http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification 720 https://escholarship.org/uc/biogeographia/rss Recent eScholarship items from Biogeographia – The Journal of Integrative Biogeography Sun, 28 Jun 2026 05:31:14 +0000 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/24w273g9 <p>Ant mimicry is a key defensive strategy of&nbsp;<em>Colobopsis</em> ants in the West Palaearctic. The chameleon ant <em>Colobopsis imitans</em> was initially described as a Western Mediterranean species, differing from the widespread sister species <em>Co. truncata</em> by showing morphological and behavioural adaptations to mimic <em>Crematogaster scutellaris</em> instead of <em>Dolichoderus quadripunctatus</em>. Recently, it was discovered to extend its geographic range to the Eastern Mediterranean and to mimic additional species of ants, including <em>D. quadripunctatus</em> and <em>Cr. ionia</em>. Here, we report the presence of <em>Co. imitans</em> in Lebanon for the first time. Lebanese <em>Co. imitans</em> workers were observed living in close association and following the trails of <em>Cr. ionia</em> and belonged to the <em>Cr. ionia</em>-mimicking “dark” colour morph. The Lebanese record represents the first of the species from the Levant, while old <em>Co. truncata</em>... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/24w273g9 Thu, 11 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Schifani, Enrico https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0684-6229 Massaad, Mark https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9290-3666 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6x56818z <p>This study investigates the north-eastern distributional limits of four short-winged endemic Orthoptera from the north-western Alps:&nbsp;<em>Anonconotus ghilianii</em>, <em>A. pusillus</em>, <em>Epipodisma pedemontana</em>, and <em>Stenobothrus ursulae</em>. Their spatial and altitudinal distributions were addressed within the Special Protection Area (SPA) IT1202020 “Mont Avic and Mont Emilius”, including the Mont Avic Natural Park, representing the north-eastern biogeographical margin for <em>A. pusillus</em>, <em>E. pedemontana</em>, and <em>S. ursulae</em>. In contrast, <em>A. ghilianii </em>occurs in the area as a small and isolated population of particular biogeographical interest. For comparison, two additional short-winged species with broader European ranges, <em>Bohemanella frigida</em> and <em>Podisma pedestris</em>, were also examined. A total of 258 records collected during 2020–2021 allowed the reconstruction of fine-scale distribution patterns within the study... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6x56818z Wed, 10 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Battisti, Andrea https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4p02p73c <p>The conditioning variables for the establishment of Amblypygi populations and their ecological interactions are currently poorly studied. Delving deeper into this can help to conserve this group of short-range distribution species, which are useful as a model in biogeographic research. In this study, we evaluated the distribution and overlapping patterns of ecological niche in six species of amblypygids (<em>Phrynus araya</em>, <em>P. panche</em>, <em>P. pulchripes</em>, <em>Heterophrynus batesii</em>, <em>H. boterorum</em>, <em>H. cervinus</em>) in the Andean and Amazonian ecosystems of Colombia, revealing a clear biogeographic segregation driven by environmental gradients: <em>Phrynus</em> species were associated with inter-Andean valleys with high thermal and water seasonality.&nbsp; While the <em>Heterophrynus</em> occupied more stable and humid conditions of foothills and middle elevations. Overlap analyses showed significant divergence (e.g., D=0.105 between <em>P. panche</em>... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4p02p73c Wed, 10 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Vasquez-Palacios, Sebastian Chirivi-Joya, Daniel Andres https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1198-782X https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3js2725g <p>Macroinvertebrate communities in the Upper Loukkos basin (northern Morocco) exhibited marked spatio-temporal variability across contrasting hydrological phases, reflecting the dynamic nature of Mediterranean intermittent systems. Sampling at 18 sites, comprising both protected and impacted reaches, during post-flood and post-drought periods (2014–2015), revealed a total of 102 species. Assemblage composition changed across seasons and sites, largely driven by hydroseasonal dynamics, habitat connectivity, and environmental gradients. Chorological patterns showed a clear predominance of taxa associated with Mediterranean biogeographical affinities, with endemic species accounting for 25% of the assemblage. Protected headwater sites supported higher diversity and a greater proportion of specialist taxa, particularly under post-drought conditions, highlighting their role in maintaining community structure under hydrological variability. Some groups, notably Coleoptera, persisted... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3js2725g Wed, 10 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Guellaf, Achraf https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3551-5277 Slimani, Myriam https://orcid.org/0009-0006-6184-1518 Chergui, Brahim https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4989-8435 Taheri, Ahmed https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7402-525X Bennas, Nard https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3819-2717 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9795z6z3 <p><em>Saphenophis tristriatus</em> and <em>Saphenophis sneiderni</em> are poorly known snake species endemic to the Northern Andes of Colombia. Based on a recently collected specimen and photographs, we present new records for both species in the Central and Occidental (Western) cordilleras of Colombia along an elevational range between 1,700 to 2,940 m a.s.l. We also discuss the representativeness of snake endemism in the Cauca River basin (63,300 km², 4.1% of the Northern Andes) using 0.5° x 0.5° grid cells. The record of <em>S. tristriatus</em> and <em>S. sneiderni</em>, plus additional photograph-based records, extends the known distribution approximately 200 km north from the previous known localities in southwestern Colombia. The review of additional snake species gathered 20 species which are endemic to this basin. A highly endemic snake concentration occurs at the middle Cauca River valley, where nine species are found in two grids. The fact that the Cauca... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9795z6z3 Wed, 8 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Rojas-Morales, Julián A. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3312-8022 Cardona-Galvis, Erika A. Henao-Osorio, Jose J. Caicedo-Martínez, Luis S. Arias-Monsalve, Héctor F. Ramírez-Chaves, Héctor E. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/93c17403 <p>The aim of this study was to investigate the phytocoenotic associations, age composition, and ontogenetic structure of&nbsp;<em>Medicago sativa</em> L. coenopopulations in Uzbekistan. Research was conducted in the Eastern Cliff of Ustyurt (Karakuduk, Kassarma, Akbulak), in the Pamir – Alay mountain system, including the southwestern and northern spurs of the Gissar Range, the Kukhitangtau Mountains, the Sangardak River basin, Zhindarya, the Baysuntau Mountains (Upper Machai), and the Nuratau Mountains (Hayatsay), as well as in the Tien-Shan mountain system, including the Kuramin Range (Kamchik mountain pass) and the Tashkent Alatau (vicinity of the village Nevich). A total of ten coenopopulations were studied under various ecological and phytocoenotic conditions. The results showed that the coenopopulations are generally normal but incomplete. The basic ontogenetic spectrum is centered, corresponding to the generative stage with a predominance of middle generative individuals... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/93c17403 Wed, 8 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Saitjanova, Umida Shomurodov, Habibullo Saribaeva, Shakhnoza Beshko, Natalya Kodirov, Ulugbek https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8943m561 <p>The snake fauna of the Mediterranean islands has been shaped by multiple processes, including both natural and human-mediated dispersal. Various past human cultures and recent changes in trade and transportation have played a crucial role in the expansion of some species into insular environments. The snakes present on the Maltese archipelago are particularly emblematic of this complex mix of dispersal events. The European Cat Snake,&nbsp;<em>Telescopus fallax</em> (Fleischmann, 1831), forms a species complex widespread from the Balkans to the Middle East and across many eastern Mediterranean islands, regarded in most of the literature as introduced on the Maltese archipelago. Here we genetically investigated the Maltese populations of <em>T. fallax</em> using the mitochondrial marker Cytochrome b, with the aim of properly identifying their genetic affiliation and tracing their possible origin. The eight sequences obtained from the populations of Malta and Gozo shared the same... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8943m561 Wed, 8 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Faraone, Francesco Paolo https://orcid.org/0009-0005-0747-0552 Sciberras, Arnold https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2956-7460 Jablonski, Daniel https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5394-0114 Sciberras, Jeffrey Lo Valvo, Mario https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2159-5245 Deidun, Alan https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6919-5374 Vecchioni, Luca https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4325-9728 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/88j0q9m6 <p>The Brahminy blindsnake, <em>Indotyphlops braminus</em> (Daudin, 1803) complex, is a small, parthenogenetic typhlopid widely distributed across tropical and subtropical Asia and represented by numerous introduced populations worldwide. Although reported from neighbouring Pakistan and Iran, its occurrence in Afghanistan has remained unverified. During field surveys in Nangarhar Province, eastern Afghanistan, we collected a specimen morphologically consistent with <em>I. braminus</em> complex and generated mitochondrial DNA sequences (16S, COI, cytochrome b). Phylogenetic analyses, incorporating newly sequenced material from Pakistan, revealed that the Afghan and Pakistani samples form a distinct, well-supported clade within the <em>I. braminus</em> complex that is also known from southern India (<em>I. </em>cf.<em> braminus</em> II), and is genetically distinct from both I. braminus sensu stricto and the globally widespread introduced clade <em>I. </em>cf.<em> braminus</em>... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/88j0q9m6 Wed, 8 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Jablonski, Daniel Zia, Arifulah Irfan, Mohammad Arif Osmani, Abdul Rahman Stanikzai, Sahil Naveed Basit, Abdul Masroor, Rafaqat https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7xv2g7n0 <p>Terrestrial isopods (Isopoda: Oniscidea) are a diverse and ecologically important taxon, yet knowledge of their diversity in Italy remains uneven. Liguria, a small but biogeographically complex region of north-western Italy, had long lacked a synthesis of its oniscidean fauna despite the numerous studies carried out in early 20th-century. Here we provide a comprehensive assessment of Ligurian terrestrial isopod fauna based on a critical review of historical literature and examination of material preserved in museum collections or collected during recent field surveys. A total of 109 species in 38 genera and 18 families are recorded, representing more than one quarter of all terrestrial isopods known from Italy.&nbsp;<em>Armadillidium genuaense</em> <strong>n. sp.</strong> is described, and figures of several poorly described species are provided. <em>Haplophthalmus portofinensis</em>, <em>Cylisticus ligurinus</em>, and <em>Armadillidium albigauni</em> are considered junior... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7xv2g7n0 Wed, 8 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Gardini, Pietro https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6308-709X Montesanto, Giuseppe Galli, Loris https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8920-8881 Taiti, Stefano https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6656w1tv <p>Islands represent living laboratories for investigating biodiversity and animal colonization patterns. Despite this, many insect groups remain poorly investigated in these systems, particularly within the Mediterranean Basin. Fireflies (Coleoptera, Lampyridae), besides their ecological, cultural, and conservation relevance, are no exception. Here, we present the first comprehensive synthesis of firefly occurrence across major and minor Italian islands, integrating standardised nocturnal surveys conducted within the L.U.C.E. (“Lighting up the understudied charismatic fireflies of Europe”) project with validated citizen-science records derived from the iNaturalist platform. This integrative approach enabled a complete assessment of species occurrence, spatial patterns, and the complementary value of structured fieldwork and citizen-generated records. Surveys were conducted in Italy between 2023 and 2025 across two major islands (Sardinia and Sicily) and thirteen small islands.... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6656w1tv Wed, 8 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Lagrotteria, Alessandro https://orcid.org/0009-0002-9988-1866 Ancillotto, Leonardo https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8774-0671 Baratti, Mariella https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4276-4602 Picchi, Malayka Samantha Lima da Silveira, Luiz Felipe https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0648-3993 Faraone, Francesco Paolo https://orcid.org/0009-0005-0747-0552 Marrone, Federico https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4730-0452 Vecchioni, Luca Milana, Giuliano https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2203-5250 Di Bari, Pietro https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5817-858X Fragalà, Damiano https://orcid.org/0009-0009-9484-2607 Lazzeri, Lorenzo Forbicioni, Leonardo https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9888-6756 Schifani, Enrico https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0684-6229 Cioppa, Dario https://orcid.org/0009-0007-2023-4946 Guadagnini, Andrea https://orcid.org/0009-0007-2023-4946 Pisu, Danilo Viviano, Andrea https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2970-3389 Maggioni, Martino https://orcid.org/0009-0004-1495-7476 Serafini, Elisa https://orcid.org/0009-0001-1394-1147 Canestrelli, Daniele Gardini, Pietro https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6308-709X Lelli, Norma Spilinga, Cristiano Menchetti, Mattia Polidori, Carlo https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4834-0752 Somà, Federico Scarfò, Manuel De Cock, Raphael https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1365-6773 Mori, Emiliano https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8108-7950 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6176s9p2 <p>We studied functional habitat connectivity for&nbsp;<em>Natrix helvetica cetti</em>, a rare and endangered island endemic taxon with a highly fragmented range on Sardinia. Using the habitat suitability model recently developed for this species as input, we applied circuit-theory based connectivity analyses in Julia, combining pairwise runs among all known occurrence localities with an omnidirectional analysis independent of focal nodes. Both approaches converged in identifying the eastern mountain chain as the main connectivity backbone, with a particularly strong corridor linking the Sarrabus reliefs in the south-east to the Barbagia region and, more weakly, to the Monte Limbara area in the north. Additionally, fainter routes were detected along the Iglesiente ranges in south-western Sardinia. Pinch point extraction based on the 95^th percentile further identified the main priority connectivity corridors along this eastern backbone. The highest current flow generally... