Flower visitor insects of Myrtus communis L., 1753 in the Culuccia Peninsula (NE Sardinia, Italy) (Hexapoda)

Abstract

Myrtle (Myrtus communis L., 1753), the only species of Myrtaceae native to Europe, is a key Mediterranean scrub species valued for its aromatic and medicinal properties. During field research on the Culuccia Peninsula (NE Sardinia) in 2024, a series of observations and data were collected on insects visiting flowering plants. Since very little is known about the pollinators and visitors of flowers of Myrtus communis, we here provide a fist account of the insect recorded during the research. A total of 117 visitor insects were collected, mainly Coleoptera (84%), followed by Diptera (7%), Hymenoptera (7%), Hemiptera (1%) and Thysanoptera (1%). The most common families are Oedemeridae (29%), Cerambycidae (14%) and Scraptiidae (13%). Oedemera flavipes (Fabricius, 1792) is the most frequent species observed visiting myrtle flowers (19%). Our results show a diverse insect community dominated by Coleoptera, unlike previous studies reporting only Hymenoptera and Diptera, highlighting the need for further research across regions to understand the insect assemblages associated with this plant species.