0000000000099645

AUTHOR

Bruno Massa

I pini monumentali della Fossa della Garofala.

In città è difficile rinvenire alberi monumentali a causa delle negative interazioni tra le attività antropiche e la vegetazione. Lo sviluppo delle piante arboree assume un aspetto notevolmente differente rispetto a quello che si potrebbe avere in un ecosistema naturale. In una città come Palermo in cui la forte espansione urbanistica ha sottratto aree verdi rimangono solo alcuni lembi sopravvissuti alla cementificazione. Un caso particolare è rappresentato dalla Fossa della Garofala che, pur essendo inclusa all’interno del tessuto urbano, ha elevati caratteri di naturalità. Ciò è dovuto alla storia passata e recente, l’area acquisita dall’Università di Palermo nel 1950, grazie all’apposizi…

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New species, records and synonymies of West Palaearctic Pamphaginae (Orthoptera: Caelifera: Pamphagidae)

The author analyses the species of some West Palaearctic genera of Pamphaginae, namely Euryparyphes, Paraeuryparyphes, Glauia, Pseudoglauia, Glauvarovia, Prionosthenus, Lativertex, Ocnerosthenus, establishing the following synonymies: Euryparyphes olcesei (Bolivar 1907) = Euryparyphes bolivari (Stål 1876); Euryparyphes paraflexuosus La Greca 1993 = Euryparyphes flexuosus Uvarov 1927; Glauia durieui rubripes Morales Agacino & Descamps 1968 = Glauia durieui durieui (Bolivar 1878); Prionosthenus lebanicus Dirsh 1950 = Prionosthenus femoralis Werner 1938; Prionosthenus (Lativertex) Koçak & Kemal 2011 = Paranothrotes Mishchenko 1951. Further, the author confirms the synonymies: Euryparyphes vauc…

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Food for flight: pre-migratory dynamics of the Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni.

Capsule The post-reproductive stage of Lesser Kestrel is crucial for migratory fuelling and survival. Aims To describe the summer pre-migratory ecology of the Lesser Kestrel in Sicily and review existing data in Southern Europe. Methods We identified the main summer roosts and then made roost counts every ten days from 2010 to 2012. We used case-sensitive modelling procedures to detect biases in counts (generalized linear mixed models), assess the annual population trends from 2005 to 2012 (TRends and Indices for Monitoring); and to model habitat preferences (generalized linear model). We sampled pellets to describe the birds’ diet during the peak month prior to migration. Results We discov…

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Climate driven life histories: the case of the Mediterranean Storm petrel

Seabirds are affected by changes in the marine ecosystem. The influence of climatic factors on marine food webs can be reflected in long-term seabird population changes. We modelled the survival and recruitment of the Mediterranean storm petrel (Hydrobates pelagicus melitensis) using a 21-year mark-recapture dataset involving almost 5000 birds. We demonstrated a strong influence of prebreeding climatic conditions on recruitment age and of rainfall and breeding period conditions on juvenile survival. The results suggest that the juvenile survival rate of the Mediterranean subspecies may not be negatively affected by the predicted features of climate change, i.e., warmer summers and lower rai…

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Paraplangia sinespeculo, a new genus and species of bush-cricket, with notes on its biology and a key to the genera of Phaneropterinae (Orthoptera: Tettigonioidea) from Madagascar

Madagascar is a well-known hotspot of biodiversity. However, many Orthoptera, and especially the Tettigonioidea, belong to little-studied groups. Here we describe a new genus and species of bush-cricket reared from field-collected eggs.Paraplangiasinespeculogen. nov., sp. nov. belongs to Phaneropterinae and shares diagnostic characteristics with members of the tribe Amblycoryphini and its African subtribe Plangiina stat. nov.Paraplangia, which has a chromosome number of 31 X0, differs from other African members of the tribe and subtribe such asEurycoryphaandPlangia, which both have 29 X0. In addition to morphology, we describe the male calling song, female acoustic response, and mating beha…

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Aggiornamento sulla nidificazione della Tartaruga marina Caretta caretta (Reptilia Cheloniidae) in Sicilia. Riflessioni sul valore della Citizen Science

Updating of egg-laying of Loggerhead sea Turtle Caretta caretta (Reptilia Chelonidae) in Sicily. Remarks on the value of the Citizen Science. The aim of this paper is to put together data on the egg- laying by the Loggerhead sea Turtle Caretta caretta in Sicily, mainly after recordings by amateurs, tourists and occasional observers. 25 nesting events by this turtle are reported in the main island in 2017 and 2018. Comparing these figures with past records, they appear very high; it may be in part due to an awareness campaign carried out in the last years to solicit such reports. This suggests that Sicily may host a much higher nesting population of the Loggerhead sea Turtle than previously …

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Flight behaviour of Honey Buzzards (Pernis apivorus) during spring migration over the sea.

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Uno studio inedito di Enrico Pirajno di Mandralisca sull’entomofauna delle isole Eolie.

Tra i manoscritti inediti di Enrico Pirajno, conservati presso l’Archivio Storico della FondazioneMandralisca, esiste un elenco dei “Coleotteri delle isole Eolie”, che rappresenta il primo tentativo pionieristico di un catalogo dell’entomofauna dell’arcipelago. Nel presente contributo ne viene illustrato il contenuto e brevemente discussi gli aspetti relativi al suo valore storico, documentale e scientifico.

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Berta maggiore – Cory’s Shearwater Calonectris diomedea (Scopoli, 1769).

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Fauna d’Italia. XLVIII. Orthoptera.

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STRATEGIE ECOLOGICHE DEI PARASSITOIDI: IL SIGNIFICATO ADATTATIVO DELL’HOST-RANGE.

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Ecology of the eulophid parasitoid community living on hosts of spontaneous flora linked to citrus grove (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Eulophidae).

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Proposed synonymy of Sylvia cantillans moltonii Orlando, 1937, with Sylvia cantillans subalpina Temminck, 1820.

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Dorsthippus and Aethiopiacris: synonymic genera of Dwarf Grasshoppers of the Ethiopian highlands (Orthoptera: Acrididae)

The grasshopper species of the genera Dorsthippus Donskoff, 1977 (D. baleensis) and Aethiopiacris La Greca, 1994 (A. parva) of the Ethiopian highlands are very poorly known. Little information is a...