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6176s9p2 Wed, 8 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Colla, Luca Di Nicola, Matteo Riccardo https://escholarship.org/uc/item/48g2g8nd <p>We report the first record of the brine shrimp genus&nbsp;<em>Artemia</em> (Branchiopoda, Anostraca, Artemiidae) from Armenia, based on specimens collected in two saline ponds (collectively referred to as “Lake Aghi”) in the Yerevan area. Individuals were identified through an integrative approach combining morphological examination and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) sequencing. All examined specimens were females and exhibited morphological traits compatible with parthenogenetic <em>Artemia</em>, although these characters alone are not sufficient for a definitive identification. Molecular analyses revealed a single COI haplotype attributable to a parthenogenetic lineage widely distributed across the Palaearctic region and closely related to the sexual species <em>A. amati</em>. No evidence of the occurrence of the invasive species <em>Artemia franciscana</em> was found. A synopsis of the anostracan fauna of Armenia based on available literature is also... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/48g2g8nd Wed, 8 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Hayrapetyan, Armine https://orcid.org/0009-0005-6767-2455 Vecchioni, Luca https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4325-9728 Gevorgyan, Gor https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3450-4405 Khachatryan, Gor https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5589-1435 Gharibyan, Pargev https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6486-9536 Marrone, Federico https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4730-0452 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/41z3r72r <p>Aquatic hyphomycete diversity and community composition varies with temperature in space and time. The distribution of species is influenced by temperature along latitudinal gradients, and species richness increases from tropical to temperate latitudes. This pattern is thought to result from an adaptation to cold water, as well as from the highest seasonal temperature fluctuation in temperate streams. Seasonal temperature variations actually influence the occurrence of species in temperate streams. However, much less is known about the seasonal variability of tropical aquatic hyphomycete communities, and no study to date compared this variability across latitudes. In this study, we sampled aquatic hyphomycete communities in 3 streams located under different climates (temperate, Mediterranean and tropical), every month during one year. According to our predictions, we found the highest seasonal variability of aquatic hyphomycete communities in the Mediterranean stream, where... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/41z3r72r Wed, 8 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Jabiol, Jeremy Labeille, Marion Devillers, Bertrand Majdi, Nabil https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2010t9k0 <p>Modeling diversity of marine diatom communities by latitude for the late Paleocene and early Eocene provides context for future warming climates. The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) transition spans ~57 to 48 million years ago with global temperatures ranging from ~9 to 23°C higher than pre-industrial times. There are differing views whether modern carbon increases will lead to similar patterns in temperature and how it may impact global communities. This research used data provided by the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP). The study examines how marine diatom communities responded to the rapid warming of the PETM as a potential analog for future marine diversity under a warming climate. Statistical analyses assess potential changes in diversity of diatom abundance data from existing marine sediment cores from Lomonosov Ridge in the Central Arctic Ocean, Blake Nose in the Western North Atlantic Ocean, and Broken Ridge in the Eastern Indian Ocean. Examining... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2010t9k0 Wed, 8 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Davies, Caroline Hentzen, Anne https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1jk9n8j9 <p>The African Natural History Research Trust in Zambia collected specimens representing many new findings for research. The new tribe Oxyecoini is described for the genus&nbsp;<em>Oxyecous</em>, and the following synonymies are established: <em>Clonia whalbergi maculosa</em> (Walker, 1869) = <em>Clonia whalbergi</em> Stål, 1855 (Tettigoniidae, Saginae), <em>Cultrinotus luanensis</em> Uvarov, 1953 = <em>Cultrinotus poultoni</em> Bólivar, 1915 (Pamphagidae, Porthetinae). Further, the following species are recorded for the first time from Zambia: <em>Pardalota haasi</em> Griffini, 1908, <em>Melidia brunneri</em> Stål, 1876, <em>Phaneroptera nigropunctata</em> Chopard, 1955, <em>Dannfeltia nana</em> Sjöstedt, 1902 (Tettigoniidae, Phaneropterinae), and <em>Enyaliopsis petersii</em> (Schaum, 1853) (Tettigoniidae, Hetrodinae). Some taxonomic considerations are also made about the specialization of the inner side of the hind femur in the genus <em>Cultrinotus</em>.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1jk9n8j9 Wed, 8 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Massa, Bruno https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1dp3x8g0 <p><em>Akymnopellis chilensis</em> (Gervais, 1847) (Scolopendridae, Scolopendromorpha, Chilopoda), a centipede species endemic to Chile, plays a crucial role in soil ecosystems, but its distribution is still poorly studied. This study aims to predict its potential distribution using three variables sets to build two species distribution models (SDM). We ask: (1) which climatic and environmental variables best explain the distribution of this species, and (2) whether its predicted potential range extends beyond the currently known records. MaxEnt and Random Forest algorithms were performed using three sets of environmental variables: (1) core climate variables, (2) annual temperature and precipitation, and (3) seasonality of temperature and precipitation. All models showed good predictive performance (AUC &gt; 0.92 in all cases) with high AUC values. Species distribution modelling in Chile is centred primarily between 30° and 40° S latitude. The results indicate that current records... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1dp3x8g0 Wed, 8 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Soto-Saravia, Ricardo Vega-Román, Emmnuel https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5666-0433 Collado, Gonzalo A. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9076-4255 Pizarro-Araya, Jaime https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1595-6924 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1100t9ck <p>Globalisation has resulted in the introduction of alien species into new regions at an unprecedented rate. Some of these species become naturalised and pose a risk to the environment, agriculture, and human health. Insects represent one of the most invasive taxa with several disease vectors as well as agriculture and forest pests. Amongst the latter,&nbsp;<em>Corythucha</em> species are considered emerging pests since their life-history traits and host plant trade are helping their rapid spread. Therefore, early monitoring and reporting of highly invasive insect species are fundamental to implement pest management actions aimed at curtailing environmental and socioeconomic damage caused by these species. To this end, I updated the currently known distribution of alien <em>Corythucha</em> species invading Italy using a citizen-science approach, which is an easily repeatable approach that can be applied to other invasive species. In total, 234 records were retrieved from online... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1100t9ck Wed, 8 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Sogliani, Davide https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6455-7823 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0sn9v1jf <p>The hydrozoan fauna of the Mediterranean Sea is considered as the best-known fauna of this class in the world, and the last monograph covers 457 species representing about 12% of the 3,702 currently valid species reported in the last world assessment of hydrozoan diversity. In this paper the checklist of the hydrozoan marine species is reported for the nine Italian marine biogeographical units, updating the one previously published in the series ‘Checklist delle Specie della Fauna d'Italia’ in 1995 that reported 319 hydrozoans on 463 cnidarian taxa. This note describes the state of the art of the Italian Hydrozoa checklist data set until June 2024. In detail, the updated checklist includes 340 hydrozoan species (128 Anthoathecata; 121 Leptothecata; 53 Siphonophorae; 6 Limnomedusae; 3 Actinulida; 14 Narcomedusae; 15 Trachymedusae), representing 74% of Mediterranean hydrozoan species. In detail in the current Italian Hydrozoa checklist, 40 species were added (increase of 12%)... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0sn9v1jf Wed, 8 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Gravili, Cinzia https://escholarship.org/uc/item/196133z6 <p>Springtails (Collembola) are among the most abundant subterranean invertebrates, yet knowledge of their diversity in Italian caves remains incomplete. This study serves to update the Italian cave springtail checklist, which has been previously documented as containing 106 species. The updated checklist, which incorporates data from literature up to the year 2025, as well as the results of new field surveys conducted in northern Italy and DNA barcoding analyses, now lists 134 species. Among the recorded taxa, 38 are obligate cave-dwellers and 28 are endemic, with Onychiuridae being the most represented family. The following three new species are described: <em>Onychiuroides alpinus</em> n. sp., <em>Deuteraphorura venetiana</em> n. sp., and <em>Protaphorura baldanii</em> n. sp. These species are from Veneto and Lombardy. The analysis of data from ice caves has led to the conclusion that these environments serve as refugia for cold-adapted species. Furthermore, the data suggest... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/196133z6 Mon, 29 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Valle, Barbara https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4829-4776 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8zx3540x <p>The new Checklist of the Italian Fauna provides an updated inventory of Cladocera species in Italy, encompassing the orders Ctenopoda, Anomopoda, Onychopoda, and Haplopoda. The checklist contains 121 species belonging to 13 families, with Chydoridae and Daphniidae being the most abundant. Seven freshwater species have been added since the previous checklist, while the number of marine species remains unchanged at six. Following recent taxonomic revisions, changes in the nomenclature have been introduced, primarily within the subfamily Aloninae. None of the species is endemic to Italy, but six are considered alien. The presence of species in each macroregion and administrative region is reported, with the number of species per region ranging from 10 in Molise to 77 in Lombardy administrative regions. A total of 165 new regional citations are recorded, with southern regions showing increases exceeding 40% of their total records respect to the previously reported ones in the CKmap... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8zx3540x Sun, 21 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Vagaggini, Daria Marrone, Federico Stoch, Fabio Margaritora, Fiorenza Gabriella https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5872r9fm <p>The Nuratau Mountains located in the central part of Uzbekistan, in the transitional zone between the Mountain Central Asian and Turan phytogeographical provinces, are recognized as one of Key Biodiversity Areas within the Mountains of Central Asia Global Biodiversity Hotspot. These medium-altitude semiarid mountains are identified as one of centers of endemism and priority areas for conservation of plant diversity. This article provides a retrospective review of a 150-year history of scientific exploration of unique flora of this region, highlighting key publications and findings, herbarium collections and collectors. Overall, 1% of herbarium specimens from the Nuratau Mountains were gathered in the 19th century; 69% of all records were made during the 20th century, and 30% of the data were collected since 2000. An essential source of information on the flora of the Nuratau Mountains and the spatial distribution of species is the National Herbarium of Uzbekistan (TASH), which... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5872r9fm Tue, 2 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Beshko, Natalya https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7803-8525 Khabibullaev, Bekhruz Shomurodov, Khabibullo https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6587-2414 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/85g3s82f <p>Dark colour aberrations in reptiles are rarely mapped and poorly understood. We document the first axanthism-like Aesculapian snake (<em>Zamenis longissimus</em>) from Lombardy, Italy, and merge this record with 44 earlier reports from the literature and iNaturalist. An ensemble ecological niche model calibrated with three uncorrelated WorldClim variables (i.e., mean annual temperature, mean diurnal temperature range and annual precipitation) achieved good performance (AUC = 0.84 ± 0.04; TSS = 0.58 ± 0.08). Mean diurnal temperature range emerged as the strongest predictor, with suitability increasing in warmer regions that experience smaller day–night thermal amplitudes. Predicted hotspots for the dark morph include the Atlantic coasts of Spain and France, the Tyrrhenian margin from Liguria into Piedmont, the eastern Adriatic littoral, and Black Sea coastlines of Russia, Georgia and Turkish Thrace. These areas largely coincide with published and citizen-science records, lending... