1,721,014 research outputs found
A critical review of the odonate fauna of Trentino: annotated check-list and new relevant data for Italy (Insecta: Odonata)
Full text linkAnthropogenic‐driven transformations of dragonfly (Insecta: Odonata) communities of low elevation mountain wetlands during the last century
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First record of the migrant dragonfly Pantala flavescens for mainland Italy (Insecta: Odonata)
No full textNatural and anthropogenic determinants of peatland dragonfly assemblages: Implications for management and conservation
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Past and present distribution of the Common Myna Acridotheres tristis in Italy: a review
No full textComing back home: recolonisation of abandoned dens by crested porcupines Hystrix cristata and European badgers Meles meles after wood-cutting and riparian vegetation mowing events
Full text linkSemifossorial species excavate dens and are considered as landscape engineers, often responsible for soil oxygenation, shuffling, landslides and floods. The crested porcupine and the European badger are semifossorial mammals sharing dens in central Italy. Both species localise their setts mainly in densely vegetated areas, providing them with cover and protection from local predators and poachers. This is particularly evident for the porcupine, widely poached in central and southern Italy, whereas badgers may locally exploit burrows also in open and periurban areas. Wood-cutting and mowing of riparian vegetation surrounding den setts force both porcupines and badgers to leave their burrows. We evaluated the probability of den re-occupancy in the years following the vegetation removal, through intensive camera-trapping at 14 den setts monitored for 9 years. We performed GLMMs to test the annual probability of sett occupancy by the two species after vegetation disturbance events. The probability of re-occupying the burrow by porcupines increased with increasing time from the disturbance cessation. A similar pattern was also observed for the badger, which probability of den occupancy was also negatively correlated with the porcupine presence at the same den, confirming the aggressive behavior of this rodent. We also tested whether, since the first year after vegetation removal, the proportion of years of occupation by porcupines on the total of years has been affected by the disturbance repetition. This effect was found to be significant only for the badger. The crested porcupine, protected by international and national laws, is more sensitive than the badger, protected according to the Italian national law, to vegetation removal. A single disturbance event is sufficient to force it to abandon the den sett, followed by a slow recolonisation with growing vegetation. Conversely, the badger is sensitive to continuous vegetation removal whereas it can colonise porcupine dens abandoned after single disturbances
Distribution, ecology and conservation of Aeshna caerulea (Ström, 1793) and Aeshna subarctica elisabethae Djakonov, 1922 (Insecta: Odonata) at the southernmost limits of their range
No full textWe provide an overview of the distribution, habitat preference, phenology, and conservation of Aeshna caerulea (Ström, 1793) and Aeshna subarctica elisabethae Djakonov, 1922 in Italy. Both species are found exclusively in the Central Eastern Alps. By 2021, A. caerulea has been reported for 31 sites, whereas A. s. elisabethae for 15. The new southernmost global range limit for A. caerulea was found in the Adamello massif and the new southernmost Western Palearctic limit for A. s. elisabethae in the Tesino plateau (Trentino-Alto Adige). Aeshna caerulea reproduces at high-altitude ponds or small lakes, inundated fens or fen meadows, and occasionally in the depressions within raised bogs. Aeshna s. elisabethae is found at lower altitudes, only at raised bogs and, to a lesser extent, in acidic transitional mires rich in Sphagnum mosses. Forty-six per cent of the reproduction sites of A. caerulea and 93% of those of A. s. elisabethae are included within a national/local protected area or the Natura 2000 network
The new Checklist of the Italian Fauna: Odonata
No full textSeventeen years after the publication of the last checklist of the damselflies and dragonflies found in Italy, an updated list has been compiled. This list reports 95 species belonging to 10 families and 38 genera and includes 2 national endemic and 1 sub-endemic species. Compared to the previous checklist, three species were removed, two subspecies were granted species status, and 10 species were added as new taxa for Italy. The checklist summarizes the current state of the knowledge on the geographical distribution of the Italian species with a regional detail. After the online publication of this dataset on the LifeWatch Italy website in 2021, some minor updates will be included in future releases. The newly discovered species are the result of increased exploration of the national territory combined with some possible range shifts, especially of Libellulidae species of Afro-Asiatic origin. This increased coverage of the country is the result of the efforts of many contributors. It stems from the rapidly growing interest in this zoological group, also enhanced by the activation of a nationwide citizen science project promoted by the Italian Society for the Study and Conservation of Dragonflies (Odonata.it)
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