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Synonymy of two recently described taxa of Phaneropterinae (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae)

Specimens of the two taxa Terpnistriella bredoi Massa, 2017 and Pseudogoetia constanti Massa, 2017 from Democratic Republic of Congo were certainly erroneously labeled, because they resulted synonymous with neotropical taxa Vellea cruenta (Burmeister, 1838) and Philophyllia guttulata Stål, 1873. 

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A new voice from Sardinia: Uromenus annae (Targioni-Tozzetti, 1881 (Insecta: Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Bradyporinae: Ephippigerini)

Recent findings of the Sardinian endemic Bushcricket Uromenus annae (Targioni Tozzetti, 1881) allowed the authors to retrace the nomenclatorial history of the species. The rearing of living specimens resulted in the recording of the male song, previously unknown. Since the Neotype previously established by Fontana & Buzzetti (2001) is lost, a new Neotype is here designated. Affinities with other congeneric species are discussed. 

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The tropical African tribes Poreuomenini, Zeuneriini and Morgeniini with the description of a new genus (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Phaneropterinae).

Species currently considered belonging to the tribe Poreuomenini Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1878 are here separated; only Poreuomena Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1878 and Cestromoecha Karsch, 1893 remain in the tribe Poreuomenini, while Zeuneria Karsch, 1889 and Gravenreuthia Karsch, 1892 are transferred to the new tribe Zeuneriini Karsch, 1890. Morgenia Karsch, 1890 and Mangomaloba Sjöstedt, 1902 are moved to the new tribe Morgeniini Karsch, 1890. The new genus and species Paraporeuomena signata is described from the Tri National Sangha (TNS) (Central African Republic) and tentatively considered belonging to the tribe Poreuomenini. Its general aspect is hardly similar to that of the genus Poreuomena…

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MORFOLOGIA MANDIBOLARE DEGLI ORTOTTERI IN RELAZIONE ALLA POSIZIONE TROFICA.

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Note sul Punteruolo della palma Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier, 1790) in Sicilia (Coleoptera Curculionidae).

Gli autori sintetizzano le informazioni disponibili sulla biologia del punteruolo della palma, riportando nuovi dati acquisiti durante una ricerca svolta in Sicilia, ove questo insetto sta causando gravi danni al patrimonio storico-paesaggistico di molti centri abitati. Tra gli aspetti più interessanti, riportano il primo rinvenimento di un parassitoide autoctono, Billaea maritima (Schiner, 1862) (Diptera Tachinidae), abituale antagonista di Cetoniini.

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Taxonomy and distribution of some katydids (Orthoptera Tettigoniidae) from tropical Africa

Received 21 March 2015 | Accepted 31 August 2015 | Published 30 September 2015

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Cynipid wasps inducing galls on plants of the genus Picris (Asteraceae) in Europe, with a description of a new species of Phanacis Foerster (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) from the Iberian Peninsula

13 paginas y 8 figuras

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Order Orthoptera: additions to the Orthoptera fauna of the UAE

Orthoptera of UAE were recently summarized by Massa et al (2010). We report here additional records of species collected by Anthonius van Harten with different methods in 2004-2007 and by F.M. Buzzetti in March 2010 during a collecting expedition to UAE, within the framework of the Arthropod of the UAE project.

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Forecasting ocean warming impacts on seabird demography: a case study on the European storm petrel

Bottom-up climatic forcing has been shown to be influential for a variety of marine taxa, but evidence on seabird populations is scarce. Seasonal variation in environmental conditions can have an indirect effect on subsequent reproduction, which, given the longevity and single-brooding of seabirds, may affect population dynamics. Our study focuses on linking the effect of oceanographic conditions (from 1991 to 2013) to the fecundity and consequently pop - ulation growth rate of the Mediterranean subspecies of the European storm petrel Hydrobates pelagicus melitensis. In this study, we examined 23 yr of > 5400 capture–mark−recaptures (CMR) and modelled the probability of skipping reproductio…

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Parasitism and sex ratio of the bedeguar gall wasp Diplolepis rosae (L.) (Hymenoptera : Cynipidae) in Sicily (Italy)

The Diplolepis rosae gall community is analysed in Sicily (Italy), based on collections totalling 82 galls from 12 sites from which 1,026 adult insects were obtained. The gall wasp exits in March-June from galls induced the previous year. On average 5.6 D. rosae individuals per gall were obtained, corresponding to 44.8% of all the emerged insects. We obtained 4.3% of D. rosae males overall, the highest figure found till now for the cynipid overall in Europe, where male D. rosae are usually rarer, and the first record of them for the Mediterranean area. No inquilines were found, and, consequently, none of their specific parasitoids. However, Eurytoma rosae, generally considered as a specific…

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Description of the sexual generation of Dryocosmus destefanii (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipini) and disclosure of its life cycle

The sexual generation of Dryocosmus destefanii Cerasa & Melika, 2018 that emerges from galls on Q. suber L. in Italy is described for the first time, establishing its heterogonic life cycle. We provide observations on its distribution, illustration of adults and galls and information on its biology as supported by morphological and molecular data. An illustrated identification key to Western Palaearctic Dryocosmus species is also given. 

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CONTRIBUTO DELLA FLORA SPONTANEA ALLA BIODIVERSITÀ: L’ESEMPIO DEGLI INSETTI FILLOMINATORI E DEI LORO PARASSITOIDI.

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A previously unreported numph cocoon of Alphasida puncticollis on the islet of Lampione (Sicilian Channel) (Coleoptera Tenebrionidae).

In this paper we present an unusual case of cocoons produced by larvae of Tenebrionid Alphasida (Glabrasida) puncticollis (Solier, 1836), which has been observed on the islet of Lampione (Sicilian Channel). Pupal cocoons have never been recorded for species belonging to this genus, and their occurrence results rarely documented within the family Tenebrionidae. Some ecological implications are discussed.

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New and little known species of genusSteropleurusBolivar 1878, from Libya (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae, Ephippigerinae)

The authors update the knowledge of genus Steropleurus in Libya, reporting new records of S. innocentii innocentii and S. filenorum, and describing a new species, S. ientilei, from Cyrenaica.

