New distributional record of Anthrenus dorsatus Mulsant & Rey, 1868 (Coleoptera, Dermestidae), Thessaloniki, Greece

Anthrenus dorsatus Mulsant & Rey, 1868 has been recorded from North Africa, Malta, and Iberia. During a recent visit to Thessaloniki, Greece, several Anthrenus species were collected, including A. dorsatus. The previously known distribution of A. dorsatus suggested that this species was restricted to the western Mediterranean basin, possibly with a coastal bias. This record extends the known range of A. dorsatus farther east and providing more evidence of range expansion in the pimpinellae species group across Europe, possibly driven by global climate change

A morphometric examination of Anthrenus flavipes flavipes LeConte 1854 (Coleoptera: Dermestidae: Anthrenini)

A morphometric examination of Anthrenus flavipes flavipes LeConte 1854 from Central Macedonia, Greece is carried out and compared with data from previous publications. Size ranges for both sexes are generated. Males are significantly smaller than females. The body width/body length ratio is calculated. Images of body size range, antennal club and aedeagus are provided. Elements of the elytral colour pattern are considered in the light of LeConte’s original descriptio

Colour pattern plasticity in Anthrenus isabellinus (Coleoptera Dermestidae)

Twenty-three species belong to the Palaearctic Anthrenus pimpinellae complex. All Anthrenus spp. have intricate dorsal colour patterns. They can do this courtesy of the many small, coloured scales that coat their bodies, rather like Lepidoptera. All species within the complex are generally black/orange with an obvious trans-elytral wide band. One species, A. isabellinus, differs from most other species from the complex in that it displays a wide range of colour patterns, from the typical dark with white elytral fascia to almost pure white individuals. In the current study, we demonstrate that a continuous range of colour patterns exists within a population of A. isabellinus from Greece, negating the necessity to name variants as subspecies to account for the pattern variation. It is more likely that the pattern variation is an example of phenotypic plasticity. There is no evidence for sexual dimorphism in colour pattern variation. The range in colour pattern adopts a ‘broken stick’ pattern, which is discussed in relation to variation in numbers of individuals falling into different pattern categories, and the possibility that the broken stick appearance of the pattern range is an example of canalization. The white fascia across a dark background is consistent with a pattern that has evolved to disrupt the outline of the beetle (anti-predator). Most A. isabellinus, indeed most species within the A. pimpinellae complex, display this colour pattern so it is possible that canalization occurs to produce this colour pattern

Rock partridge (Alectoris graeca graeca) population density and trends in central Greece

The rock partridge is an emblematic species of the Greek avifauna and one of the most important game species in the country. The present study, which combined long term in–situ counts with distance sampling methodology in central Greece, indicated that the species’ population in Greece is the highest within its European distribution, in contrast to all prior considerations. Inter–annual trends suggested a stable rock partridge population both within hunting areas and wildlife refuges, whereas during summer, the species presented significantly higher densities in altitudes of more than 1,000 m, most probably due to the effect of predation at lower zones. The similarity of population structure between wildlife refuges and hunting zones along with the stable population trends demonstrate that rock partridge harvest in the country is sustainable

Essential oils: a potential addition to integrated pest management strategies against adult varied carpet beetle, Anthrenus verbasci, in natural science collections

The varied carpet beetle, Anthrenus verbasci (L.), is a major pest in museums containing artifacts or specimens of animal origin, e.g., natural science collections. Integrated pest management techniques are deployed to prevent A. verbasci access and controlling the pest should they be found on valuable artifacts. Several synthetic chemicals have been used in the past in the fight against A. verbasci and other insect pest species but the use of these chemicals (such as naphthalene and dichlorvos) is now banned following health concerns. Attention is turning towards natural compounds in the search for natural, safe alternatives. As well as having active ingredients against adult A. verbasci, it is also essential that any useful products found fall within museum budgets. Here we examine the repellent properties of four ‘off-the-shelf’ essential oils: clove, lemon, lavender, and eucalyptus. All four essential oils exhibited some repellent property, but A. verbasci found lavender and eucalyptus oils the most repellent, offering the possibility that some easy to obtain and inexpensive natural products might have a role to play in museum IPM

