.Apart from a few studies (Hogsvang 1972,1974), only small and irregular sampling oftipulids have been made in Norway. Themain objective of the present investigationwas to study aquatic insects such as caddisflies(Trichoptera) and stoneflies (Plecoptera).The larvae of most of tipulids are alsoaquatic or semiaquatic, and adults are usuallyfound along streams and around poolsand ponds (Byers 1984). Larval tipulidabundance and distribution in woodlandfloodplains in North America appear to beinfluenceJ by hight soil moisture and organiccontent (Merritt and Lawson 1981). Thesampling sites chosen gave a good representativeofthe tipulid fauna as well, and this is thefirst comprehensive study ofdistribution andabundance of tipulids in a defined area inNorway.51