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Erratum: on the correct name of Scolocerca thomasi Massa, 2021 (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae, Phaneropterinae) from Côte d’Ivoire 

Massa, Bruno (2021): Erratum: on the correct name of Scolocerca thomasi Massa, 2021 (Orthoptera Tettigoniidae, Phaneropterinae) from Côte d'Ivoire. Zootaxa 4963 (2): 400-400, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4963.2.11

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Forestry, pasture, agriculture and fauna correlated to recent changes in Sicily.

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PARASSITOIDI DEI FILLOMINATORI DELLA FLORA SPONTANEA DEGLI AGRUMETI DELLA SICILIA.

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The design of artificial nestboxes for the study of secondary hole-nesting birds: A review of methodological inconsistencies and potential biases

The widespread use of artificial nestboxes has led to significant advances in our knowledge of the ecology, behaviour and physiology of cavity nesting birds, especially small passerines. Nestboxes have made it easier to perform routine monitoring and experimental manipulation of eggs or nestlings, and also repeatedly to capture, identify and manipulate the parents. However, when comparing results across study sites the use of nestboxes may also introduce a potentially significant confounding variable in the form of differences in nestbox design amongst studies, such as their physical dimensions, placement height, and the way in which they are constructed and maintained. However, the use of …

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LA FLORA SPONTANEA ED I SUOI OSPITI NATURALI: PROSPETTIVE DI POTENZIAMENTO DEL CONTROLLO BIOLOGICO DEGLI AGROECOSISTEMI

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Vertebrate-mediated seed rain and artificial perches contribute to overcome seed dispersal limitation in a Mediterranean old field

Natural regeneration of vegetation is a frequent outcome of land abandonment, although the rate and diversity of such regeneration may be severely restricted by seed dispersal limitation, among other factors. In spite of this, studies aiming to quantify seed rain and test methods to enhance it, such as artificial perches, are still underrepresented in the Mediterranean. In our study, we quantified seed rain density and richness and tested the effects of artificial perches on such rain over a distance gradient on seven Mediterranean island old fields. In each of the seven sites, we positioned three sampling stations, each consisting of 1 seed trap under an artificial perch and 1 as a control…

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A new species of Pamphagus (Orthoptera: Pamphagidae) from Algeria with a key to all the species of the genus

The authors describe Pamphagus milevitanus n. sp. occurring in the North and South highlands of Constantine, in Mila, Setif and Oum-el Bouaghi provinces, where it is fairly common. They compare the characters of this species with those of the most related species of the genus and present a complete plate and a key to all the species of the genus Pamphagus known to date.

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Tettigoniidae (Orthoptera) ovipositing in old galls of Dryocosmus kuriphilus (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae)

Authors report some biological notes on two species of Orthoptera Tettigoniidae emerged from old spongy-woody galls of Dryocosmus kuriphilus Yasumatsu, 1951 collected in April 2015 from some areas of Sicily (Italy): Leptophyes sicula Kleukers, Odé et Fontana, 2010 (Phaneropterinae) and Cyrtaspis scutata (Charpentier, 1825) (Meconematinae). Between the end of April and the first days of May 30 neanids emerged from the galls, were reared and their cycle followed. While L. sicula laid eggs in groups, C. scutata laid single eggs inside the galls; both species have shown that in a few years they adapted in exploiting this new shelter for egg laying. No interaction with the gall inducing insect w…

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Orthoptera Tettigoniidae as indicators of biodiversity hotspots in the Guinean Forests of Central and West Tropical Africa

The present paper has two aims: 1) to present the results of the study of selected species of Orthoptera Tettigoniidae collected in the Guinean forests of West Africa and in the important hotspot of Dzanga-Ndoki National Park (Central African Republic); 2) to carry out a check-list of six subfamilies of Tettigoniidae (Pseudophyllinae, Conocephalinae, Hexacentrinae, Phaneropterinae, Mecopodinae and Hetrodinae) living in Central-West tropical Africa, in particular in two main tropical forests, in the subregion of upper Guinea, and in the subregion Nigeria-Cameroon plus the biodiversity hotspots of Central African Republic and Gabon. Many new records are reported and the following new species …

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Importance of millipedes (Diplopoda) in the autumn-winter diet of Scolopax rusticola

Authors examined the autumn-winter diet of the woodcock Scolopax rusticola from 407 gizzard samples originating from Crimea and Italy, resulting in a high number of millipedes (Diplopoda) in all the samples; this prey item was particularly important in terms of weight percentage. The authors consider that calcium, highly present in millipedes, should be an important source for the woodcocks’ metabolism during the autumn-winter seasons.

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On some Drymadusini from the Middle East

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First successful eradication of invasive Norway rats Rattus norvegicus from a small Mediterranean island (Isola delle Femmine, Italy)

Invasive alien species, once introduced, may affect local biodiversity, both directly (e.g. by predation) and indirectly (e.g. by reducing the vegetation cover). Among those, rats (Rodentia, Muridae) are listed among the most invasive species, exerting strong impacts particularly when introduced to island ecosystems. Accordingly, black rats Rattus rattus have been eradicated from a number of islands in the Mediterranean basin to protect breeding seabirds. Where the larger Norway rat Rattus norvegicus is present, extent of damage may be even higher. In our work, we present the results of the first eradication program dealing with Norway rats in a small Mediterranean island (Isola delle Femmi…

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Interrelations between entomofauna of the synanthropic vegetation and that one of the citrus groves.

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Ornithological communities as indicators of recent transformations on a regional scale: the case of the Sicily island.

A study on the Sicilian avifauna changes and its existing connections with the land use variations has been carried out from the 80s till today. We compared the Sicilian ornithological data acquired from the atlas maps with the regional land use maps data. We examined the land use variations and the distribution changes of some bird species on a regional level. To this aim, we analyzed the spatial distribution data of the birds in the period from 1984-1992 and 1993-2006. Moreover we examined the land use data of the period going from 1987-1988 and 1993-2000. After a preliminary analysis, we selected target species linked to different environments. Forest: Great spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopo…

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First GPS-tracking of Cory’s shearwater in the Mediterranean Sea.

Abstract The behaviour and ecology of seabirds such as albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters have been the subject of numerous studies, often employing the most recent technologies to track birds during their foraging trips. Until now, however, large oceanic species have been preferred for tracking studies because of the dimensions and weight of the devices available. New light-weight GPS (Global Positioning System) loggers (< 9 g) were used to track foraging trips of a medium-sized species, the Cory's shearwater, for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea. The tracks obtained showed that Mediterranean Cory's shearwaters alternatively used one of two different fishing areas. Various explana…

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INTERRELAZIONI TRA L'ARTROPODOFAUNA DELLA FLORA SINANTROPICA E QUELLA DEGLI AGRUMI.

