The distribution and habitat preferences of Rhyssemus plicatus (Germar, 1817) in Sicily and Calabria (southern Italy) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae, Aphodiinae, Psammodiini)

Abstract

A detailed account of the distribution of the flightless Rhyssemus plicatus (Germar, 1817) (Coleoptera Scarabaeidae Aphodiinae Psammodiini) is provided as a result of a survey of the soil fauna of Southern Calabria and of the island of Sicily. By adding also data taken from literature and entomological collections, the species is here recorded from a total of 81 localities in Sicily, covering all Sicilian provinces and including all the three Sicilian archipelagoes (Eolie, Egadi and Pelagie) and three localities in Calabria. In Sicily, at least, the species is eurytopic, occurring also inland, reaching up to 1,350 m a.s.l., covering diverse habitats, such as beaches, garrigue, Mediterranean maquis, oak forests and cultivated lands (especially olive groves) and diverse types of soil, with preference for clay over sand. The species is also recorded for the first time for Pianosa island (Tuscan archipelago).