Environmental analysis of conservationally significant Eumerus and Platycheirus species (Diptera: Syrphidae) in Serbia

Due to raising environmental pressures, the number of species exposed to risk of extinction is also increasing. One of the first steps in species preservation is their legal protection. However, it is impossible to protect all species, therefore, conservation priorities are to be established. The aim of this study was to analyze the environmental niches of species from two genera: Eumerus Meigen, 1822 and Platycheirus le Peletier et Serville, 1828 recognized as important for conservation in Serbia (strictly protected and protected according to national legislation or ones to be suggested for future protection). For species of genera Eumerus and Platycheirus, distributional patterns in relation to altitude, annual precipitation and annual mean temperature were established. In order to compare environmental niches of these species, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was carried out, which indicated partial overlap of the environmental niches of these two genera, but Platycheirus species seemed to be better adapted to harsher conditions. Species richness maps indicated that for Eumerus the most species-rich areas were Bačka and mountains of Eastern Serbia, while Dinaric mountains in Western Serbia were rich in species of both genera. Protecting habitats with different combination of climatic conditions will contribute to protection and conservation of species with different environmental preferences. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. OI173002 and Grant no. III43002

National records of 3000 European bee and hoverfly species: A contribution to pollinator conservation

Pollinators play a crucial role in ecosystems globally, ensuring the seed production of most flowering plants. They are threatened by global changes and knowledge of their distribution at the national and continental levels is needed to implement efficient conservation actions, but this knowledge is still fragmented and/or difficult to access. As a step forward, we provide an updated list of around 3000 European bee and hoverfly species, reflecting their current distributional status at the national level (in the form of present, absent, regionally extinct, possibly extinct or non-native). This work was attainable by incorporating both published and unpublished data, as well as knowledge from a large set of taxonomists and ecologists in both groups. After providing the first National species lists for bees and hoverflies for many countries, we examine the current distributional patterns of these species and designate the countries with highest levels of species richness. We also show that many species are recorded in a single European country, highlighting the importance of articulating European and national conservation strategies. Finally, we discuss how the data provided here can be combined with future trait and Red List data to implement research that will further advance pollinator conservation