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BiodiverCity: a first investigation on bird communities in two urban green areas of Palermo, Sicily

Since the 1980s, there has been a growing worldwide interest on urban bird diversity. The avifauna of Mediterranean cities has been however poorly investigated with standardized methods. Accordingly, our investigation aimed to record breeding and migrating species in two XVIII-century green areas of Palermo town: Villa Trabia (8 ha) and the Botanical Garden (10 ha). Starting from spring 2019, we carried 15 census sessions by point-counts, during the morning hours (10 points at Villa Trabia and 11 at the Botanical Garden, set with a minimum distance of 50 m) by recording, in each point, all the birds seen or heard within 10 min. Our preliminary results show that the study sites are mainly vi…

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In search of the most mysterious orthopteran of Europe: the Reed cricket Natula averni (Orthoptera: Gryllidae).

In the last few years a lot of new information has become available on Natula averni. As the common name we propose Reed cricket, because the species was found almost exclusively in reed beds. Recent findings show that this species is more abundant than previously thought. The species can easily be found with knowledge of distribution, habitat and song, all described in this publication. Nevertheless a lot of questions remain about the taxonomy. We hope that information gathered after this publication will help us to reveal the proper identity of reed crickets in Europe.

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Importanza dell’avifauna dell’isola di Ustica e proposte gestionali per la valorizzazione dell’area protetta

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New records of Cynipidae (Hymenoptera) from Italy

New records of Cynipid gall wasps and inquilines for the Italian peninsula and Sicily and their new host plants for the Palaearctic Region are listed and commented on. Among them we find: Cerroneuroterus cerrifloralis (Mullner 1901) as new for Italy and new for the Palaearctic region as host on Quercus suber; Andricus multiplicatus Giraud 1859 on Q. suber, as new host for the Palaearctic region; Aylax papaveris (Perris 1839), reported in Italy over a century ago, but later overlooked; Cerroneuroterus minutulus (Giraud 1859), also reported more than a century ago from Sicily, but later overlooked. Among the inquilines are here listed: Synergus variabilis Mayr 1872, emerged from Janetia cerri…

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L’Arvicola del Savi, Microtus savii (De Sélys Longchamps), in agrumeti e vigneti siciliani.

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TROPHIC INTERACTIONS BETWEEN EULOPHID PARASITOIDS AND LEAFMINERS LIVING ON SPONTANEOUS FLORA

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The identity of the tropical African Polichne mukonja Griffini, 1908 (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae, Phaneropterinae)

Polichne mukonja Griffini, 1908 from Cameroon was hitherto known only from the holotype preserved at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels. This was probably due to the fact that the genus Polichne Stål, 1874 distributed only in Australia and Papua New Guinea. In view of this distribution, the tropical African species was therefore overlooked in the African literature. The recent discovery of two specimens at the Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna, now provides us with a better understanding of the identity of this taxon, which is related to the African genus Catoptropteryx Karsch, 1890. Polichne mukonja is here transferred to a new genus Griffinipteryx and both taxa are p…

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Variazioni nella densità dei rapaci in due aree campione della Sicilia

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Variation in clutch size in relation to nest size in birds

© 2014 The Authors. Nests are structures built to support and protect eggs and/or offspring from predators, parasites, and adverse weather conditions. Nests are mainly constructed prior to egg laying, meaning that parent birds must make decisions about nest site choice and nest building behavior before the start of egg-laying. Parent birds should be selected to choose nest sites and to build optimally sized nests, yet our current understanding of clutch size-nest size relationships is limited to small-scale studies performed over short time periods. Here, we quantified the relationship between clutch size and nest size, using an exhaustive database of 116 slope estimates based on 17,472 nes…

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Adaptive plasticity of blue tits(Parus caeruleus)and great tits(Parus major)breeding in natural and semi‐natural insular habitats

The breeding performance and foraging of blue and great tits, and the abundance of arthropods living on the trees of an oak-wood and of a coniferous reafforestation were studied in Sicily, in order to: 1) compare breeding parameters in natural and semi-natural habitats within the same area; 2) estimate the degree of overlap in peak resource and peak demand of young tits, and the overlap of nestling diet of the two species in the two habitats. Both species had earlier laying dates, laid more eggs and raised more fledglings in the oakwood than in the reafforestation; they achieved the same fledging success within the same habitat type. These differences are probably due to the earlier and hig…

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Notes on a small collection of phaneropterine bush-crickets (Insecta: Orthoptera: Tettigonioidea) from Central and Southern Madagascar with the description of two new species

During a joint ecological project of the Institute of Forest Ecology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Zvolen, Slovakia, and the University of Antananarivo, Madagascar, eight species (10 specimens) of phaneropterine bush-crickets were collected. Among them, two species were found as new to science (Mimoscudderia longicaudata n. sp., Paraphyrrhicia leuca n. sp.) and are described in this paper. Two other species (Plangia segonoides, Trigonocorypha maxima) were found the first time after their description more than 100 years ago. We provide first detailed data about their localities and habitat. 

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Status and Conservation of the Storm Petrel Hydrobates Pelagicus in Sicily

According to James (1984) there are few data available about the status and the distribution of the Storm Petrel in the Mediterranean Sea. Bibliographical research shows us how this species is generally decreasing in the whole Mediterranean, and even disappeared in many breeding sites. Fig. 1 gives the actual situation. We report the following comments.

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Importanza della bioacustica nella sistematica degli Ortotteri

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INSECTS AND SMALL MAMMALS TRENDS IN THE DIET OF THE BARN OWL (TYTO ALBA) IN A MEDITERRANEAN ISLAND (SICILY).

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OZOGNATHUS CORNUTUS (LECONTE, 1859) (Coleoptera Anobiidae), NEW RECORD FOR ITALY

Prima segnalazione di Ozognathus cornutus (LeConte, 1859) (Coleoptera Anobiidae) in Italia

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I cambiamenti nell’ecosistema della Riserva Naturale di Vendicari e gli effetti sull’avifauna

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Endoterapia per il controllo del punteruolo rosso delle palme ed effetti dei trattamenti sulla piante.

