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Abstract. Larval structural characters are an important component in phylogenetic reconstruction of the subfamily Paussinae. Based on larval characters, two main cladistic hypotheses have been proposed concerning basal relationships within Paussinae: (1) Metriini as sister-group of Ozaenini þ Paussini, with Ozaenini as a paraphyletic group and the genus Physea as sister-group of Paussini; and (2) Metriini as sister-group only of the monophyletic Ozaenini, with the Paussini as sister-group of Metriini þ Ozaenini. We present here a review of these hypotheses and a new cladistic analysis based on larvae, emphasizing the phylogeny of Ozaenini. The analysis includes the following taxa: Metrius (Metriini), Itamus, Pachyteles, Sphaerostylus, Physea (Ozaenini), Platyrhopalopsis and Paussus (Paussini). For both Physea and Platyropalopsis larvae we provide new detailed descriptions, because previous descriptions are inadequate to allow an advanced phylogenetic discussion. A total of fifty-six characters are analysed. Most characters show alternative states organized into sequences of character states, each of which is logically derivable from its neighbour in the sequence, resulting in an almost completely pectinate cladogram. Metrius is the sister-group of all other Paussinae, and Paussini are a highly derived offshoot within the ozaenine grade. According to the present analysis, Physea, regarded traditionally as a typical ozaenine, represents the ozeanine sister to Paussini, showing that Ozaenini are paraphyletic. As our analysis is based on the few paussine genera sufficiently known at the larval stage, which represent a low number of the extant paussine genera, the results are merely illustrative of the evolution of the major clades within the subfamily. More detailed information about the phylogeny of ozaenines could arise from a more comprehensive analysis, mainly including adult morphological characters.

Elevational gradients are characterized by strong abiotic variation within small geographical distances and provide a powerful tool to evaluate community response to variation in climatic and other environmental factors. We explored how temperature and habitat diversity shape the diversity of holometabolous predator and parasitoid insects along temperate elevational gradients in the European Alps. We surveyed insect communities along 12 elevational transects that were selected to separate effects of temperature from those of habitat diversity. Pitfall traps and pan traps were placed every 100 m of elevation increment along the transects ranging from 120 to 2200 m a.s.l. Sampling took place once a month from June to September 2015. Four groups characterized by having at least one life stage behaving as predator or parasitoid were examined: tachinids (Diptera), hoverflies (Diptera), sphecids (Hymenoptera) and ground beetles (Coleoptera). Species richness and evenness changed with elevation, but the shape and direction of the elevation-diversity patterns varied between groups. The effect of temperature on species richness was positive for all groups except for hoverflies. Habitat diversity did not affect species richness, while it modulated the evenness of most groups. Often, elevational patterns of species richness and evenness were contrasting. Our study indicates that natural enemies characterized by diverse ecological requirements can be differentially affected by temperature and habitat diversity across the same elevational gradients. As climate warming is predicted to increase mean annual temperatures and exacerbate weather variability, it is also expected to strongly influence natural enemies and their ability to regulate herbivore populations.

Larvae of Paussinae are poorly known. They are characterised by a hyperprognathous head, a U-shaped body and the end of the abdomen (and the urogomphi) transformed into a 6-lobed terminal disk. Most of them are myrmecophilous and live in ant nests; others, such as those of the genus Pachyteles Perty 1830, are non-parasitic and live in burrows in sandy banks or rotten wood. On the basis of field and laboratory observations, we describe defensive and predatory behaviours of larvae of two species of Pachyteles, which use their terminal disk as both a phragmotic and trapping organ. These larvae attract small invertebrates by secreting certain substances and catch their prey by an ambush strategy. This is interpreted as a primitive predation strategy in larvae of Paussinae. In the laboratory, we observed that ants and termites are strongly attracted by substances covering the terminal disk. This behaviour could have played an important role in the origin of symphily, also suggesting the possibility of a multiple, independent evolution of myrmecophily in pre-adapted Paussine tribes like Ozaenini, Protopaussini and Paussini.

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Fauna Europaea provides a public web-service with an index of scientific names (including synonyms) of all living European land and freshwater animals, their geographical distribution at country level (up to the Urals, excluding the Caucasus region), and some additional information. The Fauna Europaea project covers about 230,000 taxonomic names, including 130,000 accepted species and 14,000 accepted subspecies, which is much more than the originally projected number of 100,000 species. This represents a huge effort by more than 400 contributing specialists throughout Europe and is a unique (standard) reference suitable for many users in science, government, industry, nature conservation and education.Coleoptera represent a huge assemblage of holometabolous insects, including as a whole more than 200 recognized families and some 400,000 described species worldwide. Basic information is summarized on their biology, ecology, economic relevance, and estimated number of undescribed species worldwide. Little less than 30,000 species are listed from Europe. The Coleoptera 2 section of the Fauna Europaea database (Archostemata, Myxophaga, Adephaga and Polyphaga excl. the series Elateriformia, Scarabaeiformia, Staphyliniformia and the superfamily Curculionoidea) encompasses 80 families (according to the previously accepted family-level systematic framework) and approximately 13,000 species. Tabulations included a complete list of the families dealt with, the number of species in each, the names of all involved specialists, and, when possible, an estimate of the gaps in terms of total number of species at an European level. A list of some recent useful references is appended. Most families included in the Coleoptera 2 Section have been updated in the most recent release of the Fauna Europaea index, or are ready to be updated as soon as the FaEu data management environment completes its migration from Zoological Museum Amsterdam to Berlin Museum für Naturkunde.