Fragmenta entomologica

The first record of the rare hangingfly Bittacus hageni in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Mecoptera: Bittacidae)

2024-01-28T13:40:31+00:00

The first record of Bittacus hageni Brauer, 1860 for Bosnia and Herzegovina is reported. This is the second record of the species for the Balkan Peninsula and extends the known range of this rare bittacid in Europe considerably.

Neobisium (Neobisium) courtiali, a new pseudoscorpion species from France (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones, Neobisiidae)

2023-12-09T14:10:30+00:00

Neobisium (Neobisium) courtiali n. sp. is described from France (Department of Puy-de-Dôme) and compared with Neobisium (Neobisium) pauperculum Beier, 1959 from Spain (Cantabria and Asturias), with which it shares its small size and from which it differs above all in having partially granular pedipalpal femur and hand and slenderer pedipalps.

Eidophelus caucasicus (Lindemann, 1877) a bark beetle confirmed for the Italian fauna after almost 100 years (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae)

2024-03-11T12:29:10+00:00

A monitoring project focused on saproxylic beetles of “Sasso Fratino Integral Nature Reserve” (Bagno di Romagna, FC), allowed to confirm the presence of the bark beetle Eidophelus caucasicus (Lindemann, 1877) for the Italian fauna. This species was previously known only for “Venezia Tridentina” (corresponding to the current Trentino-South Tyrol) from an old record, never confirmed for Italy since.

Pantala flavescens successfully breeding for the second time in Malta (Maltese Archipelago) (Odonata: LIbellulidae)

2023-12-12T14:10:33+00:00

After being first recorded in the Maltese Islands in 2013 and successfully breeding on the archipelago’s largest island of Malta in 2020 following an unprecedented influx, Pantala flavescens (Fabricius, 1798) has again bred successfully on the same island in 2023. 259 exuviae were found at four small reservoirs in the same valley system of Burmarrad, on the island of Malta.

First record of Laemostenus (Laemostenus) barbarus (Lucas, 1846) in Sardinia (Coleoptera: Carabidae, Harpalinae, Sphodrini)

2024-06-12T07:19:31+00:00

The rare W-Mediterranean carabid beetle Laemostenus barbarus (Lucas, 1846) is here reported for the first time from Sardinia and confirmed to Calabria. The currently known distribution and ecology of this species are briefly discussed.

First record of ergatandromorphous Temnothorax turcicus (Santschi, 1934) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Slovakia

2023-07-13T21:04:59+00:00

Various morphological malformations have always attracted the attention of naturalists. One of the iconic ones is gynandromorphy, in which an individual shows both male and female traits. Although this phenomenon is considered common across the insect kingdom, the level of scientific knowledge is still poor in ants – one of the most studied groups of arthropods. In this study, we present the discovery of a worker ant [of the rare thermophilic species Temnothorax turcicus (Santschi, 1934)] from the territory of Slovakia, part of whose head bears the characteristics of a male. Observations of a live individual affected in this way were also made. Additionally, the location where this specimen was found is currently the northernmost known distribution point of this species in Europe.

Review of the Amaurina Kolbe, 1895 of Angola, with description of a new species (Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae, Leucocelina)

2024-03-25T12:37:27+00:00

The genus Amaurina Kolbe, 1895 has undergone a turbulent taxonomic history and is currently composed of five species, two of which have been recorded from Angola thus far. A new species has recently been discovered in the central and eastern parts of this country and is hereby described as A. schuelei sp. nov. This new species is most closely related, both biogeographically and morphologically, to the sympatric A. spoliata (Harold, 1879), but can superficially be separated from this by its smaller size, the more deplanate body shape lined with a white band across its entire perimeter, the more marked umbonal width and a deeper subhumeral arch. Furthermore, its aedeagal parameres differ markedly from those of A. spoliata, and indeed from those of any other species in the genus, by virtue of their extremely reduced external lobes. Only the holotype specimen is currently known physically, but a photographic observation posted on the iNaturalist platform indicates that the species may actually occur across a wide, although poorly accessible, region of Angola and possibly even in neighbouring Zambia.