Proposing a Governance model for environmental crises

During August 2021, a wildfire outbreak in Evia, Greece's second largest island, resulted in a major environmental and economic crisis. Apart from biodiversity and habitat loss, the disaster triggered a financial crisis because it wiped out wood-productive forests and outdoor areas that attract visitors. This crisis highlighted the need for a new governance model in order to respond to environmental crises more effectively. The aim of this study was to investigate the acceptance and attitudes of relevant stakeholders towards establishing a Hub a proposed governance model responsible for monitoring and restoring the natural capital and biodiversity after environmental crises. Results based on quantitative data collected via questionnaires showed that most respondents were positive to the Hub and perceived that its main functions should be to recommend measures after environmental crises and to facilitate cooperation among involved stakeholders. Moreover, results pointed to preferred funding sources, stakeholder groups that should participate in the Hub and key performance indicators (KPIs) for monitoring Hub's performance. The applied methodology could guide the establishment of governance models both in the study area and other countries facing environmental crises

Population viability and conservation strategies for the Eurasian Black Vulture (Aegypius monachus) in Southeast Europe

The Eurasian Black Vulture is a globally threatened raptor that in Southeast Europe only occurs in an isolated population in Greece. We examined the population viability for the species under demographic fluctuations and conservation scenarios. The current population showed no possibility of extinction for the next 100 years. However, simulated scenarios showed that the most important factor affecting the viability of the species was medium and high poisoning, leading to 94.8% and 100% probability of extinction, respectively. Furthermore, high reduction of supplementary feeding highlighted an 18.6% extinction possibility. Also, a high increase of wind farms in the area may result in 17.4% extinction possibility. Additionally, the non-establishment of the feeding station in 1987 in the study area would have resulted in an extinction risk of 7%. The species can be translocated to the Olympus National Park by releasing 80 juveniles over 10 years. The implementation of the conservation scenarios concerning the establishment of a supplementary feeding site network, and the reintroduction of the Eurasian Black Vulture in its historic range, along with the elimination of threats posed by poisoning, low food availability, and wind farms would increase the probability of the species persistence and allow the population to become a source for dispersal across Southeast Europe

Revision of taxonomic status of Anthrenus pimpinellae isabellinus (Coleoptera: Dermestidae)

For 160 years, Anthrenus pimpinellae isabellinus Küster, 1848 has been considered a subspecies of A. pimpinellae Fabricius, 1775. However, habitus shape differs between the subspecies with A. p. isabellinus being broader than A. p. pimpinellae and resembling more closely A. dorsatus Mulsant & Rey, 1868. Here A. p. pimpinellae and A. p. isabellinus, are examined to look for evidence that they comprise a single taxonomic unit. Habitus and genital structures are considered, and the universal animal barcode region of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene is sequenced. The results of the morphological, morphometric, and genetic analyses mirror each other perfectly and suggest that A. p. isabellinus is the same species as A. dorsatus rather than being a subspecies of A. pimpinellae. The very small intraspecific DNA sequence variation supports the view that A. dorsatus and A. p. isabellinus belong to a single species that diverges considerably from A. p. pimpinellae. Morphology, including genital structure, is congruent with the genetic data and provides a powerful way of resolving species organisation in these widespread beetles. In view of these findings, Anthrenus isabellinus Küster, 1848 is restored to full species status and Anthrenus dorsatus Mulsant & Rey, 1868 becomes its new junior subjective synonym

The decline of the turtle dove: dietary associations with body condition and competition with other columbids analysed using high-throughput sequencing.

Dietary changes linked to the availability of anthropogenic food resources can have complex implications for species and ecosystems, especially when species are in decline. Here, we use recently developed primers targeting the ITS2 region of plants to characterize diet from faecal samples of four UK columbids, with particular focus on the European turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur), a rapidly declining obligate granivore. We examine dietary overlap between species (potential competition), associations with body condition in turtle doves and spatiotemporal variation in diet. We identified 143 taxonomic units, of which we classified 55% to species, another 34% to genus and the remaining 11% to family. We found significant dietary overlap between all columbid species, with the highest between turtle doves and stock doves (Columba oenas), then between turtle doves and woodpigeons (Columba palumbus). The lowest overlap was between woodpigeons and collared doves (Streptopelia decaocto). We show considerable change in columbid diets compared to previous studies, probably reflecting opportunistic foraging behaviour by columbids within a highly anthropogenically modified landscape, although our data for nonturtle doves should be considered preliminary. Nestling turtle doves in better condition had a higher dietary proportion of taxonomic units from natural arable plant species and a lower proportion of taxonomic units from anthropogenic food resources such as garden bird seed mixes and brassicas. This suggests that breeding ground conservation strategies for turtle doves should include provision of anthropogenic seeds for adults early in the breeding season, coupled with habitat rich in accessible seeds from arable plants once chicks have hatched