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BIOLOGY OF THE WREN, TROGLODYTES TROGLODYTES, IN A MEDITERRANEAN INSULAR AGROECOSYSTEM

In the last years many species of birds have exploited urban and suburban habitats, taking opportunistically advantage of human presence for their niche parameters. The Wren is one of them and shows a high variability in the choice of nesting sites in the gardens of the outskirts of Palermo (Sicily). For many years the authors studied the breeding habits of this small bird, and thanks to the video-tape recordings on the nests, they were able to gather new information on its feeding habits and parental care. They could establish the role played by both parents, the different prey types carried to the chicks, and other data, scarcely known in the southern part of distribution of this passerin…

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Status ed andamento delle specie d'uccelli nidificanti in Sicilia

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The East Mediterranean Genus Orchamus Stål, 1876 (Insecta: Orthoptera: Pamphagidae).

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CONTROL OF PHYLLOCNISTIS CITRELLA STAINTON (LEPIDOPTERA: GRACILLARIIDAE) BY SELECTIVE INSECTICIDES AND BY MANIPULATION OF INDIGENOUS NATURAL ANTAGONISTS.

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Vertebrati della Riserva Naturale Speciale e Sito d’Importanza Comunitaria Lago di Pergusa.

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New and less known Orthoptera (Insecta) from the island of Socotra (Yemen)

A list of nine species of Orthoptera collected on Socotra is reported. Three of them were previously unrecorded on the island (Trigonidium cicindeloides, Paratettix subpustulatus and Acrotylus insubricus) and one (Ochrilidia socotrae n.sp.) was undescribed. Further systematic notes on Glomeremus pileatus, G. mediopictus, Pyrgomorpha conica tereticornis, Acrotylus incarnatus and Sphingonotus insularis are included. The East African Acrotylus meruensis, previously considered synonym of A. incarnatus, is proposed as a valid species, distinct from the latter.

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Epinephelus sicanus (Doderlein, 1882) (Perciformes: Serranidae: Epinephelinae), a valid species of grouper from the Mediterranean Sea

During the editing of the paper “In memory of Pietro Doderlein” (Massa et al. 2018), consulting Doderlein’s bibliography, and highlighting some interesting documents and the material preserved in the Museum of Zoology of the University of Palermo (MZPA) (today named after Doderlein), a taxonomic anomaly was noticed about a grouper collected more than one hundred years ago. The aim of the present statement is to prove that the name Cerna sicana Doderlein, 1882 (presently as Epinephelus sicanus [Doderlein, 1882]) should be considered a valid species unless it is demonstrated that it is a synonym of another valid species. In 1882 Doderlein described Cerna sicana from a single specimen (Fig. 1)…

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Seabirds mated for life migrate separately to the same places: behavioural coordination or shared proximate causes?

Long-term pair bonds occur in diverse animal taxa, but they are most common in birds, and can last from a few years to a lifetime. In many of these species, after the reproductive season, birds migrate to distant nonbreeding grounds where they remain for several months, and until recently, little was known about whether partners maintain contact during migration. This gap in knowledge was primarily due to past methodological difficulties in tracking long-term, large-scale movements of individuals. However, the development of new animal-borne geolocation devices has enabled researchers to track movements of individuals for a year or more. We tracked the annual migrations of both members of b…

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&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Revision of the genus &lt;em&gt;Prionotropis&lt;/em&gt; Fieber, 1853 (Orthoptera: Pamphagidae: Thrinchinae)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

The genus Prionotropis Fieber, 1853 is revised. It is distributed in scattered areas of the Mediterranean region from Turkey in the East to Spain in the West. Overall, seven species are listed, namely P. maculinervis (Stal, 1878) (Turkey; P. urfensis Ramme, 1933 is here considered its synonym), P. willemsorum n. sp. (Greece, Epirus; previously considered P. appula), P. appula (O.G. Costa, 1836) (South Italy), P. hystrix (Germar, 1817) (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Croatia, North-East Italy; P. hystrix sontiaca is here synonymized), P. rhodanica Uvarov, 1923 resurrected status (France, Crau, Rhone delta; here considered a valid species), P. azami Uvarov, 1923 n. status (France, Var regi…

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On some interesting African katydids (Orthoptera Tettigoniidae)

Results of the study of specimens collected in Africa and preserved in different European collections and museums are reported and extensively illustrated. The tribe Preussiini Karsch, 1890 is resurrected for the genera Preussia Karsch, 1890, Enochletica Karsch, 1896 and Weissenbornia Karsch, 1888. The following three new species are described: Eurycorypha ndokiensis n. sp., Eurycorypha feai n. sp. and Eurycorypha kenyensis n. sp. Rhacocleis dernensis Salfi, 1926 is confirmed in its original genus, Conocephalus algerinorum Massa, 1999 is moved into the subgenus Anisoptera. In addition, new diagnostic characters or distributional data for Horatosphaga crosskeyi Ragge, 1960, Horatosphaga soma…

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Individual variation of persistent organic pollutants in relation to stable isotope ratios, sex, reproductive phase and oxidative status in Scopoli's shearwaters (Calonectris diomedea) from the Southern Mediterranean

Abstract: Little is known about the accumulation of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and its consequences for seabirds in the Mediterranean basin. We characterised the plasma contaminant profile (polychlorinated biphenyls ΣPCBs; organochlorine pesticides ΣOCPs; polybrominated diphenyl ethers ΣPBDEs) of a population of the seabird Scopoli's shearwater (Calonectris diomedea) that breeds in the southern Mediterranean (Linosa Island) and investigated (i) whether sex, stable isotope ratios (related to diet), reproductive phase (early incubation vs. late breeding season) and body mass explained variation in contaminant burden and (ii) whether they predict health-related variables. The predomi…

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Alien mammals on Italian islands: impact on seabird populations, management options and priorities for resource allocation.

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Body mass variation in Scopoli’s Shearwaters Calonectris diomedea breeding at Linosa Island.

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Revision of the tropical African genus Tetraconcha (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Phaneropterinae) with the description of ten new species.