A new species of Ischnostomiella Krikken, 1978 from the Limpopo Province of South Africa (Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae, Xiphoscelidini)

2023-12-21T01:56:36+00:00

A female putative specimen of “Ischnostoma luridipennis Burmeister, 1842” from northern South Africa (Limpopo) was recently studied by the authors among material traced and housed temporarily in the Windhoek Museum (Namibia), as part of an old and unrecorded loan from the Zoology Museum of the Lund University (Sweden). A close analysis of this specimen has revealed that it actually represents a new species of Ischnostomiella Krikken, 1978, here described as I. rudebecki sp. nov. The new species differs from the two other species currently known in this genus, I. denticeps Krikken, 1978 and I. werneri Beinhundner, 2005, mainly by its remarkable testaceous-orange colour, its clypeal U-shape, the poorly developed elytral costae and the complete absence of any brown cretaceous maculation. The species appears to be myrmecophilous, the holotype having been retrieved from a pugnacious ant [Anoplolepis custodiens (Smith, 1858)] nest, and the known distribution thus far is the lowveld of the Limpopo Province in north-eastern South Africa.

An inventory of the spider species of “La Mandria” Regional Natural Park (NW Italy) (Arachnida: Araneae)

2024-01-24T10:44:14+00:00

We present an inventory of the spider species of the “La Mandria” Regional Natural Park (Province of Turin, Piedmont, Italy), mostly based on original data collected between 2022 and 2023. Spiders were sampled by means of pitfall traps and beating trays in the most representative habitats of the Park. Few additional species were included to the inventory from iNaturalist observations and from available literature data. We reported a total of 149 species, representing 100 genera and 28 families. Thirty-seven species are recorded for the first time in the Province of Turin and 12 are new for Piedmont. The most represented families were Lycosidae and Linyphiidae, followed by Gnaphosidae and Thomisidae. The highest number of species (60) was recorded in woodland edges, followed by mown meadows (57) and mixed broadleaved woods (50). The composition of the spider assemblages aligns with those found in similar habitats in the frame of other studies conducted in the Po Valley. Most of the species have a Palaeartic distribution, followed by Turanic-European-Mediterranean and European elements. Noteworthy, we recorded two endemic species (Nemesia pedemontana and Dysdera lantosquensis) and three alien species (Mermessus trilobatus, Erigone autumnalis and Theridula gonygaster). We also provide new taxonomic illustrations of two riparian Gnaphosidae (Gnaphosa dolosa and G. rhenana). Besides the faunistic contribution, this inventory aims at providing a basis for further studies on the conservation ecology of spiders in NW Italy.

Some Neuroptera of the Horn of Africa from the Museum of Zoology of the University of Rome “La Sapienza” (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae, Mantispidae, Ascalaphidae, Myrmeleontidae)

2024-03-01T10:43:25+00:00

The study of Neuroptera from the Horn of Africa preserved in collections of the Museum of Zoology of the University of Rome “La Sapienza” and those collected several years ago by the late entomologist Prof. A. Vigna Taglianti (Rome), contributes to increasing our knowledge of the neuropterological fauna for this part of East Africa. We give a description of the female of Apertochrysa eurydera (Navás, 1910) and a comparison between the male of Stenares completus Banks, 1915 (of which only the female was known) and that of S. irroratus Navás, 1912 (based on a specimen preserved in the Museum of Zoology of the University of Florence).

A remarkable new species of the genus Ganyopis from Malacca, Malaysia (Curculionidae: Conoderinae, Mecopini)

2023-08-17T14:07:16+00:00

Ganyopis notabilis sp. nov. is described and figured. It represents the fourth described species of Ganyopis and the second known from Malacca (Malaysia). Some morphological notes on the genus are also provided.