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/85g3s82f Fri, 10 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Colla, Luca Dolamulla Hewa Kankanamge, Imasha Storniolo, Federico Di Nicola, Matteo Riccardo https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6fc024qv <p>We provide an inventory of the spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) inhabiting the Val Grande National Park (NW - Italy) based on literature data, reliable iNaturalist observations and an original survey conducted between 2018 and 2019 in the frame of the “Biodiversity Monitoring Project” (BMP). In total, we report 157 species belonging to 92 genera and 25 families, including 11 new records for Piemonte and 103 new records for the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola. Linyphiidae and Gnaphosidae were the most represented families, consistently with other protected areas across the Alps. Most species exhibited a Palearctic or European distribution, with a small proportion of endemics. Based on the original data gathered with standardized transects of pitfall traps we analysed species richness and abundance along the altitudinal gradient, revealing a general increasing trend with elevation. We also analyse the relationship between species composition and environmental variables using Canonical... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6fc024qv Fri, 10 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Tolve, Marco https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3013-7337 Isaia, Marco https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5c71699h <p>Biodiversity data is essential for eco-evolutionary research. However, data is often scarce for difficult-to-study ecosystems, such as caves and other subterranean environments. Here, we present a taxonomically and geographically consistent database of subterranean spiders from the Italian Western Alps, a coherent biogeographical region with a long history of subterranean fauna diversification. The database (https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.28524383.v1) comprises 370 geo-referenced subterranean sites (caves, mines, and other artificial subterranean systems). For each site, we provide information on the composition of the spider community (with species richness ranging from 1 to 8 species per site), along with local geomorphological and site features. Collectively, these communities account for 31 unique species and 945 unique geo-referenced occurrence records, which are made available via the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF: https://www.gbif.org/dataset/72eef995-01bd-44f2-937a-23dbfe66283d).... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5c71699h Wed, 16 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Nicolosi, Giuseppe https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6360-7171 Martínez García, Alejandro https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0073-3688 Piano, Elena https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4685-7240 Isaia, Marco Mammola, Stefano https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4471-9055 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4vw5v91r <p>The <em>Lichenotheca Veneta</em> is a collection of lichen <em>exiccata</em> published in 1869 and preserved in its original form at the Museum of Natural History “Giancarlo Ligabue” of Venice. The collection, which contains 268 specimens belonging to 188 species, 123 genera, 45 families, 22 orders and 7 classes, was recently digitized and published online in the form of a web portal. The dataset, which contains a record for each specimen along with one or more digital images of each specimen, is available through the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4vw5v91r Wed, 2 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Martellos, Stefano Zardini, Maria Seggi, Linda Conti, Matteo Trabucco, Raffaella https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3kv6v3g8 <p>The Sicily Channel islands are known as biogeographic crossroads between European and African fauna. In this context, Lampedusa hosts a mainly Maghrebian herpetofauna, among which a Moorish gecko (<em>sensu lato</em>) belonging to a North African species-rank clade, provisionally named "<em>Tarentola fascicularis/deserti</em>" (<em>sensu </em>Rato et al., 2017). Here, we investigated the distribution of <em>Tarentola</em> spp. using the 16S mitochondrial DNA fragment on individuals from Lampedusa and verified the possible occurrence of <em>T. mauritanica</em>. This is a widely introduced species, hardly distinguishable based on morphological traits from <em>T. fascicularis/deserti</em>. Our molecular results support the hypothesis that both <em>T. fascicularis/deserti</em> and <em>T. mauritanica</em> occur in Lampedusa. Furthermore, nine out of eleven sequences are lumped together with <em>T. fascicularis/deserti</em> clade, suggesting the natural biogeographic connection between... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3kv6v3g8 Wed, 2 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Mori, Emiliano https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8108-7950 Ancillotto, Leonardo https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8774-0671 Di Nicola, Matteo Riccardo https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7199-0804 Vecchioni, Luca https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4325-9728 Faraone, Francesco Paolo https://orcid.org/0009-0005-0747-0552 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2vh383qg <p>An updated version of the ‘Checklist of the Italian Fauna’ for the families Cicindelidae and Carabidae (Insecta: Coleoptera) is presented here. The list reflects the state of art of taxonomic and chorological knowledge of Italian species in December 2024. The new checklist records 1688 taxa (specific + subspecific rank) of Cicindelidae and Carabidae, corresponding to 1442 species. The distribution of taxa in four macro-regions (N, S, Si, Sa) as well as in all Italian administrative regions is reported too. The number of endemic species is relevant (453), corresponding to 31.5% of recorded taxa. Compared to the previous Checklist by Vigna Taglianti, published in 2005, the number of Cicindelid and Carabid species recorded from the Italian political territory has increased from 1333 to 1442. The main changes concern the subfamilies Scaritinae and Trechinae, with numerous additions of new hypogean taxa, all endemic to Italian territory. Explanatory notes are provided for the adopted... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2vh383qg Mon, 14 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Casale, Achille Allegro, Gianni Magrini, Paolo Benelli, Alessio https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3mn0s0cb <p>Specimens deposited in Natural History Museum collections are vital for the study of biodiversity, human drivers of biodiversity loss, and other environmental and socioeconomic problems. Despite recent advances in filling our knowledge gaps regarding the myrmecofauna of Cyprus, the island’s biodiversity is considered to be under-sampled. In this article, ant specimens from Cyprus deposited at the Natural History Museums of Crete, the Agricultural University of Athens (Greece), the Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle de Genève (Switzerland), the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (Belgium), and the Lund University Biological Museum (Sweden) are examined, presenting a total of 163 specimens belonging to 24 species examined. Stigmatomma denticulatum Roger, 1859 (Amblyoponinae), Myrmecina graminicola (Latreille, 1802), Stenamma debile (Foerster, 1850) (Myrmicinae), and Cryptopone ochracea (Mayr, 1855) (Ponerinae) are reported for the first time for the island of Cyprus, raising... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3mn0s0cb Fri, 28 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Demetriou, Jakovos https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5273-7109 Borowiec, Lech Georgiadis, Christos Dekoninck, Wouter Laebens, Tim Salata, Sebastian https://escholarship.org/uc/item/597894xv Mountains are estimated to harbor the highest diversity in many taxonomic groups. However, patterns of elevational distributions and their underlying explanatory environmental variables have not been well studied in amphibians. We explore elevational patterns of species richness in amphibians and evaluate seven environmental models that may explain such patterns. We also test how the spatial scale of elevational bands affects the perceived patterns and the power of the explanatory variables. We utilize records from the most comprehensive amphibian database of Mexico. Gradients were selected across five Mexican mountain ranges, for both coastal and continental slopes, according to four criteria that allowed for standardization. Species richness-elevation relationships were classified into five patterns as described in the literature. Generalized linear models were applied to test six models, which include temperature, precipitation, water-energy dynamics, topographic heterogeneity... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/597894xv Fri, 14 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Rivera-Reyes, Ricardo Goyenechea Mayer-Goyenechea, Irene Ochoa Ochoa, Leticia Margarita https://escholarship.org/uc/item/46x0683w <p>Microscopic terrestrial invertebrates, such as tardigrades and nematodes, have been historically understudied and misunderstood. Terrestrial habitats of tardigrades and nematodes, like moss and lichens, have been sparingly identified throughout scientific and natural history. Additionally, many regions within the United States have little-to-no records of tardigrade and nematode taxa from moss and lichens. In the current study, we collected moss, lichen, and liverwort samples from multiple state parks and areas within Southwest Wisconsin to investigate tardigrade and nematode communities. Generalized Linear Models confirmed that habitat species, substrate, site location, and elevation had a significant effect on tardigrade and nematode abundances. We also report significant associations of certain tardigrade and nematode taxa with their respective cryptogam habitats. Furthermore, we report a new distribution of the heterotardigrade species <em>Viridiscus</em> aff. <em>perviridis</em>... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/46x0683w Fri, 14 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Loeffelholz, Jacob Daniel Raynor, Seth Sánchez-Moreno, Sara Momeni, Sogol Manzitto-Tripp, Erin https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7tf8c742 <p><em>Pomacea canaliculata</em> (Caenogastropoda: Ampullariidae) is a freshwater snail native to the lower Del Plata basin in South America. However, along with other species collectively known as “apple snails”, it has been introduced to many regions outside its natural range. In these areas, it has spread rapidly, causing extensive damage to aquatic crops and adversely affecting the biodiversity and ecological functioning of natural wetlands. This publication aims to present an updated, accurate, and open-access database of <em>P. canaliculata</em> occurrence records worldwide. The database is intended to support ecological studies and pest management initiatives, with a particular emphasis on distinguishing <em>P. canaliculata</em> from other apple snail species to prevent misidentifications. It compiles all reliable records of <em>P. canaliculata</em> from both its native and invaded ranges, offering comprehensive coverage of its global distribution. The result is a dataset... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7tf8c742 Thu, 13 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Seuffert, María Emilia Martín, Pablo Rafael https://escholarship.org/uc/item/515458vk <p>Areas of endemism are defined as regions where two or more species share congruent distributions, representing primary homologies in historical biogeography. These areas are critical for conservation efforts. This study identified areas of endemism in Paraguay using an endemicity analysis (EA) with NDM/VNDM software, based on 2,587 records of 106 plant species. We used grids of 0.5° and 0.6° latitude and longitude to evaluate the stability of these areas across different spatial scales. Sixty areas of endemism were identified and grouped into seven consensus areas. Two of these areas, located in the Dry Chaco and the Alto Paraná Atlantic Forest (BAAPA), were consistent across both scales. No endemism areas were found in the Humid Chaco or Pantanal regions. In the Cerrado, two consensus areas overlapped with those of the BAAPA. Additionally, a consensus area was identified in the Cordillera de los Altos and the southern BAAPA region, highlighting a biogeographic transition and... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/515458vk Thu, 13 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Avila-Torres, Ruben Ignacio Vogt, Christian https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9728k343 The dataset of free-living soil nematodes from Colección Helmintológica of Museo de La Plata is presented.&nbsp;There is a large knowledge gap regarding soil nematodes especially in Argentina but also in the Neotropical region and this dataset provides information on this topic. The collection includes more than 850 specimens, organized in 294 lots of nematodes sampled or/and studied by Dr. Eliseo Chaves between 1975 and 2022. The specimens belong to 67 genera, 28 families, eight orders. The dataset is included in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF,&nbsp;&nbsp;https://www.gbif.org), under the publisher Museo de La Plata (Argentina). https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9728k343 Wed, 18 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Brusa, Francisco https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2206-1560 MERLO ÁLVAREZ, Víctor Hugo Chaves, Eliseo Damborenea, Cristina https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3tv1c92j This study presents&nbsp;updated observation data and mapping of habitat suitability for the endemic&nbsp;snake species Platyceps gracilis (GÜNTHER, 1862). The objective is to improve understanding of its distribution patterns and conservation needs. Observations from field surveys supplemented by literature reviews and citizen science contributions were used in mapping the habitat suitability using Maxent software across Indian subcontinent. Our findings&nbsp;enhance&nbsp;the extent of its known distribution and provide insight into its preferred habitat. regions with a high potential for P. gracilis occurrence were identified by habitat suitability mapping, emphasizing priority regions for conservation efforts. