Pycnomerus italicus (Coleoptera: Zopheridae), an Endemic Endangered Species: A New Report on Its Presence in Southern Italy

Abstract

Pycnomerus italicus (Ganglbauer, 1899) (Coleoptera: Zopheridae), a saproxylic beetle endemic to Italy, is listed as “endangered” in the Red List of Italian Saproxylic Beetles. In 2021, during an entomological survey, 49 adults of this species were found in the Riserva Naturale Biogenetica Marchesale, Calabria, Southern Italy. The species was found in medium and high-quality habitats where a large number of fallen trunks of Abies alba Mill. 1759 (Pinales: Pinaceae) were present. On the same decaying trunks where P. italicus was found, larvae and/or adults of other three species of saproxylic beetles were detected. Although most aspects of the biology and ecology of P. italicus are still unknown, the presence of this endemic species in the Riserva Naturale Biogenetica Marchesale is interesting because this reserve and other humid forest environments in Southern Italy could be relevant refuges not only for this species but also for other endangered saproxylic beetles. These areas should be protected with appropriate forest-management techniques.