Checklist of macro-invertebrates of the special conservation area “Poggi di prata”(Grosseto, Central Italy) through a citizen-science and expert-based approach

The assessment of species composition in a certain area may become outdated over time due to community dynamics including species range expansion, but also to local extinctions, species introductions and taxonomic redefinition. Therefore, updated checklists are required for animal conservation and management. Exhaustive checklists of invertebrate species may be challenging, as species determination often requires the analysis by specialists, but they are fundamental for local conservation practices. In this work, we provided an annotated preliminary checklist of invertebrates of the Special Conservation Area “Poggi di Prata” (province of Grosseto, southern Tuscany), detected through field samplings with experts, and a permanent Bioblitz set out on an online citizen-science platform (iNaturalist.org). The final dataset (1898-2020) included 329 records of 282 species (217 insects, 34 gastropods, 30 arachnids and 1 chilopod). Most records were uploaded on iNaturalist (about 56.5%), others came from observations or sampling collections (37%) and were determined by specialists. Only the remaining 6.5% of records came from published studies. Three species were protected by the Habitat Directive, 15 by the Tuscan Regional Law. We also detected two endemic or near-endemic taxa of this area: the beetle Paramaurops diecki massetanus and the land snail Marmorana saxetana. The unexpected (Italian southernmost) record of Gaurotes virginea needs to be deepened. Furthermore, 12 alien species, including insects affecting human economy and wellness (e.g., Rhinchophorous ferrugineus, Aedes albopictus, Halyomorpha halys, Dryocosmus kuriphilus and Cydalima perspectalis), were also detected. With our work, we confirmed that citizen-science platforms (e.g. iNaturalist) are valuable tools, complementary to field-work by specialists, to map local biodiversity and they may help to improve biogeographical knowledge

Spiders (Araneae) of olive groves and adjacent semi-natural habitats from central Italy

In the Monte Pisano area (Tuscany, central Italy), spiders were collected within two research projects during three years (2010, 2013, 2014). Olive groves and adjacent semi-natural habitats (wood and Mediterranean garrigue) were investigated with three sampling methods (pitfall trapping, beating at branches and hand collection in the canopy). A total of 148 species was identified. The ground spider (Gnaphosidae) Zelotes fulvaster (Simon, 1878) was recorded for the first time in Italy

Taxonomic and functional differentiation of spiders in habitats in a traditional olive producing landscape in Italy

Annual crops are generally assumed to host simplifi ed arthropod communities that depend on immigration from the surrounding landscape. Perennial, low-input crops such as olive groves are likely to depend less on immigration from other habitats, however, studies on the landscape ecology of perennial crops are scarce. This paper studies the assemblages of arboreal spiders in three types of habitats adjoining olive groves: woods, garigue and other cultivated olive groves in a traditional olive producing landscape. Spiders were sampled during summer and the three types of habitats were compared in terms of species, families and functional groups in order to determine differences in diversity and the potential for spider spillover. As is often reported for annual crops, olive groves had a lower alpha and beta diversity than more natural habitats in terms of species, with a strong dominance of a single species, Frontinellina frutetorum (C.L. Koch, 1834). Differences in diversity between olive groves and natural habitats were not signifi cant at family or functional group levels. With the possible exception of orb weavers, this study indicates that the spiders that were common in olive groves did not occur at higher densities in habitats that were more natural. This indicates there is limited spillover between perennial crops and other late-successional habitats. The enhancement of spiders in olive orchards for pest control may thus depend more on local management than on the presence of semi-natural habitats as a source of immigration

Following the pest outbreak: preliminary fndings on the landscape efect on Dasineura oleae and its parasitoids in central Italy

Dasineura oleae (Angelini, 1831) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), the olive leaf gall midge, is a pest of olive crops that was not problematic in Italy until 2016 when a massive infestation of this pest was reported in a small region in central Italy. We identifed infested olive orchards using farmers’ reports and quantifed the pest infestation level and parasitism rate in each feld. We also explored the efect of the landscape on both the pest and parasitoids using the abundance of olive crops and semi-natural habitats and the Shannon index, estimated at four diferent scales (250 m, 500 m, 750 m and 1000 m bufers around the sampling points). The results showed a small-scale efect on the parasitism rate and a large-scale efect on leaf infestation mediated by the Shannon Index. Moreover, some preliminary results showed that the parasitism rate was high in sites where plants associated with D. oleae parasitoids were present in the adjacent semi-natural habitat. Further studies are needed to validate our fndings on the efect of landscape and vegetation on the natural enemies of D. oleae in order to develop new suppression strategies

"Royal" pediculosis in Renaissance Italy: lice in the mummy of the King of Naples Ferdinand II of Aragon (1467-1496)

Pediculosis seems to have afflicted humans since the most ancient times and lice have been found in several ancient human remains. Examination of the head hair and pubic hair of the artificial mummy of Ferdinand II of Aragon (1467-1496), King of Naples, revealed a double infestation with two different species of lice, Pediculus capitis, the head louse, and Pthirus pubis, the pubic louse. The hair samples were also positive for the presence of mercury, probably applied as an anti-pediculosis therapy. This is the first time that these parasites have been found in the hair of a king, demonstrating that even members of the wealthy classes in the Renaissance were subject to louse infestation