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3tv1c92j Mon, 16 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Sharma, Vivek Choudhary, Rounak Dutta, Subroto Singh, Pawan Kumar Kumawat, Rakesh Kumar Sharma, Krishan https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6780102w The status of a distinct biogeographical sector for the area of the Strait of Messina has been widely acknowledged in the last two decades. However, clear-cut limits of this sectors have never been formalised. With the understanding that in nature the limits of biogeographical sectors are usually not clear-cut, and for the sake of unequivocally placing occurrences in this sector we have here: (1) summarized the history of the classification of the Strait of Messina as a biogeographical sector, and (2) provided the conventional limits of Sector 4, as far as possible reflecting main ecological traits and recognizable discontinuities with the neighbour sectors https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6780102w Tue, 26 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Giacobbe, Salvatore Oliverio, Marco https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0w88428q The Brahminy blind snake, Indotyphlops braminus , is the most widely introduced reptile globally. Its spread has been facilitated by the international plant trade, owing to its ability to inhabit plant pots. In Europe, I. braminus is found in Spain (mainland Spain and Canary Islands: Tenerife, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and La Gomera), Portugal (Madeira Island), Malta and Italy (Ischia and Sicily Islands). This study presents data on the long-term persistence of I. braminus at the first occurrence site in Sicily (Paceco, western Sicily) and new records of the species in this region. Observations in Paceco from 2017 to 2023 suggest the possible survival of a population. Furthermore, individuals attributable to this species were observed in two additional sites, both in urban contexts: the island of Pantelleria (Sicily channel) where two specimens were found in the same site in 2023 and 2024 and Valderice (western Sicily). Our findings indicates that I. braminus ... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0w88428q Fri, 5 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Faraone, Francesco Paolo Di Nicola, Matteo Riccardo Barraco, Luigi Lillo, Francesco https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5h63m4qt We report the first observations regarding the presence of the leaf-toed gecko, Euleptes europaea , in Sicily. During field activities for environmental impact assessment several leaf-toed gecko individuals were found in a restricted coastal area in the north-west of the island, near the city of Palermo. Further surveys were then carried out to better assess the presence of the species. A total of 21 E. europaea individuals were observed in a small area of approximately 4.4 hectares, consisting of mixed eucalyptus and pine reforestation. Out of the 21 individuals, there were 14 males, 5 females, and 2 whose sex could not be determined. Additionally, at least two pregnant females were observed. Leaf-toed geckos were found exclusively under eucalyptus bark, syntopic with two other Gekkota species ( Tarentola mauritanica and Hemidactylus turcicus ). The presence of such a breeding population of E. europaea is probably limited to a small area. However, our results do not allow... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5h63m4qt Tue, 18 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Giacalone, Gabriele Faraone, Francesco Paolo Pecoraro, Marco Sarà, Maurizio https://escholarship.org/uc/item/56j8n6km An updated version of the ‘Checklist of the Italian Fauna’ for the suborder Heteroptera (Insecta: Hemiptera) is presented here. The list reflects the state of art of chorological knowledge of both aquatic and terrestrial Italian Heteroptera in November 2020. The checklist records 1395 species-group taxa belonging to 6 infraorders and 48 families. The total number of species-group taxa includes 44 taxa currently considered endemic to Italy, 12 subendemic, 13 introduced and 10 cryptogenic. The distribution of Italian Heteroptera in the new checklist is based on the subdivision of Italy in two macro-regions, Continental Italy and Peninsular Italy, and two major islands, Sicily and Sardinia. Compared to the previous Checklist by Faraci &amp; Rizzotti Vlach, published in 1995, the new one contains nomenclatural changes, additions and exclusions of species based on the perusal of 220 literature sources. The main changes concern the families Miridae (21 synonymies, 26 exclusions and... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/56j8n6km Thu, 13 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Cianferoni, Fabio Carapezza, Attilio Faraci, Franco https://escholarship.org/uc/item/211226gv The selection of strategic conservation areas is a complex undertaking that requires the integration of various elements, including planning, indicators, and mapping. An extensive evaluation of vertebrate distribution patterns in Espírito Santo state, southern Brazil, revealed the existence of four consensus areas defined by two endemicity methods that can be designated as priority regions for multitaxa conservation. A brief remark is made regarding the importance of endemic areas and biogeographic units in the definition of priority areas for conservation. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/211226gv Thu, 9 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Vieira-Guimarães, Felipe Malheiro de Oliveira, André Luis Gadelha de Almeida, André Luiz Peres Pereira, Araiene Foerste, Brenda Malavazi Dell’ Antonio, Bruna Pinheiro Gomes, Bruno Frechiani de Oliveira, Carla Pérez-Castillo, Carlos David Elias Franco, Erica Ortolane Medeiros, Gabriela Brandão Garcia, Gustavo Jabour e Silva, Isabela Pasinato Silva, João Vitor Damásio, Lucas Nunes Rodrigues, Leydiane Freitas Silva, Marcos Vinícius Tavares de Souza, Maryana Quadros de Menezes, Paulo dos Santos Melotti, Ricieire Targino da Silva, Thassiane Pereira Quirino, Welton Sarmento-Soares, Luisa Maria https://escholarship.org/uc/item/96k0z72k The flowerpot blindsnake ( Indotyphlops braminus ), native to India, nowadays holds the widest global distribution among the snakes, due to passive transport by humans. Previous genetic analysis showed that two geographically separated mtDNA clades occur in India, one confined to the wetter parts of Western Ghats (“wet zone” clade), while the other distributed in the drier parts of central and eastern peninsular India (“dry zone” clade). All the so far studied flowerpot specimens found all over the world belong to the “wet zone” clade and are characterized by a very low mtDNA diversity. In this paper, the phylogenetic position, based on two mtDNA markers (16S and cytb) was assessed for one specimen of flowerpot blindsnake found in Ischia Island (Italy), one of the two localities where the species has been introduced in the country. The results showed an elevated divergence between the Ischia specimen and all other specimens from different worldwide non-native location (7.9% for... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/96k0z72k Fri, 12 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Castiglia, Riccardo Annesi, Flavia Grano, Mauro https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7ch3n704 Data on the distribution of 238 European black fly taxa recorded in 97 operational geographical units (OGUs), of which 54 are European, were taken from published primary and secondary sources, summarised, numerically analysed and evaluated for chorotype identification. In continental Europe, 225 species have been recorded, of which 91 were registered only on the mainland. On the European islands, 70 species have been recorded, 13 of which are exclusively there; among them, 10 are European endemics (5 on the Mediterranean islands and 5 in Macaronesia). The individual species were recorded in 1–64 OGUs, the observed frequency distribution of species, according to the occupied OGUs, is strongly asymmetric and skewed to the right. This distribution does not fit the Fisher’s log-series distribution, the zero-truncated negative binomial, or the zero truncated Poisson distributions. The prevailing number of European black flies has a clear tendency to occupy small ranges. More than half... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7ch3n704 Wed, 6 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Jedlička, Ladislav Kúdela, Matúš Kúdelová, Tatiana https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2w01r2mq <p>We studied a <em>Triops</em> population from a Mediterranean temporary pond located in Guadalcázar, a township in the western part of Córdoba Province. There are four morphologically similar species of <em>Triops</em> occurring in the SW Iberian Peninsula. In particular, the two species found in southern Andalusia, <em>T. baeticus</em> and <em>T. gadensis</em>, cannot reliably be told apart based on known morphological characters. We thus used sequences of 12S rDNA as a molecular marker to soundly identify the population to species rank. Our results demonstrate that the <em>Triops</em> population studied belongs to <em>T. gadensis</em>. This result is rather unexpected given that the species was thought to be restricted to a small distribution range along the Atlantic coast in Cádiz Province. The population is located at approximately 170 km from previously known sites of <em>T. gadensis</em> and shows a previously unknown haplotype, the sixth 12S haplotype reported for the... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2w01r2mq Wed, 7 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000 López-Martínez, Mónica Garcia-De-Lomas, Juan Marrone, Federico Vecchioni, Luca Faraone, Francesco Paolo Korn, Michael https://escholarship.org/uc/item/36v7z1xj We report the results of a faunistic survey focused on freshwater and limno-terrestrial meiofauna to improve biodiversity knowledge in a protected area in the Eastern part of the French Pyrénées: the Massane Forest Reserve (336 Ha). The survey provided 1187 occurrence records from 315 taxa (most resoved at species-level), uploaded as a shared online dataset. The highest number of occurrences and distinguishable morpho-taxon belong to the group&nbsp;Nematoda (775 occurrences, 172 taxa), followed by Rotifera (219 occurrences, 67 taxa), Platyhelminthes (85 occurrences, 32 taxa), Tardigrada (69 occurrences, 25 taxa), and Gastrotricha (39 occurrences, 19 taxa). A diversity of meiofaunal&nbsp;organisms&nbsp;was&nbsp;found, in large numbers, in all the samples screened:&nbsp;from stream biofilms and sediments, to&nbsp;forest floor soils, mosses, and litter,&nbsp;to a broad range of tree-related micro-habitats associated with beech-like epixylic mosses and lichens, tree cavities, woodpecker... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/36v7z1xj Mon, 1 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Majdi, Nabil Araujo, Thiago Quintao Bekkouche, Nicolas Fontaneto, Diego Garrigue, Joseph Larrieu, Laurent Kamburska, Lyudmila Kieneke, Alexander Minowa, Axell Kou Laumer, Christopher Sabatino, Raffaella Sorel, Diane Stec, Daniel Traunspurger, Walter https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1336z65z <p>The author has carried out a bibliographic survey of the status of breeding forest birds in Italy over 15 decades (1872-2022) in order to establish an objective long-term trend (stable, increasing, decreasing, etc.). The number of breeding forest birds in Italy amounts to 61; their distribution, with a few exceptions, indicates that they are widespread in Eurasia, but only a small percentage of Eurasian forest species have colonized Italy and the other Mediterranean peninsulas, namely 49 in Iberian, 61 in Italian and 64 in Balkan peninsulas; a small percentage of them (between 15.6 and 19.7%) belongs to trans-Saharan migrants, and between 31.2 and 40.8% increases their populations in winter. The similarity between the forest species on the three peninsulas (Iberian, Italian, and Balkan) results between 0.45 and 0.48, indicating a certain difference in the overall avifauna in the three territories. Not all species have penetrated southwards into the three peninsulas; for example,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1336z65z Mon, 1 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Massa, Bruno https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0w91s5xt <p>We report for the first time the occurrence of the alien ant <em>Cardiocondyla obscurior </em>Wheeler, 1929 on the Greek island of Crete. <em>Cardiocondyla obscurior </em>is one of many congeneric taxa with worldwide success as tramp species, having attained a cosmopolitan distribution while having Indomalayan origins. It was first detected in Europe in 1999, and since 2015 it has started to be found outdoors in Southern European countries. Our record is the first in Europe in which the species is observed to be established outdoors in an agricultural area instead of an urban environment. Introduced <em>Cardiocondyla </em>ants are generally thought to have little ecological impact, although targeted studies have been lacking. <em>Cardiocondyla obscurior </em>is the third species of its genus to be found on the island of Crete, which is characterized by a remarkable ant diversity.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0w91s5xt Mon, 1 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Schifani, Enrico Georgiadis, Christos Menchetti, Mattia https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4wg1n19k Concluding remarks on the 42nd Congress of the Italian Biogeography Society (SIB) https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4wg1n19k Mon, 4 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Sbordoni, Valerio https://escholarship.org/uc/item/75k7z041 <p>Human activities have led to a substantial loss of biodiversity, with terrestrial ecosystems experiencing over a 20% average reduction. Conservation priorities are crucial, but data on species, threats, and protection are limited, especially in tropical countries like India. Open biodiversity data, facilitated by platforms like the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), are a powerful tool for addressing these challenges. This paper describes two datasets (for a total of more than 50,000 plant occurrences), primarily from the Western Ghats, a UNESCO World Heritage site and biodiversity hotspot. The two datasets could play a pivotal role in supporting conservation policies, since they provide valuable insights into the unique biodiversity of the Western Ghats.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/75k7z041 Wed, 27 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000 ANDRIEU, Julien Narayanan, Ayyappan Natesan, Balachandran Dhandapani, Balasubramanian Engineer, Riya Chandrasegarane, Pradeep Rajput, Krishna Kothandapani, Rameshkumar Ramakrishnan, Srilatha Nagar, Padamnabhi S https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0001n5qb <p>We present here a first comprehensive database on the diversity of proseriate flatworms (Platyhelminthes: Rhabditophora: Proseriata) on Western Mediterranean microtidal, wave dominated beaches. We sampled 116 stations in two years, through Spain (22 beaches, including Balearic Islands), France (25 beaches, including Corsica), Italy (63 beaches, including Sardinia, Sicily, and Lampedusa), and Tunisia (6 beaches). In each beach, we sampled at three depths, corresponding to the swash, shoal, and subtidal zones. For each sample, we obtained environmental data. The research yielded a total of 152 species, of which 93 were new to science. For each of the species found, we coded and described 16 functional traits. We discuss the functional meaning of the selected traits, as well as on diversity patterns and emerging biogeographic signals across the investigated regions. We particularly focused on the most widespread and dominant species in our dataset, concentrating on their putative... