The Pine Processionary moth in the pinewoods of Calabrian Apennines, Italy

Abstract

Abstract:The Pine Processionary moth in the pinewoods of Calabrian Apennines, Italy. The results of a study carried out on the Pine Processionary moth [Traumatocampa (=Thaumetopoea) pityocampa (Denis & Schiffermüller)] in Calabria (Italy) during 1997-98 are reported. The preliminary aim of this investigation was to assess the presence of the lepidopteran in the main pinewoods of the Calabrian Apennine ridge. The research started with a census, conducted in 1997, of the areas where the Processionary moth was present; in the second year (1998) male flight dynamics were monitored using pheromone traps in 26 selected sites. Besides, during the first year the infestation levels were measured, recording the percentage of infested plants as well as the number of nests on 10 infested trees randomly chosen. The correlation coefficient of the above-mentioned parameters was measured in order to be able to optimize the monitoring system. The data collected confirmed that the Pine Processionary caterpillars adapt their own biology and ethology to the different altitudes and to the various climatic conditions of the Calabrian pinewoods. Pure pinewoods were more infested than the mixed ones, besides artificial woods were more susceptible to the attacks of the moth than the natural ones. The parameters that were measured (% of infested plants and number of winter nests per plant) were positively and significantly correlated. Male captures were higher at elevations ranging from 0 to 400 m and peaked in August up to 800 m and at the beginning of July between 800 and 1400 m. Statistical analysis showed that the number of nests per plant is not significantly related to the number of male captures during the following season. IntroduzioneIl lepidottero notodontide Traumatocampa (=Thau-metopoea) pityocampa (Denis & Schiffermüller) ( fig. 1) comunemente noto come "Processionaria dei pini" è sicuramente il fitofago chiave nella gestione delle pinete vegetanti nell'areale Mediterraneo.E' un defogliatore tipicamente legato a diverse specie del genere Pinus, e in presenza di formazioni miste dello stesso, l'attività defogliatrice risulta più marcata (Tiberi 1983). Ospiti occasionali del lepidottero possono essere: Cedrus spp., Picea abies L. e Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirbel) (Battisti 1986). Nelle regioni meridionali italiane, i maggiori danni, in rapporto ai luoghi e alle condizioni di vegetazione, sono segnalati su Pinus pinaster Aiton nei popolamenti naturali dell'isola di Pantelleria e nelle formazioni degradate lungo il litorale ionico, nonché in comprensori dell'Etna a quota 2000 m su Pinus laricio Poiret, dove la specie è stata utilizzata per i rimboschimenti . Infine, si segnalano intense pul-© Forest@ 2 (4): [345][346][347][348][349][350][351][352][353][354][355][356][357] 2005. 345

Use of Logs Downed by Wildfires as Erosion Barriers to Encourage Forest Auto-Regeneration: A Case Study in Calabria, Italy

“…Afforestation, with Pinus radiata, an exotic species from the west coast of North America, being the dominant species. This species was imported to address the shortage of native conifers [58]. No specimens survived to the wildfires that occurred in 2021.…”