Only five species of the genus Tetraconcha Karsch, 1890 have been previously known; they inhabit tropical forests of central and western Africa. Generally, specimens belonging to this genus are scarcely represented in museum collections, probably due to the difficulty in finding them, but also for the fragility of their body and legs. During some recent expeditions in the Central African Republic and Ivory Coast it was possible to put together an abundant amount of specimens. This allowed the present author to revise the genus and to find valid characters to distinguish different species. On the whole, ten new species were discovered and the total number now amounts to fifteen species. Inte…

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A new rare species of Oedipoda Latreille, 1829 (Orthoptera: Acrididae) from South Italy

Oedipoda cynthiae n. sp. (Orthoptera: Acrididae: Oedipodinae) is described from Apulia (South Italy). In the past, the same population here considered had been assigned to O. miniata and later to O. charpentieri. Morphological features, biogeographical considerations, and a preliminary molecular analysis confirm that this population must be assigned to a new species, which is described and illustrated here. 

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New and interesting Orthoptera from the Arabian Peninsula and Socotra.

Abstract This paper reports on some interesting taxa recently found in the Arabian Peninsula and the island of Socotra. Among them is a new species of brachypterous grasshopper Sphodromerus carapezzanus sp. n. (Acrididae: Calliptaminae), described from an isolated area in Dhofar (Oman). A female Heteracris hemiptera (Uvarov, 1935) (Acrididae: Eyprepocnemidinae) is reported, with morphological characters which do not fully comply with those of any known subspecies. Two species, hitherto rarely documented, are also reported, Phaneroptila insularis Uvarov, 1957 (Tettigoniidae: Phaneropterinae) from Socotra and Cataloipus thomasi Uvarov, 1933 (Acrididae: Eyprepocnemidinae) from Oman. Pycnodicty…

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Yeasts vectored by migratory birds collected in the Mediterranean island of Ustica and description of Phaffomyces usticensis f.a. sp. nov., a new species related to the cactus ecoclade

Nine yeast species belonging to genera Candida , Cryptococcus , Phaffomyces , Rhodotorula and Wickerhamomyces , and one species of Aureobasidium genus were isolated from the cloaca of migratory birds. Candida glabrata and C. inconspicua were the species most frequently isolated and Wickerhamomyces sylviae , which has recently been described as a new species isolated from bird cloaca, was again found. The majority of isolates showed the ability to grow up to 40 °C and/or at pH 3.0, two environmental conditions typical of the digestive tract of birds. The phylogenetic analysis of the D1/D2 domain of 26S rRNA gene placed the cultures of Phaffomyces in a new lineage that differed from the close…

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Flora e fauna a rischio, colpa di un'errata reintroduzione di suidi

Si compie una valutazione dei danni arrecati dalla reintroduzione degli ungulati in Sicilia.

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NATURAL ALTERNATIVE HOSTS OF EULOPHIDAE (HYMENOPTERA, CHALCIDOIDEA) PARASITOIDS OF THE CITRUS LEAFMINER PHYLLOCNISTIS CITRELLA STAINTON (LEPIDOPTERA, GRACILLARIIDAE) IN THE MEDITERRANEAN BASIN

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Fenologia dei parassitoidi (Hymenoptera Eulophidae) di fillominatori della flora spontanea

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The use of blue tit eggs as a biomonitoring tool for organohalogenated pollutants in the European environment

In the present study, large scale geographical variation in the occurrence of organohalogenated pollutants (OHPs) was investigated throughout Europe using eggs of a terrestrial resident passerine species, the blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus). Blue tit eggs from 10 sampling locations, involving suburban, rural and remote areas, in 7 European countries were collected and analysed. Sum polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) levels ranged from 150 ng/g lipid weight (lw) to 2003 ng/g lw. Sum polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) ranged from 3.95 ng/g lw to 114 ng/g lw. As expected, PCB and PBDE concentrations were significantly higher in the sampled suburban locations compared to the rural and remote loc…

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On two Italian Gall Midges (Diptera Cecidomyiidae) and their parasitoids

Some biological data on Cystiphora sonchi (Bremi) and Asphondylia trabuti Marchal in Italy are reported. C. sonchi, previously known only for N Italy, is also recorded for S Italy, Sardinia and Sicily. It induces galls on the leaves of Sonchus spp. (Compositae) all the year around, except for the second half of July and August. The number of galls per leaf was higher in summer (11.6) than in winter (7.4). Overall 5-6 generations per year were observed, with a maximum number of individuals in spring-summer. Larvae often merge in the same gall, pupating inside it and emerging from the lower leaf surface; in winter they can leave galls and pupate outside them. On the whole 426 C. sonchi and 38…

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A new species ofAnadrymadusaKarabağ (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) from Al Mujeb Nature Reserve, Jordan

Abstract Anadrymadusa jordanica n. sp. from Jordan is described from one female specimen; it has elytra fully developed, longer than the whole body, a bi-concave ventral plate, between 7th sternite and subgenital plate, just longer than subgenital plate and showing a large median keel; the subgenital plate is as long as wide, with lobes with obtuse apical edge and a deep subacute excision.

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The tropical African genus Morgenia (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae, Phaneropterinae) with emphasis on the spur at the mid tibia

The authors revised the genus Morgenia Karsch, 1890 which now consists of eight species, of which three are here newly described (Morgeniaplurimaculata Massa &amp;amp; Moulin, sp. n., M.angustipinnata Massa, sp. n., and M.lehmannorum Heller &amp;amp; Massa, sp. n.). Six of the eight species occur in the Tri National Sangha (TNS) comprising Dzanga-Sangha Special Reserve and Dzanga Ndoki National Park (Central African Republic), whose high biodiversity has been recently highlighted. In particular the genus is characterised by the presence of a more or less long spur at the inner mid tibia, different in each species; in M.modulata, it moved lower down into a new position at about ¼ of tibia, w…

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Effects of interspecific coexistence on laying date and clutch size in two closely related species of hole-nesting birds

Co-existence between great tits Parus major and blue tits Cyanistes caeruleus, \ud but also other hole nesting taxa, constitutes a classic example of species\ud co-occurrence resulting in potential interference and exploitation competition\ud for food and for breeding and roosting sites. However, the spatial and temporal\ud variation in co-existence and its consequences for competition remain poorly\ud understood. 2.We used an extensive database on reproduction in nest boxes by\ud great and blue tits based on 87 study plots across Europe and Northern Africa\ud during 1957-2012 for a total of 19,075 great tit and 16,729 blue tit clutches to \ud assess correlative evidence for a relationship …