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0001n5qb Mon, 5 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Curini-Galletti, Marco Fontaneto, Diego Martinez, Alejandro https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0b1866th <p>During underwater monitoring, one specimen of <em>Camachoaglaja africana</em> and one of <em>Biuve fulvipunctata </em>were found at the ‘Tavolara Punta Coda Cavallo’ Marine Protected Area, allowing to expand the known Mediterranean range of distribution of these two species. The finding of both species constitutes the first report for NE Sardinia and the whole Tyrrhenian Sea. By coupling data obtained from the analysis of social media and those present in the bibliography it was also possible to speculate on alternative pattern of distribution of these two species at a global scale. Finally, it is also confirmed the importance of repeated monitoring activities over time on the mooring buoys which act as steppingstone habitats for epifauna or for larval settlement and that are capable to provide important additional information on local biodiversity.</p><p>&nbsp;</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0b1866th Wed, 15 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Trainito, Egidio Doneddu, Mauro Furfaro, Giulia https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6xq5x9x7 <p>The Mediterranean area is one of the biodiversity hotspots where some soil-borne taxa reach a high peak of diversity. Within this community, Protura is a poorly known taxon of euedaphic microarthropods. Based on the literature, 77 species belonging to 15 genera, arranged into four families and two orders have been recorded in the Mediterranean Basin. Records are concentrated in the northern part of this area (56 species are known in the North West and 28 in the North East), followed by Macaronesia (20 species) South-West (10) and South-East (6). This diversity distribution follows the uneven research effort dealing with this taxon. Much work is still needed, especially in areas that have been completely or largely neglected by researchers to date, before it can be considered that a solid knowledge base has been laid on Protura diversity and distribution.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6xq5x9x7 Thu, 2 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Galli, Loris https://escholarship.org/uc/item/72f1309t <p>Seventeen years after the publication of the last checklist of the damselflies and dragonflies found in Italy, an updated list has been compiled. This list reports 95 species belonging to 10 families and 38 genera and includes 2 national endemic and 1 sub-endemic species. Compared to the previous checklist, three species were removed, two subspecies were granted species status, and 10 species were added as new taxa for Italy. The checklist summarizes the current state of the knowledge on the geographical distribution of the Italian species with a regional detail. After the online publication of this dataset on the LifeWatch Italy website in 2021, some minor updates will be included in future releases. The newly discovered species are the result of increased exploration of the national territory combined with some possible range shifts, especially of Libellulidae species of Afro-Asiatic origin. This increased coverage of the country is the result of the efforts of many contributors.... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/72f1309t Sun, 1 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 La Porta, Gianandrea Landi, Federico Leandri, Fausto Assandri, Giacomo https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6zj391fb <p>We conducted a study on the taxonomic composition and diversity of thanatocoenoses of marine mollusks sampled at five sites on a circum-Sardinian island (San Pietro Island, South-Western Sardinia). The aim was to measure the differences in terms of biodiversity by analyzing shells &gt;2 mm. We collected 71 taxa (level of diversity γ) at five different sites. Four species represented more than half of the sample: <em>Bittium reticulatum</em>, <em>Glans trapezia</em>, <em>Lucinella divaricata</em> and <em>Truncatella subcylindrica</em>. We observed a high difference in the number of taxa (level of diversity α) between sites (range: 18-41; after normalization using the Margalef index: 9.45-15.84). The turnover of β-diversity between low-energy sites was lower than that among high-wave energy sites; low-energy wave sites located near shallow and extensive <em>Posidonia oceanica</em> beds showed the highest values of diversity metrics. Climatic factors related to wave energy (exposure... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6zj391fb Sun, 1 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Battisti, Corrado Cerfolli, Fulvio https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3vh2f1kf This data paper inventories the records of 1763 trilobites (including agnostoids) from the Middle Cambrian inner and outer platform of the Argentine Precordillera (San Juan and Mendoza provinces). They were collected by Dr. Osvaldo Bordonaro and his colleagues between 1994 and 2013 and studied within the framework of scientific research. The specimens are stored in the Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales (IANIGLA, CCT-CONICET Mendoza, Argentina), an official paleontological repository of Mendoza Province and are part of its Paleoinvertebrates Collection. The study of these trilobites contributed to the taxonomy of the group and allowed the establishment of important paleobiogeographic connections between Cuyania and Laurentia during the Cambrian. From a preliminary Microsoft Excel format, the dataset is now included in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF, https://www.gbif.org), under the publisher CCT-CONICET Mendoza (Argentina),... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3vh2f1kf Sun, 1 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Devincenzi, Susana Mariel Bordonaro, Osvaldo Luis https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3h91w7h0 Areas of endemism are the basic units for the analysis of historical biogeography, in addition to representing areas of conservation importance. An area of endemism is understood to be the congruence of the distribution areas of two or more species, which are considered primary biogeographic homologies resulting from a presumed common biogeographic history of the taxa that are shared by these areas. The objective of this work was to establish biogeographic patterns in Paraguay through the analysis and identification of areas of endemism. The analyses are based on a matrix composed of 8,117 records of 300 species, including 100 species of Plantae, 50 species of Insecta, 50 species of Amphibia, 50 species of Reptilia, and 50 species of Aves. The analyses performed included an endemicity analysis with cells of 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5 degrees of latitude and longitude. Using the endemicity analysis method, 129 areas of endemism were identified, which were summarized in 13 consensus areas,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3h91w7h0 Sun, 1 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Avila-Torres, Ruben Ignacio D'Elia, Guillermo Vogt, Christian Garcete-Barrett, Bolivar Escobar, Sara Maldonado, Gabriela https://escholarship.org/uc/item/03b155qr <p>The distribution, status, and phenology of the anostracan <em>Phallocryptus spinosus</em> in Sicily are described. The only population of the species to date known to occur with certainty on the island inhabits a few temporary water bodies located within the Natura2000 site “ITA010006 - Paludi di Capo Feto e Margi Spanò”. In these sites, the species co-occurs with an interesting halophilous flora and crustacean fauna. Based on available data, the concentration of dissolved salts in the water bodies seem to be the main driver of the life histories of the co-existing populations of the anostracans <em>Artemia salina</em> and <em>Phallocryptus spinosus</em>.</p><p>&nbsp;</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/03b155qr Sun, 1 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Marrone, Federico https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0vk3f412 <p>The salticid spider <em>Habrocestum graecum </em>Dalmas, 1920, until now only known from Greece, is for the first time recorded in Italy. Observations on ecology and behavior are also reported and pictures of its habitus and genitalia are provided. Furthermore, the first DNA barcode sequence for <em>H. graecum</em> is produced and made publicly available. The species has been observed in Puglia, in South-Eastern Italy, and a trans-Ionian dispersal pattern is most likely the cause of its presence both in Greece and Southern Italy, as reported for other taxa with similar distribution in different animal groups.</p><p>&nbsp;</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0vk3f412 Tue, 15 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Castellucci, Filippo Caroli, Monica Simeon, Enrico Kulczycki, Alessandro Piccinini, Andrea Luchetti, Andrea Legittimo, Carlo Maria https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4hs696vd <p>The <em>Santolina chamaecyparissus</em> complex includes 13 species of dwarf aromatic evergreen shrubs from the western Mediterranean Basin. Five native species occurring in Italy are currently accepted. Four of them are endemic to relatively restricted areas in the peninsula, whereas <em>S. corsica</em> Jord. &amp; Fourr. is endemic to Corsica and Sardinia. The taxonomic treatments of Italian S<em>antolina</em> have been changing significantly in the past, probably due to the misinterpretation of naturalised populations of <em>S. chamaecyparissus</em>, a widely cultivated pentaploid species, which occasionally escapes from cultivation through agamospermy or vegetative propagation. In this study, we carried out the first quantitative morphometric and comparative niche analyses concerning the four species endemic to continental Italy (<em>S. etrusca</em>, <em>S. ligustica</em>, <em>S. neapolitana</em>, and <em>S. pinnata</em>). Morphometric analyses (PCoA, Random Forest, and... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4hs696vd Mon, 8 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Giaco', Antonio De Giorgi, Paola Astuti, Giovanni Varaldo, Lucia Minuto, Luigi Peruzzi, Lorenzo https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1j82p1gq <p>After 15 years from its publication, the Szeptycki’s check-list of the Protura of the World has been updated. Five new genera and 98 new species since then were added. New taxonomical combinations have been adopted. Updates to the species distribution were also added. Globally, the new list shows 831 species belonging to 77 genera arranged in seven families and three orders.</p><p>&nbsp;</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1j82p1gq Thu, 21 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Galli, Loris https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9300p3xj <p>The amount of available Citizen Science data has increased significantly in the last two decades and has been used in several biogeographic studies as well. Citizen Science data are mostly collected through digital platforms, and especially mobile Apps. While the adoption of novel Information and Communications Technology (ICT) approaches potentially allow for a wider participation, recent studies have highlighted that the ability of making an intensive use of smartphones and mobile apps could decrease with users’ age. At the same time, data quality and commitment of volunteers in citizen science activities often increases with the age of volunteers. During the CSMON-LIFE (Citizen Science MONitoring) project volunteers provided their year of birth, thus allowing for inferences on the relation between age and data quality and retention rate. In this manuscript, a further investigation is carried out for understanding the potential effect of the digital gap that exists especially... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9300p3xj Tue, 21 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Martellos, Stefano Seggi, Linda Conti, Matteo https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6kd900r8 <p>We present a dataset reporting the checklist of the species of the family Simuliidae (Diptera, Nematocera) for Italy, updating the one previously published in the series ‘Checklist delle Specie della Fauna d'Italia’ in 1995. The records of the updated checklist refer to the 70 species currently known from areas politically falling within the borders of Italy (belonging to 6 genera: 55 to <em>Simulium </em>genus, 8 to <em>Prosimulium</em>, 3 to <em>Metacnephia</em>, 2 to <em>Urosimulium</em>, 1 to <em>Greniera</em>, 1 to <em>Twinnia</em>) at the regional level (20 terrestrial units). The records refer to various freshwater lotic habitats, from glacier melting waters to large plain rivers. The previous checklist reported a total number of 71 species, of which one represented in Italy with 2 subspecies, belonging to 5 genera: 58 to <em>Simulium </em>genus, 9 to <em>Prosimulium</em>, 3 to <em>Metacnephia</em>, 1 to <em>Greniera</em>, 1 to <em>Twinnia</em>; <em>Urosimulium</em>... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6kd900r8 Mon, 23 May 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Ciadamidaro, Simone Mancini, Laura https://escholarship.org/uc/item/89k0017q <p>In the present study, we analysed the bee fauna reported in the Egadi Archipelago (circumsicilian islands). Field and bibliographical research carried out have allowed us to identify 40 taxa, between species and subspecies, belonging to five families: Colletidae (3 species), Andrenidae (9 spp.), Halictidae (4 spp.), Megachilidae (15 spp.), and Apidae (9 spp.). Twenty-seven species are reported here for the first time for the Egadi Archipelago, together with 13 species previously known from this archipelago, of which five are confirmed. For each species, details on collection data, distribution, and plants visited are given. Amongst the species recorded, <em>Hylaeus duckei</em> (Alfken, 1904) (Colletidae) and <em>Osmia alfkenii</em> Ducke, 1899 (Megachilidae) are new for Sicily. We include the first ‘Checklist of bees of Egadi’s Archipelago’ (40 species reported). Furthermore, the Apidae <em>Nomada sicula</em> Schwarz, 1974 is reported for the first time as a parasite of <em>Panurgus... