The main objectives of this review are: 1) the compilation and updating of a reference database for Italian saproxylic beetles, useful to assess the trend of their populations and communities in the next decades; 2) the identification of the major threats involving the known Italian species of saproxylic beetles; 3) the evaluation of the extinction risk for all known Italian species of saproxylic beetles; 4) the organization of an expert network for studying and continuous updating of all known species of saproxylic beetle species in Italy; 5) the creation of a baseline for future evaluations of the trends in biodiversity conservation in Italy; 6) the assignment of ecological categories to all the Italian saproxylic beetles, useful for the aims of future researches on their communities and on forest environments. The assessments of extinction risk are based on the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria and the most updated guidelines. The assessments have been carried out by experts covering different regions of Italy, and have been evaluated according to the IUCN standards. All the beetles whose larval biology is sufficiently well known as to be considered saproxylic have been included in the Red List, either the autochthonous species (native or possibly native to Italy) or a few allochthonous species recently introduced or probably introduced to Italy in historic times. The entire national range of each saproxylic beetle species was evaluated, including large and small islands; for most species, the main parameters considered for evaluation were the extent of their geographical occurrence in Italy, and the number of known sites of presence. 2049 saproxylic beetle species (belonging to 66 families) have been listed, assigned to a trophic category (Table 3) and 97% of them have been assessed. On the whole, threatened species (VU + EN + CR) are 421 (Fig. 6), corresponding to 21 % of the 1988 assessed species; only two species are formally recognized to be probably Regionally Extinct in Italy in recent times. Little less than 65% of the Italian saproxylic beetles are not currently threatened with extinction, although their populations are probably declining. In forest environments, the main threats are habitat loss and fragmentation, pollution due to the use of pesticide against forest pests, and habitat simplification due to economic forest management. In coastal environments, the main threats are due to massive touristic exploitation such as the excess of urbanization and infrastructures along the seashore, and the complete removal of woody materials as tree trunks stranded on the beaches, because this kind of intervention is considered an aesthetic amelioration of seaside resorts. The number of species whose populations may become impoverished by direct harvest (only a few of large forest beetles frequently collected by insect traders) is very small and almost negligible. The Red List is a fundamental tool for the identification of conservation priorities, but it is not a list of priorities on its own. O...
Up to now, global conservation priorities are far from incorporating megadiverse invertebrate taxa. Thus, an important emerging field in biological conservation is how we might manage landscape to preserve insects. In this study, we analyze the efficacy of Italian reserve network for protecting multiple saproxylic beetles, considering both nationally designated areas and Natura 2000 sites. We selected 150 species inhabiting the Italian territory from the European Red List for saproxylic beetles, on the basis of distribution data availability. For each species, a vulnerability score was assigned according to their Red List status, and the species' distributions data were used to perform an irreplaceability analysis. Our analyses show that conservation targets based on geographic range extent are achieved for only 7% of the considered species. We find that 13 species are not represented in any protected area: among these, two click beetle species (Elateridae) are listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature threatened categories (i.e. Ampedus quadrisignatus EN and Ampedus brunnicornis VU). Our analyses on protected area effectiveness for the conservation of saproxylic beetles showed that nationally designated protected areas are more irreplaceable than a random selection of cells. Surprisingly, the addition of Natura 2000 sites did not improve the species representation. Moreover, these reserves include sites that are not more irreplaceable than a random selection of cells. We identify some currently unprotected areas that protection could prevent from future extinctions and ensure a favorable conservation status of saproxylic beetles. In particular, we find an important stronghold for beetle conservation, which obtained a high irreplaceability score, in the Adige river basin. We recommend the designation of new reserves in this area to complement the existing network and to help guarantee invertebrate saproxylic fauna protection.
Abstract. 1. The stag beetle, Lucanus cervus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Coleoptera: Lucanidae), is a flagship species for the conservation of European old-growth forests. Despite its popularity and many studies conducted, the lack of knowledge of its habits and ecological requirements leads to difficulties in locating the species in the field and to provide information for suitable planning conservation actions suitable for the species.2. In order to gather information on dispersal ability and space use, a radiotelemetry study was conducted in a relict floodplain forest surrounded by intensively cultivated land. During 2014 and 2015, from May to July, 55 beetles (34 males, 21 females) were radio-tagged, and 9 of these (7 males, 2 females) were telemetered immediately after the emergence from their development sites, by means of emergence traps.3. The use of radio-telemetry allowed to detect the oviposition sites and to study the first part of the adult life, when they resulted to be more active. Males were more prone to disperse than females but the home range size did not differ between the sexes. Dividing the season in three intervals, the most active individuals were recorded during the first and the second ones (first and second half of June).
Morimus funereus is a large longhorn beetle included in the European Habitats Directive and in previous releases of the IUCN red list. It represents a flagship species of old-growth forest saproxylic communities in E and SE Europe. The morphologically based taxonomy of W Palaearctic Morimus is rather unstable due to high phenetic intrapopulational and geographic variability and different authors have attempted to recognise one to five different taxa of specific/subspecific rank. No previous molecular data are available for the genus Morimus. Here, for the first time, a molecular approach based on COI and ITS2 gene sequences was applied in European and Anatolian Morimus specimens. The genetic variability among Euro-Anatolian Morimus populations and the geographical structure suggest that they can not be ascribed to the currently accepted five W Palaearctic Morimus species and may actually represent a single, genetically and morphologically variable biological species (M. asper), highlighting the necessity of an extended taxonomical revision. In light of these results, a phylogeographical hypothesis of postglacial colonisation of the central Mediterranean area has been developed and the consequences of this new taxonomic arrangement regarding conservation strategies for "Morimus funereus" and allied taxa in Europe and Turkey are discussed
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