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Brominated flame retardants and organochlorines in the European environment using great tit eggs as a biomonitoring tool

Large-scale studies are essential to assess the emission patterns and spatial distribution of organohalogenated pollutants (OHPs) in the environment. Bird eggs have several advantages compared to other environmental media which have previously been used to map the distribution of OHPs. In this study, large-scale geographical variation in the occurrence of OHPs, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), was investigated throughout Europe using eggs of a terrestrial residential passerine species, the great tit (Parus major). Great tit eggs from 22 sampling sites, involving urban, rural and remote areas, in 14 Europea…

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Effects of human disturbance on cave-nesting seabirds: The case of the storm petrel

We tested the effects of human disturbance in two sub-colonies of Mediterranean storm petrel. We conducted three experiments to measure the capacity of the storm petrels to respond to stress. The part of the colony exposed to human disturbance resulted to be habituated and did not show chronic stress related to anthropogenic disturbance.

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Uccello delle tempeste – Storm Petrel Hydrobates pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758).

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BIOSFERA

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Proposta di gestione integrata delle aree protette dei Sicani

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ON THE CONTROL OF PHYLLOCNISTIS CITRELLA STAINTON (LEPIDOPTERA GRACILLARIIDAE) BY SELECTIVE INSECTICIDES AND BY MANIPULATION OF INDIGENOUS NATURAL ANTAGONISTS.

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&lt;strong&gt;Pamphagidae (Orthoptera: Caelifera) of North Africa: key to genera and the annotated check-list of species&lt;/strong&gt;

At least 95 species of Pamphagidae belonging to 17 genera are known in North Africa. Taxonomic status is fairly known, with some exception, mainly due to scarcity of available specimens of some genera in museums and collections. In this paper, the author proposes a new key to genera and reports the annotated list of all the known species, based on specimens examined in different European museums. Concerning the subfamily Thrinchinae, he proposes to consider only the following species of the genus Tmethis: T. cisti, T. harterti new status, T. maroccanus and T. pulchripennis. He also considers Neotmethis bidentatus synonym of T. harterti, and the three newly described species of the genus Tua…

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OBSERVATIONS ON ELEONORA'S FALCON FALCO ELEONORAE IN SICILY AND SURROUNDING ISLETS

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Importance of meteorological variables for aeroplankton dispersal in an urban environment

Passive wind dispersal is one of the major mechanisms through which organisms disperse and colonize new areas. The detailed comprehension of which factors affect this process may help to preserve its efficiency for years to come. This is especially important in the current context of climate change, which may seriously alter weather regimes that drive dispersal, and is crucial in urban contexts, where biodiversity is dramatically threatened by pollution and fragmentation of natural patches. Despite its interest, the analysis of factors affecting aeroplankton dispersal in urban environments is rare in literature. We sampled aeroplankton community uninterruptedly every 4 hours from 17th May t…

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The Middle Eastern Genus Ocnerosthenus Massa, 1995 (Insecta Orthoptera: Pamphagidae).

The study of types and other specimens coming from the Middle East and original descriptions allowed us to propose the following conclusions. Five species belong to this genus inhabiting montane areas of Lebanon, Syria and Israel, O. verrucosus (Brunner, 1882), O. brunnerianus (Saussure, 1887), O. simulans (Bolivar, 1911), O. kneuckeri (Krauss, 1909) and O. lividipes (Fishelson, 1985). O. brunnerianus is distributed over the North-West of Syria. Distribution of O. simulans covers the mountains of Central-North Lebanon, O. kneuckeri lives on the mountains of Central-South Lebanon and O. lividipes on Mt. Hermon. Type locality of O. verrucosus is Syria and it seems impossible to locate it more…

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COMUNITÀ DI PARASSITOIDI DI FITOFAGI DELLA FLORA SPONTANEA ANTAGONISTI DI PHYLLOCNISTIS CITRELLA STAINTON (LEPIDOPTERA, GRACILLARIIDAE).

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Orthoptera (Insecta: Tettigonioidea, Pyrgomorphoidea, Acridoidea) of Kafa Biosphere Reserve, Bale Mountains National Park and other areas of conservation interest in Ethiopia

An annotated checklist of 51 Orthoptera taxa (Tettigonioidea, Pyrgomorphoidea and Acridoidea) of Kafa Biosphere Reserve, Bale Mountains National Park and some additional sites in Ethiopia is presented. Ten species are newly recorded for the country. Four species are new to science: Peropyrrhicia attilioi n. sp., P. keffensis n. sp., P. semiensis n. sp. and Coryphosima danieli n. sp. The status of Peropyrrhicia cooperi Uvarov, 1934 and P. scotti Uvarov, 1934 is revised: both are considered valid species.

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Gli impatti degli impianti eolici sulla componente biotica e le misure di mitigazione

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Biometrical and Biological Considerations on the Cory’s Shearwater Calonectris Diomedea

Today the Mediterranean distribution of Cory’s Shearwaters is believed to be well known. New colonies may be discovered, but certainly the largest ones are known. Many data were published during the last ten years and we believe to have a satisfactory knowledge of their biology, though some problems, as the winter movements of each population, the first breeding age and the ratio immatures/adults are still to be examined carefully.

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A new species of Bolbelasmus Boucomont, 1911 (Insecta Coleoptera Geotrupidae) from Sicily (Italy).

Authors have examined all available sicilian specimens belonging to the genus Bolbelasmus, collected between 1893 and 2010, previously identified as B. gallicus e B. unicornis. They conclude that both species have to be excluded from the sicilian fauna and describe the new species B. romanorum, which is characterized by peculiar punctures on the clypeus, the head and the pronotum, and by the shape of the clypeus, the head and the aedeagus sclerites. They compare the new species with all the taxa currently known in the Mediterranean. Further, they show oscillograms of both sexes of the new species, which, as other Bolbelasmus, stridulates vigorously; they also detect for the first time the p…

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Olfactory foraging in temperate waters: sensitivity to dimethylsulphide of shearwaters in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea

AbstractMany procellariiforms use olfactory cues to locate food patches over the seemingly featureless ocean surface. In particular, some of them are able to detect and are attracted by dimethylsulfide (DMS), a volatile compound naturally occurring over worldwide oceans in correspondence with productive feeding areas. However, current knowledge is restricted to sub-Antarctic species, and to only one study realized under natural conditions at sea. Here, for the first time, we investigated the response to DMS in parallel in two different environments in temperate waters, the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, employing Cory's (Calonectris borealis) and Scopoli's shearwaters (Calonectri…

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New taxa of Orthoptera (Insecta Tettigoniidae Phaneropterinae) from Madagascar.