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/89k0017q Fri, 20 May 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Catania, Roberto Nobile, Vittorio Bella, Salvatore https://escholarship.org/uc/item/36v9p9tz We present a data set on marine mites (family Halacaridae) in European waters. The data set gathers all the published records of marine mites from the North European Seas, Lusitania, Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea marine provinces, all belonging to the temperate North Atlantic geographical realm. The database includes 3006 records collected from 260 original publications. For each record, the dataset provides complementary taxonomic, geographical, and ecological information, as well as remarks regarding the sampling methods used in each study. We use this dataset to briefly discuss potential knowledge gaps and biases across marine regions and habitats. We hope that these data will provide a baseline for further studies in biogeography and ecology. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/36v9p9tz Fri, 1 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Rubio-López, Iñigo Pardos, Fernando Martínez, Alejandro García-Gómez, Guillermo https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7gw8f063 <p>We present a data set reporting the checklist of the species of the phylum Rotifera for Italy, updating the one previously published in the series ‘Checklist delle Specie della Fauna d'Italia’ in 1995. The records of the updated checklist refer to the 483 taxa at the species and subspecies level currently known from national Italian territories (119 Bdelloidea, 362 Monogononta, 2 Seisonacea) at the regional level (22 terrestrial and nine marine geographical units). The records refer to various freshwater, limno-terrestrial, and marine coastal habitats. The previous checklist reported 245 taxa (54 Bdelloidea, 189 Monogononta, 2 Seisonacea): three taxa were removed because currently considered not valid and 241 were added, scanning 21 papers we found that were published between 1993 and 2020, expanding the regional records and including four papers older than 1993 with overlooked records in the previous checklist. The Rotifera data are part of the updated Checklist of the Italian... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7gw8f063 Mon, 21 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Fontaneto, Diego Bertani, Isabella Cancellario, Tommaso Rossetti, Giampaolo Obertegger, Ulrike https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0dx050b1 <p>Geothermal soils in Central Italy are characterized by high temperatures (up to 60°C), low pH values, and sparse vegetation. The biodiversity of entomopathogenic soil fungi and nematodes has never been assessed in these areas. Soil samples (N = 12) separated from each other by at least 100 meters were collected in the areas of Le Biancane Natural Park (Grosseto) and Sasso Pisano (Pisa). The <em>Galleria</em> bait method was used to assess the presence of entomopathogenic fungi and nematodes. A total of nine species of fungi and one nematode were isolated and molecularly identified. All these species came from samples collected in the immediate surroundings of geothermal spring, apart from one <em>Beauveria pseudobassiana</em> collected at about 16 meters from the nearest spring. Moreover, <em>Pristionchus</em> <em>uniformis</em> previously reported only from North America and few European countries is recorded for the first time in Italy.</p><p>&nbsp;</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0dx050b1 Fri, 4 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Viviano, Andrea Benvenuti, Claudia Strangi, Agostino Iovinella, Immacolata Mazza, Giuseppe Barzanti, Gian Paolo Torrini, Giulia Simoncini, Stefania Sciandra, Chiara Roversi, Pio Federico Barbieri, Francesco Mori, Emiliano https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6dd319zn <p>We present a data set reporting the checklist of the species belonging to the class Ascidiacea for the 9 Italian marine biogeographical units, updating the one previously published by Mastrototaro &amp; Tursi in 2010. In detail, the updated checklist includes 138 taxa at species level (66 Aplousobranchia, 30 Phlebobranchia and 42 Stolidobranchia). Records refer to various marine habitats, including lagoons, harbours and semi-enclosed environments as well as deep habitats. The previous checklist reported 129 taxa (66 Aplousobranchia, 27 Phlebobranchia and 36 Stolidobranchia): in detail, 12 species were added, of which four newly described species, seven non-indigenous species and a new record for the Italian waters. On the other hand, three species reported in the previous checklist were removed: two because currently considered dubious, and one because its occurrence in the Mediterranean Sea is not actually confirmed. Finally, two species were renamed because they are considered... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6dd319zn Wed, 2 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Mastrototaro, Francesco Montesanto, Federica https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1wf0c9kp We present a data set reporting the checklist of the species of the order Mecoptera for Italy, updating the one previously published in the series ‘Checklist delle Specie della Fauna d'Italia’ in 1995. The updated checklist comprises 11 taxa at the species and subspecies level, currently known from national Italian territories (7 Panorpidae, 2 Bittacidae, 2 Boreidae). The records are at the regional level and refer to various terrestrial habitats. The previous checklist reported 10 taxa (6 Panorpidae, 2 Bittacidae, 2 Boreidae): no taxa were removed because currently considered not valid and one was added, after scanning 16 papers published between 1993 and 2020 and expanding the regional records. The data set is freely available from LifeWatch Italy at https://www.lifewatchitaly.eu/en/initiatives/checklist-fauna-italia-en/checklist. The data set will be dynamically updated with new records; this paper describes the state of the art of the data set on December 2021. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1wf0c9kp Mon, 21 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Letardi, Agostino https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3vb180zz <p>Dehesas (i.e., substeppic prairies with <em>Quercus suber</em>) represent a poorly studied Mediterranean habitat type of high eco-biogeographic interest. Here, we applied a point-transect method along a yearly cycle (from spring to autumn), to focus on seasonal differences in bird assemblages inhabiting a Dehesas landscape in north-western Sardinia (Italy). We confirmed the presence of Mediterranean species with restricted ranges (e.g. <em>Sturnus unicolor, Sylvia sarda</em>). At the community level, seasonal patterns show significant differences among mean abundance, with a maximum in autumn and a minimum in summer. The highest values in autumn may be explained by the aggregations of wintering small passerines. Considering the univariate metrics of diversity, the number of species significantly differs among seasons, with the richest community in spring. Shannon-Wiener diversity and Margalef (normalized richness) were higher in spring and summer compared to autumn. Habitat... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3vb180zz Fri, 11 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Battisti, Corrado Fanelli, Giuliano Ferri, Vincenzo https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1p3053jq <p>In the last decades, urbanization has led to drastic changes in ecosystems. Although this phenomenon is one of the greatest threats to biodiversity, cities can host a high richness of biological diversity. Several authors have recently emphasized the role of urban biodiversity in mitigating the effects of climate change and in providing benefits to citizens. In this study, I investigate the orchid flora of the city of Cagliari. Although the Mediterranean cities have a significant native flora, purely floristic works in urban ecosystems are still rare. During a thirteen-year study I encountered seventeen species, two subspecies and three hybrids. However, three taxa were no longer found. This inventory can support urban conservation policies and their implementation in the development of sustainable cities.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1p3053jq Fri, 4 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Lussu, Michele https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0jv6h904 The Scientific Committee for the Italian Fauna is managing the new checklist of the animal species of Italy. The previous checklist was published in 1993-1995 and included both protozoans and Metazoa (more than 57,000 species); the new project, which includes only Metazoa, started in 2020 and is aimed at updating the former checklist (with more than 60,000 expected species) by on-line datasets and data papers. The new checklist includes marine species recorded in the Italian seas, divided into nine marine sectors, within the Italian Economic Exclusive Zone, and terrestrial and freshwater species recorded in administrative regions, as well as in the three macro-regions (northern continental, southern peninsular and insular - Sicily and Sardinia - macro-regions). Records from geopolitical units biogeographically related to Italy (i.e., Canton Ticino, CH; Corsica, F; San Marino Republic and Vatican City) are also included. Over 180 Italian and foreign taxonomists have so far participated... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0jv6h904 Fri, 28 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Bologna, Marco Alberto Bonato, Lucio Cianferoni, Fabio Minelli, Alessandro Oliverio, Marco Stoch, Fabio Zapparoli, Marzio https://escholarship.org/uc/item/35r617xv <p>This work presents an updated checklist and distribution of Coleoptera Elateridae of Italy. The data come from literature, from museums and private collections directly examined by the authors. The subfamilies Lissominae, Cebrioninae and Drilinae, which were previously considered independent families, are not included in the checklist, because there are not sufficient data. The distribution of the species is recorded and figured on maps at the provincial level, provided in a supplementary file, while the world distribution is given at the state level according to the Palearctic catalogue published by Cate in 2007 and the most recent works. The genus <em>Pseudathous</em> Méquignon, 1930 was resurrected for the species previously classified in the genus <em>Hemicrepidius</em> Germar, 1839 and <em>Megathous nigerrimus</em> (Desbrochers des Loges, 1870) is transferred to the genus <em>Hemicrepidius </em>Germar, 1839 according to recent taxonomic revision. For not recorded species... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/35r617xv Sat, 22 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Pulvirenti, Edoardo Platia, Giuseppe https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8dj3k3rb <p>The mollusc fauna of the Mediterranean Sea is still considered as the best-known marine mollusc fauna in the world. The previous modern checklists of marine Mollusca were produced by joint teams of amateurs and professionals. During the last years the Italian Society of Malacology (Società Italiana di Malacologia – S.I.M.) maintained an updated version of the Mediterranean checklist, that served as the backbone for the development of the new Italian checklist. According to the current version (updated on April 1st, 2021), 1,777 recognised species of marine molluscs are present in the Italian Economic Exclusive Zone, including also the Tyrrhenian coasts of Corsica and the continental shelf of the Maltese archipelago. The new checklist shows an increase of 17% of the species reported in the 1995 Checklist. This is largely (yet not solely) due to the new wave of studies based on Integrative Taxonomy approaches. A total of 135 species (7.6%) are strictly endemic to the Italian... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8dj3k3rb Fri, 7 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Renda, Walter Amati, Bruno Bogi, Cesare Bonomolo, Giuseppe Capua, Domenico Dell'Angelo, Bruno Furfaro, Giulia Giannuzzi Savelli, Riccardo La Perna, Rafael Nofroni, Italo Pusateri, Francesco Romani, Luigi Russo, Paolo Smriglio, Carlo Tringali, Lionello Paolo Oliverio, Marco https://escholarship.org/uc/item/57p2v162 <p>In the city of Genoa (NW Italy) three breeding species of Psittaciformes are known to occur: <em>Psittacula krameri</em>, <em>Amazona ochrocephala </em>and<em> Amazona aestiva. </em>We planned to update the knowledge of these alien species involving citizens in a project coordinated and managed by professional scientists and technicians from the Genoa University, the Natural History Museum “<em>G. Doria</em>”, the Municipality of Genoa and the Ligurian Environmental Protection Agency (ARPAL). The aims of the research are to highlight and quantify the impact on the urban environment of parrots and parakeets and evaluate which aspects of their presence are most perceived (negatively or positively) by citizens. The data obtained so far, on the basis of 227 observations, have allowed us to outline some aspects of the biology and habits of local Psittaciformes. We have related these characteristics to the impact that these species have on citizens, in terms of hygienic problems... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/57p2v162 Sat, 1 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Ferretti, Stefano Doria, Giuliano Borgo, Enrico Caracciolo, Daniela Ottonello, Dario Soddu, Lorenzo Tognoni, Marco Galli, Loris https://escholarship.org/uc/item/48m6k64c <p>I present the updated version of the ‘Checklist of the Italian Fauna’ for what concerns ants (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae), which is part of the broader effort to produce an updated comprehensive checklist of the Italian fauna about 25 years after the first edition. The present list is the fourth Italian checklist of ants to be published since 1916, and refers to the state of art on November 2020. A simplified version of the data set is available as a supplementary file to this paper, while the full data set will be accessible in a regularly updated form from the LifeWatch Italy Data Portal (https://dataportal.lifewatchitaly.eu/data). Compared to the previous list by Poldi and others, published in 1995, the new one contains changes retrieved from 86 literature sources, including 17 published between 1921 and 1995 (which were missed in the previous checklist) and 69 published from 1996 to 2020. These references add 50 new species, including 9 new endemic species, as well... