Results of a molecular analysis on the European hermit beetles (the <em>Osmoderma</em> <em>eremita</em> species-complex), recently published in a companion paper, are shortly dis- cussed and commented. These results indicate a clear-cut distinction between two clades. The first one includes the W-European <em>O. eremita</em> Scopoli, 1763, and the two Italian endemic taxa <em>O. italicum</em> Sparacio, 2000 and <em>O. cristinae</em> Sparacio, 1994, from southern peninsular Italy and Sicily, respectively. The second one includes the widespread E-European<em> O. barnabita</em> Motschulsky, 1845 (<strong>nom. resurr</strong>.), and the southern Balcanic <em>O. lassallei</em> Baraud & Tauzin, 1991 from Greece and European Turkey. Within the two clades, molecular data well support a specific rank for <em>O. lassallei</em> and <em>O. barnabita</em> on one side, and of <em>O.</em> <em>eremita</em> and <em>O. cristinae</em> on the other side, while the taxonomic position of <em>O. italicum</em>, more closely related with <em>O. eremita</em>, is still uncertain, waiting for analysis of additional specimens of this very rare taxon. Current geographical distribution, interspecific genetic diversification, and relatively low levels of intraspecific genetic divergence in <em>O. eremita</em> sensu stricto, are hypothesized to be the result of multiple speciation events (mainly occurred in refugial forest areas of the Italian and Balkan peninsulas and Sicily before and during the Pleistocene glacial peaks), followed by fast post-glacial northward and westward expansion of some species. The need of further genetic data on the rare and threatened hermit beetle species and the importance of more detailed information on their distribution ranges are emphasized and discussed, in order to plan conservation strategies in the near future. An updated worldwide checklist of the species of the genus <em>Osmoderma</em> is finally presented.
The aim of the research was to show how a change in land use influences the structure of a dung beetle assemblage and affect its\ud
conservation. In the Pineto Urban Regional Park (Rome), dog dung is the sole food resource currently available for scarab dung\ud
beetles, after the recent removal of wild and domestic herbivores. A one-year sampling was conducted to study the scarab assemblage\ud
in dog scats (1999) and to compare it with the previous assemblage associated with sheep droppings (1986). Richness, evenness\ud
and similarity parameters were compared between the two allochronic assemblages. From sheep to dog dung, an impoverishment of\ud
the total richness was observed (from 19 to 9 species) together with an increase of individuals (by 7 times). Dog dung harboured 20%\ud
of the current scarab dung beetle fauna of Rome, probably as a consequence of the dog mixed diet, rich in cellulose. Both the communities\ud
showed a high percentage of tunnellers, probably because of the food shortage and, for dog scats, of the high dehydration\ud
rate. A comparison with other Roman scarab communities enhanced that: (1) the change in food resource determined a higher difference\ud
in species composition respect to other parameters (size and habitat diversity); (2) dog dung provided a temporary refuge for\ud
species that otherwise may encounter local extinction in urban environments.\ud
2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.\ud
Keywords: Urban ecology; Community ecology; Biodiversity conservation; Food resources; Dung beetle assemblage
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