New distributional records of the genus Tetragonoderus Dejean, 1829 from the United States of America, including an updated key to species (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

2024-01-18T18:46:43+00:00

New distributional records are presented for the genus Tetragonoderus Dejean, 1829 from the United States of America. Tetragonoderus fasciatus (Haldeman, 1843) is a new state record for South Dakota, Tetragonoderus intersectus (Germar, 1824) is a new state record for Oklahoma, Tetragonoderus latipennis LeConte, 1874 is a new state record for Florida, Georgia, and Okhlaoma, and Tetragonoderus pallidus Horn, 1869 is a new state record for New Mexico and Utah. New county records for the introduced species Tetragonoderus laevigatus Chaudoir, 1876 in Florida and new state records for Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi signify a range extension. A new record of this species from Miami-Dade County from 2004 temporally precedes the known date of introduction. New observational records from citizen science platforms for the reported species are also noted. An updated key and distributional maps to the known species in the USA are also provided.

A new subgenus and species of Crepidogaster from Madagascar (Coleoptera: Carabidae, Brachininae, Crepidogastrini)

2024-01-29T08:44:32+00:00

Crepidogaster (Sphaerotyronia) rotundata subg. nov., sp. nov. is herein described on the basis of a male specimen from East Madagascar. The male habitus and genitalia are illustrated, and some considerations are presented about the systematics of the genus Crepidogaster and the tribe Crepidogastrini.

The species of the booklice genus Liposcelis Motschulsky, 1852 of Belarus (Psocoptera: Liposcelididae)

2023-11-04T16:25:09+00:00

Eight species of the apterous genus Liposcelis (Psocoptera: Liposcelididae), L. bostrychophila Badonnel, 1931, L. corrodens (Heymons, 1909), L. decolor (Pearman, 1925), L. pearmani Lienhard, 1990, L. silvarum (Kolbe, 1888), L. formicaria (Hagen, 1865), L. aleksandrowiczi Georgiev, Ostrovsky & Lienhard, 2020 and L. sp. cf. entomophila (Enderlein, 1907), are recorded for Belarus. The latter species is recorded in Belarus for the first time. Brief information about their modern distribution, as well as features of biology and ecology is given.

Assessment of Odonate assemblages in the Agro Pontino (Latina, Central Italy) using two biotic indices (Insecta: Odonata)

2024-04-04T13:48:22+00:00

Odonate assemblages were surveyed in seven sites within the context of the EU LIFE project GREENCHANGE that aims to preserve biodiversity and to enhance the ecological value of the agro-ecosystems of Agro Pontino (Latina, Central Italy) through interventions of ecological restoration. In total 16 species were recorded during the ante-operam surveys in 2019, which represent 28% of the Odonate fauna of the Lazio Region. None of them has a significant conservation interest, however Coenagrion castellani, an endemic Italian species, was observed in a small rivulet near the Pantanello site during an additional fi eld survey. The application of OHI (Odonate Habitat Index) and ORI (Odonate River Index) allowed a detailed characterization of the dragonfl y assemblages that are mainly dominated by eurytopic and euryecious species typical of standing waters. The assemblages of Pantanello and Fosso Epitaffio are notable exceptions thanks to the presence of sensitive lentic and lotic species. The main pressures affecting Odonate assemblages identified in the study area are the alterations of aquatic and riparian vegetation, the hydromorphological degradation of running waters, limited water quality and the presence of the invasive crayfi sh Procambarus clarkii.

New records of Osmoderma eremita in protected relict forests of Piedmont lowlands (NW Italy) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae, Cetoniinae)

2024-05-06T15:13:17+00:00

Hermit beetle, Osmoderma eremita (Scopoli, 1763), is a priority species listed in Annexes II and IV of the Habitats Directive, closely linked to mature deciduous trees bearing cavities. As required by articles 11 and 17 of the Directive, in 2021 and 2023 the species was monitored in some lowland wooded areas within the Monviso Park (Piedmont, NW Italy). The monitoring was carried out collecting presence/absence data to inspect population status, phenology and sex ratio, using pheromone baited traps to capture adults during both studies, and searching for exoskeletal remains, larvae and cocoons through the wood mould sampling method in 2021. At the end of the second monitoring period, the presence of the target species was first-time established in all study areas, in addition to other protected saproxylic species records. Planting pollarded trees as well as a forest management attentive to microhabitats are suggested, in order to restore suitable habitat for associated saproxylic beetles and preserve this particularly threatened entomofauna.