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/48m6k64c Sat, 1 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Schifani, Enrico https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2tq0n894 <p>On the sole basis of morphometric analysis, it was routinely presumed that <em>Pontia daplidice </em>(Linnaeus, 1758),<em> Zizeeria knysna </em>(Trimen, 1862) and <em>Polyommatus icarus </em>(Rottemburg, 1775), occur in Malta. Recent DNA-based investigations (in-part combined with morphometric analysis) on islands and continental landmasses in the central Mediterranean shed light on the phylogeography of these and other, closely related, species. The present contribution focuses on seasonal and multi-location investigations within Malta of the genera <em>Pontia</em>, <em>Zizeeria</em> and <em>Polyommatus</em>. Voucher specimens from Sicily, Lampedusa and Spain are also analysed. A total of 43 specimens, in the following configuration are examined: <em>Pontia</em> (<em>n</em>= 21), <em>Polyommatus</em> (<em>n</em> <sub>= 11), <em>Zizeeria</em> (<em>n</em> <sub>= 11). DNA results obtained confirm the presence in Malta of <em>Pontia edusa... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2tq0n894 Sat, 1 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Cassar, Louis Francis Galdies, Johann Galdies, Charles Catania, Aldo https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2nv5259q <p>Biogeography and the occurrence of small mammals are usually hard to investigate due to the small size and secretive habits of these mammals. Available data are particularly insufficient on minor islands and at national borders, where research efforts are usually scarce. Here we briefly updated the knowledge on murid rodents on two remote Italian small islands (Lampedusa and Pantelleria) at the southernmost Italian borders. During summer 2019, house mice and rats were sampled in Lampedusa and Pantelleria and molecular markers were sequenced for species identification. The new sequences of <em>Mus domesticus</em> were also compared with samples from previous works collected in Lampedusa, Pantelleria, and several localities in the Mediterranean basin. Moreover, our analyses provided the first genetic evidence of the occurrence of <em>Rattus norvegicus </em>in Lampedusa. To conclude, <em>R. rattus </em>was confirmed to be present in Pantelleria. The newly collected haplotype of... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2nv5259q Sat, 1 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Sciandra, Chiara Mori, Emiliano Solano, Emanuela Mazza, Giuseppe Viviano, Andrea Scarfò, Manuel Bona, Fabio Annesi, Flavia Castiglia, Riccardo https://escholarship.org/uc/item/072705tw <p><em>Formica clara </em>is an ant species that was historically confused with other congeneric species such as <em>F. rufibarbis </em>until recent taxonomic developments. Due to such misunderstanding, while <em>F. clara </em>is known to occur across a very large Eurasian range, its actual distribution in the Mediterranean is often scarcely known. The distribution of <em>F. clara </em>and <em>F. rufibarbis </em>in Italy is remarkably obscure since almost all records, which spanned across the whole Italian peninsula and Sardinia, were published between 1834 and 1969, at times when the two species were treated as a single taxon. The few modern records of the species testify the presence of <em>F. rufibarbis </em>in the Alps, and <em>F. clara </em>in the Alps, the Po Plain and Sardinia. Here we present some new distributional data on the two species, extending the geographic range of <em>F. rufibarbis </em>south to the Northern Apennines (225 km) and that of <em>F. clara </em>throughout... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/072705tw Sat, 1 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Schifani, Enrico Alicata, Antonio Menchetti, Mattia https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0zq4w9nn <p>The distribution of the Alpine marmot released in the Northern Apennines has been largely unstudied. In this note, we summarise the current distribution and the altitude range of the Alpine marmot in the Apennine ridge, 80 years after their first releases. We searched for marmot occurrence on the Apennines (i) on citizen-science platforms and (ii) through a webmail on Sciuridae distribution in Italy. We collected 80 marmot records validated by photos and by field investigations. We showed that Alpine marmots are present on over 70,000 ha in the Apennines, between Emilia Romagna and Tuscany. Most occurrences were recorded between 1600 and 1700 m a.s.l., in lines with other works on this species. Although the introduction of the Alpine marmot in the Apennines appears to have been successful, further molecular and ecological data are needed to assess origins and potential environmental impacts (e.g. on soil stability) of these established populations. This work may represent a... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0zq4w9nn Tue, 24 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Viviano, Andrea Mori, Emiliano https://escholarship.org/uc/item/80s80581 <p>The large branchiopod fauna of Sardinia is reviewed based both on literature and newly collected data. Based on the available evidence, 13 taxa are present on the island (8 Anostraca, 2 Notostraca, and 3 Spinicaudata). Among them, the finding of the spinicaudatan <em>Leptestheria dahalacensis</em> is new for Sardinia, while the spinicaudatans <em>Cyzicus bucheti </em>and <em>Eulimnadia </em>sp. were overlooked in the most recent synopses on the fauna of the island due to misidentifications. Conversely, <em>Cyzicus tetracerus</em> and <em>Limnadia lenticularis</em>, previously erroneously reported based on misidentifications, must be excluded from the fauna of Sardinia. The finding of <em>Eulimnadia</em> sp. is the first record in Europe and the northernmost record of the genus. The occurrence of <em>Leptestheria dahalacensis</em> in Sardinia is rather unexpected and probably due to its accidental introduction linked with rice cultures. At least four of the 13 Sardinian large... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/80s80581 Sun, 22 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Marrone, Federico Alfonso, Giuseppe Cottarelli, Vezio Botta, Marco Massimo Koepp, Christian Stoch, Fabio https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7nf2j08j <p>Joseph Pitton de Tournefort (1656-1708) is frequently mentioned in biogeography and ecology among those who, before von Humboldt, paralleled the elevational organization of vegetation to its latitudinal zonation on the basis of observations made on Mount Ararat and presented in his <em>Relation d'un voyage du Levant</em> (1717). However, as already noticed in overlooked notes by Hooker (1881) and Hemsley (1896), there is no hint to this correspondence in Tournefort’s description of his ascent of Mount Ararat. Linnaeus (1744) was the first author who, without any plausible reason, attributed the idea of this parallelism to Tournefort. Based on Linnaeus’ work, Mirbel (1815), von Humboldt (1816), Schouw (1823) and Forbes (1846) repeated this wrong credit. Works by these early authors have in turn generated an intricate pathway of repetition of original Linnaeus’ error until nowadays. Along with Tournefort, Linnaeus cited Cesalpino (1583), as one who found floral similarities between... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7nf2j08j Sat, 17 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Fattorini, Simone https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4v27z99f <p>Findings of <em>Lethocerus patruelis </em>(Stål, 1855) in Southern Italy have become frequent in the last decades. We collected records of <em>Lethocerus patruelis </em>observations in Italy using scientific literature, citizen science programs, and social networks as data sources to create a complete and up-to-date dataset. This dataset is made of 59 <em>Lethocerus patruelis </em>observations from the Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria, and Abruzzi regions, 32 of which were previously unpublished, spanning from 1997 to 2020. Half of these records comes from biodiversity dedicated Facebook groups, citizen science programs and online forums, underlining the usefulness of unconventional data sources to gather data on species with poorly known distributions. The existence of <em>Lethocerus patruelis </em>viable populations in Italy remains unclear.</p><p>&nbsp;</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4v27z99f Fri, 11 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Lo Parrino, Elia Tomasi, Filippo https://escholarship.org/uc/item/12r6m7r6 <p>Pycnogonida is a poorly known class of marine arthropods represented by nearly 1350 species described worldwide. We examined data about these organisms available on seven websites for photographs and information sharing among recreational naturalists. We found 384 observations, mainly with data about locality and date. Photos about 65 of them resulted correctly identified to the species level with certainty. The others refer to species whose identification requires a more in-depth analysis under a microscope. Unfortunately, this problem is common to a high percentage of pycnogonids. Therefore it seems unlikely that citizen scientists could contribute significantly to their knowledge. Nevertheless, for some species this would be possible and data on the presence of the taxon could be useful for more general studies at community level.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/12r6m7r6 Mon, 7 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Colasanto, Elisa Galli, Loris https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1842t3m0 <p>Islands represent interesting biogeographic features often defined by unique and dynamic geological and biological components. Such systems serve as examples of the basic fundamental units of biogeographical analyses: areas of endemism. The island of Jamaica is recognized as possessing a unique biota with a large number of herpetofauna species persisting only within the island. Further, Jamaica exhibits a dynamic geologic history characterized by an easterly migration and repeated inundation, resulting in a contemporary biota formed through dispersal. Here, we infer areas of endemism across Jamaica based on 57 amphibian and reptile distributions using Parsimony Analysis and Endemism (PAE). We recover 19 areas of endemism concentrated in two regions: The Blue Mountains region diagnosed by 8 taxa and the west/central limestone plateau region including Cockpit Country and the western Dolphin Head region, diagnosed by 9 taxa. Further discussion on the utility of ambiguous syntaxa... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1842t3m0 Wed, 14 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Stanely, Louis Murray, Christopher M Murray, Jon J Crother, Brian I https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6qh6z8dx <p>Here, I describe a new rotifer species within the <em>Ptygura elsteri</em> group collected from Mallorca, Spain (Palearctic). Previously reported from the Nearctic, this form possesses anatomical and ecological characteristics that indicate it to be a separate species. While other morphotypes assigned to the <em>P. elsteri</em> group have cervical hooks, the hooks on this morphotype are clearly different. In this report, I discuss previously published observations of this form, describe its anatomical and ecological details, and discuss its taxonomic position within the genus <em>Ptygura</em>. The name for this new species is <em>Ptygura innominata</em> n. sp.</p><p>&nbsp;</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6qh6z8dx Sun, 11 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Franch, Vicente https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3jd3n5s1 <p>Scarce data are currently available about the distribution of the Mediterranean medicinal leech <em>Hirudo verbana</em> in Italy, and most of the known occurrence localities are based on records collected in the nineteenth and the first half of the twentieth century, which were not confirmed in the last decades, mostly due to a lack of surveys. Accordingly, the available knowledge on the distribution of the species is far from being updated and representative, although a significant negative trend of <em>H. verbana</em> throughout the country is supposed. The lack of sound distribution data is a significant shortfall, which hinders the implementation of the monitoring of the species as required by the Article 17 of the “Habitats Directive” on the species of Union concern. To provide recent, validated distributional data for the Mediterranean medicinal leech in Italy to be used as baseline data for further surveys and monitoring, we present herein a set of unpublished observations... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3jd3n5s1 Fri, 12 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Marrone, Federico Alfonso, Giuseppe Barbagallo, Rosario Brandmayr, Pietro Bruni, Giacomo Costa, Simone Farina, Giovanni Gerecke, Reinhard Iannarelli, Angelina Mazza, Giuseppe Mazzei, Antonio Menchetti, Mattia Moretti, Valerio Mori, Emiliano Novaga, Riccardo Pecoraro, Marco Schifani, Enrico Stoch, Fabio Vecchioni, Luca https://escholarship.org/uc/item/44b847z4 The paper introduces GIS-based maps of the geomorphological and phytogeographical division of the Ukrainian Carpathians (a part of Eastern Carpathian Mts.), which were developed for routine use in biogeography and based on the consolidation of the existing publications. The map of geomorphological division includes 57 OGUs (operational geographic units), and the map phytogeographical division – 18 OGUs of the lowest rank. Geomorphological units are supported with available synonyms, which should help in work with different topic-related Ukrainian publications. Both maps follow strict hierarchical classification and are briefly discussed. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/44b847z4 Wed, 3 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Novikov, Andriy https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1sq7s7hq Biogeographia, the journal after the first five years online https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1sq7s7hq Fri, 22 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Fontaneto, Diego Sbordoni, Valerio https://escholarship.org/uc/item/965579b9 <p>Further to the debate associated with the viability of land-bound mammals being able to colonize remote frontiers by way of long-distance over-water dispersal, observations are documented of monkeys (red howlers, <em>Alouatta seniculus</em>) occupying free-standing trees within a large floating island on the Magdalena River in north-west Colombia. Also, we contribute to the discussion related to the 15.0–12.5 Ma (Middle Miocene) arrival of the howler monkeys in Central America, which is well before the Panama Isthmus had fully emerged 3.0–2.8 Ma (Late Pliocene). We speculate it was by way of a raft similar to the ones reported here, possibly from a river entering the sea from northern Colombia.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/965579b9 Fri, 15 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Ali, Jason Fritz, Uwe Vargas-Ramirez, Mario https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8728k0p8 <p>Ectosymbiotic temnocephalan flatworms belonging to the genus <em>Temnosewellia</em> Damborenea and Cannon, 2001 were collected on <em>Cherax destructor</em> Clark, 1936 in an aquaculture farm in Sicily, Italy. This represents the first record of a temnocephalan species for the fauna of the island. Morphological and molecular identification of the collected specimens proved that they belong to the allochthonous species <em>Temnosewellia minor</em> Haswell, 1888, which was introduced along with crayfishes bred in aquaculture farms. The phylogenetic analyses carried out for the molecular identification of the Sicilian population highlighted some inconsistencies in the grouping of the <em>Temnosewellia</em> sequences available online, thus stressing the opportunity of a careful re-examination of the voucher samples and their identifications. The risks of a its unwary introduction in the wild and the need of monitoring its possible impacts on native biota are briefly discussed.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8728k0p8 Fri, 1 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Vecchioni, Luca Chirco, Pietro Bazan, Giuseppe Marrone, Federico Arizza, Vincenzo Arculeo, Marco https://escholarship.org/uc/item/49c98569 <p>We describe a dataset on the crustacean Order Tanaidacea from the coasts of the Iberian Peninsula and surrounding seas, including the archipelagos of the Azores, Madeira, Savage, and the Canary Islands. The dataset gathers the records from all available sources published between 1828 to 2019, which were collected following a standardized Google Scholar search and cross checking each article’s reference lists. For each record, the dataset includes taxonomic, geographical, and ecological information, as well as remarks regarding the sampling methods. The dataset was further completed with 52 additional unpublished records obtained from screening the collections of the University Complutense of Madrid gathered from 35 shallow water surveys. Furthermore, 698 records from different oceanographic deep-sea campaigns have also been included. In total, 3456 records from 186 species in 22 families have been compiled. The dataset organises the current published and unpublished knowledge... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/49c98569 Fri, 1 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Garcia Herrero, Alvaro Martinez, Alejandro Garcia-Gomez, Guillermo Sanchez, Nuria Bird, Graham Fontaneto, Diego Pardos, Fernando https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3nv9j3zs <p>This study provides a checklist of the distribution and relative abundance of Strombidae from the near-shore environment of Green Island, Queensland, Australia. Historical records indicate that this island has not been surveyed for at least half a century. We used an opportunistic sighting survey method, where we walked the path of the receding tidal line around the island, counting and measuring all species that we observed directly. We also recorded the substrate on which each individual was collected as sand, sand-seagrass or seagrass. Eleven species of Strombidae were found. The survey provided the first record of <em>Ministrombus athenius </em>(Duclos, 1844)<strong> </strong>from North Queensland<em>. </em>This study provides base-line data on the presence and distribution of near-shore Stromboidea that will enable future studies to detect and monitor changes in the composition of near-shore strombid species.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p> <strong> </strong> </p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3nv9j3zs Fri, 1 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Maxwell, Stephen John Watt, Jessica Rymer, Tasmin L Congdon, Bradley B https://escholarship.org/uc/item/362094hn Forums and social networks store a big deal of data on flora and fauna, collected especially by amateurs. To what extent are these data useful to contribute to biodiversity data systems? In this paper, we addressed the question about the "suitability for use" of primary biodiversity data by exploring two popular and valued Italian Forums of Natural Science (Forum Natura Mediterraneo and Forum Entomologi Italiani) and tried to assess their scientific potential. The aim of our work was to evaluate and discuss taxonomic reliability of the identification of butterfly species and the accuracy of their geographic locations. For each forum thread, we examined the posted images of butterflies, checked the diagnoses and georeferenced the observations from the textual descriptions provided by the users. Then, we compared each final identification by users with an independent identification by expert taxonomists. Looking at species level identifications, users identified 3764 out of 4029... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/362094hn Fri, 1 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000 De Felici, Stefano Mazzei, Paolo Sbordoni, Valerio Cesaroni, Donatella https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2tk1m81s <p>The crested porcupine <em>Hystrix cristata</em> is one of the most well-known members of the Family Hystricidae, yet very little is known regarding its geographic variability in Africa. Two alternative hypotheses exist; pre-1940s classical taxonomy supported the existence of a distinct Eastern African species, <em>Hystrix galeata</em>, whereas recent molecular data seem to support only a North-South separation inside one single species, with the geographic-ecological barrier represented by the Sahara desert. Our morphometric data support the recognition of <em>Hystrix cristata senegalica</em> Cuvier, 1822 as the sub-Saharan representative of the species with a clear morphological difference between the North African and sub-Saharan crested porcupines, which seem re-conductible mostly to size difference. Within <em>H. c. senegalica</em>, our analysis seems to support a weak separation between the West African and the East African samples. Owing to considerable qualitative skull... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2tk1m81s Fri, 1 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Angelici, Francesco Maria Colangelo, Paolo Gippoliti, Spartaco https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2kx7q2vn <p>The Alpine ibex is one of the finest examples of how human’s attitude towards nature is changing by becoming aware of biodiversity conservation. On the 30th anniversary of the first Alpine ibex reintroduction in the Orobie Alps, a three year long Citizen Science Project started in June 2017 (‘Stambecco Orobie e Lombardia’). Nowadays, a complementary tool that can be used in data collection is citizen science; its use among scientific community is increasing and it is considered a new opportunity for the future of science. A three-year project (from 2017 to 2019) took place in the Orobie Alps (Bergamo, Italy), with the collection of 2,530 photographs of Alpine ibex (<em>Capra ibex ibex</em>). A total of 735 citizen scientists took part in the project by gathering data and collecting pictures (225 in 2017, 248 in 2018 and 262 in 2019). Photographs, complete with technical descriptions, were posted on the project’s Facebook page and the Instagram page and each one was georeferenced... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2kx7q2vn Fri, 1 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Pellicioli, Luca Cimberio, Patrizia https://escholarship.org/uc/item/27p8p7xk <p>We report for the first time in Italian waters a periodic and frequent presence of a summer aggregation of common eagle ray <em>Myliobatis aquila </em>in the island of Marettimo (southwestern Tyrrhenian Sea), which is part of the Marine Protected Area of the Egadi Islands. These aggregation could be related to different phenomena such as reproduction, feeding or simply as a transit zone.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/27p8p7xk Fri, 1 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Grancagnolo, Desiree Arculeo, Marco https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1gm4k5x8 <p>Citizen science projects are able to collect massive amounts of data engaging thousands of motivated volunteers. Moreover web-based communities are a powerful way to promote citizen involvement. This paper describes Acta Plantarum (www.actaplantarum.org), an open source project born in 2007, aiming at the study of spontaneous Italian flora and hosting one of the most popular floristic web-based communities in Italy. Participation in the project is free and takes place, upon registration, by posting pictures and contributions in a discussion forum. This represents the heart of the website together with IPFI (Index Plantarum Florae Italicae), a complete nomenclatural database of Italian flora species created to archive all the botanical information. Over the years, thanks to the participation of amateur botanists from all Italian regions, a relevant amount of floristic records has been accumulated in Acta Plantarum. A new utility now allows the retrieval of floristic records... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1gm4k5x8 Fri, 1 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Longo, Daniela Baglivo, Arturo Cibei, Carlo Dose, Gianni Giordana, Franco Magni, Cristiano Salvai, Giuliano Servodio, Sergio Tomasi, Davide Zepigi, Marinella Nicolella, Gianluca https://escholarship.org/uc/item/13q8j571 <p>The current understanding of the richness and distribution of plant species on a national scale, achieved by the recent checklists of Italian flora, is largely based on the quality and thoroughness of the data provided by regional floristic studies. This knowledge benefits from regional databases, such as the Wikiplantbase #Liguria project, which offers an online platform where thousands of geo-referenced floristic records from Liguria (north-western Italy) are stored and freely accessible. In 2019, adopting a citizen science approach, a floristic survey program consisting of 11 excursions opened to the public was implemented, with the aim of deepening the floristic knowledge of some poorly investigated areas of the region. The active collaboration between scientists and volunteers led to the collection of about 4000 floristic data corresponding to more than 800 taxa, including 13 taxa unknown or no longer recorded for Liguria. These results suggest that citizen science can... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/13q8j571 Fri, 1 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Briozzo, Ian Barberis, Giuseppina Cibei, Carlo Longo, Daniela Peccenini, Simonetta Dagnino, Davide https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6ng7g6td <p>Protura is a poorly known class of Hexapoda represented by more than 800 species belonging to 77 genera worldwide. They are tiny soil organisms with low dispersal ability, mainly attributable to water and human-mediated transfer. The analysis of biogeography of Protura is hindered by the lack of knowledge on their natural history, systematics and distribution. In order to provide a starting point for future more detailed investigations, we reviewed the available literature on their geographic distribution, making a distinction between continental and insular areas. A general overview based on Wallace’s biogeographic regionalization is outlined, highlighting a maximum of known richness and endemism at the genus level in the Palearctic region, and particularly within its eastern part. Some detailed examples of disjunct distribution and their interpretation based on vicariance or dispersal events are given.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6ng7g6td Fri, 5 Jun 2020 00:00:00 +0000 Galli, Loris Rellini, Ivano https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3pw2q8pq <p>The ant genus <em>Myrmecina</em>, whose diversity is mostly concentrated in SE-Asia and Oceania, counts four W-Palearctic species. The extremely euryecious and well-studied <em>Myrmecina graminicola </em>occurs from Iberia to the Caucasus and from the Maghreb to Scandinavia, while three little-known species (<em>M. atlantis</em>, <em>M. melonii </em>and <em>M. sicula</em>) coexist with <em>M. graminicola</em> in their narrow Maghrebian, Sardinian and Sicilian ranges, respectively. <em>Myrmecina sicula </em>has been described about 140 years ago from a single site and two specimens only. Their unique morphology suggested the validity of this taxon ever since, but no additional specimens were found in the following century. We present the results of decades of sampling efforts across Sicily, resulting in the collection of <em>M. graminicola </em>from 70 sites and <em>M. sicula </em>from 13 sites. We confirm <em>M. sicula </em>unique<em> </em>morphological identity and report... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3pw2q8pq Wed, 27 May 2020 00:00:00 +0000 Schifani, Enrico Scupola, Antonio Alicata, Antonio https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3w64c06c <p>Rivers serve many societal functions and are one of the most intensively human influenced ecosystems worldwide, and, due to their importance, are included under the monitoring programs of the Water Framework Directive across Europe. Macroinvertebrates play an important role when monitoring running waters for the assessment of their environmental quality due to their reliability as bioindicators and utility in long-term studies. Macroinvertebrates do not constitute a systematic unit but they are formed by a set of different taxa, grouped according to taxonomic ranks, size and habitat preferences. They represent the base of the aquatic food chain, serving as a food source for amphibians, birds, reptiles, fish and humans, and contributing in the organic matter processing. Despite the large amount of data collected on Italian river macroinvertebrates and the increased interest in the study of this group, only few data are available for research scientist and managers. In this paper,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3w64c06c Tue, 19 May 2020 00:00:00 +0000 Fornaroli, Riccardo Agostini, Alessandra Arnaud, Elena Berselli, Alberto Bettoni, Eugenia Boggero, Angela Borlandelli, Cristina Cadrobbi, Giuseppi Cason, Manuela Castelli, Luciano Cerea, Silvia Contardi, Laura Costa, Sara Costaraoss, Silvia Dallafior, Valentina Dal Mas, Alessandro Elvio, Francesco Fioravanti, Marco Fortino, Davide Franceschini, Silvia Fravezzi, Laura Fuganti, Alessia Galbiati, Matteo Galimberti, Filippo Genoni, Pietro Gerbaz, Daniela Lea, Alessia Lucchini, Daniela Manzieri, Anna Maria Marchesi, Manuela Monauni, Catia Montanari, Paola Morchio, Federica Piovano, Silvia Pizzochero, Natale Raviola, Mara Richieri, Filippo Roatta, Valeria Rocca, Daniela Sarzilla, Attilio Siciliano, Ornella Testa, Paola Tonna, Davide Tumminelli, Marzia Enza Turco, Franca Vicquery, Luciana Laini, Alex https://escholarship.org/uc/item/94d0z05n <p>The presence of the red swamp crayfish <em>Procambarus clarkii </em>in Italy is documented since 1989, but no comprehensive data are available on its spread through time at the national scale. New confirmed records for <em>Procambarus clarkii </em>are continuously arising in recent years across the country. By reviewing the scientific and grey literature, we obtained an up-to-date map of the species invasion in Italy. This information can help to monitor and understand the spread of this highly invasive crayfish and to implement more effective management measures.</p><p> </p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/94d0z05n Mon, 2 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000 Lo Parrino, Elia Ficetola, Gentile Francesco Manenti, Raoul Falaschi, Mattia