The author reports the results of a study on Orthoptera collected in Madagascar and preserved in two European Natural History museums. He describes Symmetroraggea depravata n. sp., Parapyrrhicia longipodex n. sp., Madagascarantia bartolozzii n. gen. n. sp., Mimoscudderia spinicercata n. sp. In addition, he lists new records or unknown taxonomical characters of Xenodus nobilis Carl, 1914 and Parapyrrhicia virilis Carl, 1914. 

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Rediscovery of Cerroneuroterus apenninus (Trotter, 1923) (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipini) a valid species from Italy with description and neotype designation.

Neuroterus apenninus Trotter, 1923 associated with a Cerris section oak, Quercus cerris L., was rediscovered in Italy in 2017. Alessandro Trotter (1903) described a leaf gall collected on Q. cerris from the Italian Apennines; he did not obtain the gall inductor and ascribed the galls to the genus Neuroterus, based on morphological similarity with other Neuroterus galls. We have found the same gall and obtained the gall inducer. Detailed study of morphological characters of adults revealed that the species belongs to the genus Cerroneuroterus Melika &amp; Pujade-Villar, 2010. The asexual generation of Cerroneuroterus apenninus comb. n. is described for the first time, a neotype is designated…

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Review of the African genera Arantia Stål and Goetia Karsch (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Phaneropterinae)

The genus Arantia is reviewed, the distribution and distinguishing characters given. The three species of Goetia are assigned as subgenus to Arantia. Arantia gestri Griffini is transferred to this new subgenus and synonymized with G. dimidiata Bolívar. Other species synonymized are: A. accrana Karsch with A. rectifolia Brunner von Wattenwyl; A. gabunensis Brunner von Wattenwyl with A. regina Karsch; A. mammisignum Karsch and A. tigrina Bolívar with A. excelsior Karsch; A. ugandana Rehn is synonymized with A. fasciata (Walker). 6 species from Tropical Africa are newly described: A. (Arantia) quinquemaculata n. sp., A. (Arantia) ivoriana n. sp., A. (Euarantia) tanzanica n. sp., A. (Euarantia)…

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Two cases of gynandromorphs in Orthoptera Tettigoniidae (Insecta).

The author reports the gynandromorphs of two small species of Tettigoniidae, Leptophyes punctatissima (Bosc, 1792) collected in Corsica and Ctenodecticus siculus (Ramme, 1927) collected in Sicily, and describe their morphological and biometrical characteristics.

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OSSERVAZIONI SULL’OVIDEPOSIZIONE DI PHANEROPTERA NANA FIEBER 1853 (ORTHOPTERA, TETTIGONIIDAE).

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Il contributo delle Riserve Naturali alla conservazione della fauna in Sicilia

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Description of Dryocosmus destefanii new species (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipini) from Quercus suber L. in Italy

A new species, Dryocosmus destefanii Cerasa &amp; Melika n. sp. associated with a Cerris section oak, Quercus suber L., is described from Italy. Description, diagnosis, host associations and biology for the new species and an illustrated identification key to the Western Palaearctic Dryocosmus species are given. The description is supported by morphological and molecular data.  

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Prove di endoterapia preventiva e curativa nei confronti del Punteruolo rosso delle palme nel Comune di Palermo

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Note sul Punteruolo della palma Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier, 1790)in Sicilia (Coleoptera Curculionidae).

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Evidence suggests an opportunistic entomophagous diet of the White Stork Ciconia ciconia in Sicily during breeding and post-breeding periods

Insects are known to represent a critical part of the White Stork Ciconia ciconia diet throughout its breeding range. Yet, the composition of the diet in the storks breeding in the Mediterranean regions remains poorly explored. Here, we investigated the diet of a population of white storks from Sicily through pellets collected in 2003, 2007, and 2020. A total of 1,928 prey items were identified and classified into six categories. Insects dominated the diet in all years and represented 99.06% of the whole prey number. Two orders of insects were mainly consumed, namely Orthoptera, which were the most frequent prey, followed by Coleoptera. Within these, carabid beetles were dominant, followed …

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New data and taxa for Orthoptera Tettigoniidae and Acrididae from tropical Africa.

The results of a long-term study on the Orthoptera collected in tropical Africa and preserved in different European natural history museums are reported. Horatosphaga bazeletae n. sp. is described from South Africa, Dapanera falxcercata n. sp. from Cameroon, Eurycorypha specularia n. sp. from Zambia (Tettigoniidae Phaneropterinae), and Eucoptacra popovi n. sp. (Acrididae Coptacrinae) from the Gabon. Furthermore, the new genus Pigalua n. gen. is described for Eulioptera insularis Ragge, 1980 from Annobón Is. (Equatorial Guinea). The new tribe Kevaniellini n. trib. is proposed for Kevaniella bipunctata Chopard, 1954. Besides, the hitherto unknown males of Eurycorypha flavescens (Walker, 1869)…

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Reproductive characteristics and differential response to seasonal temperatures of Blue and Great Tits (Cyanistes caeruleus & Parus major) in three neighbouring mediterranean habitats.

The breeding ecology of the Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) and Great Tit (Parus major) was studied for 18 years in three different neighbouring habitats in Sicily, comprising oakwoods, reforested pine and a reforested mix of pine and broad-leaved trees. Both Blue and Great Tits laid eggs up to two weeks earlier in oakwoods than in the reforested areas. Our results indicate a statistically greater breeding success for both species in the oakwoods compared to reforested habitats, with the mixed reforested habitat having a greater success than that of reforested pine habitat. We also correlated reproductive characteristics with local air temperature to verify if the laying date of tits advance…

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Diversity of leaf katydids (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Phaneropterinae) of Dzanga-Ndoki National Park, Central African Republic, with selected records from other African countries.

Forty-four species of Phaneropterinae are recorded from Dzanga-Ndoki National Park in the Central African Republic. Eight species collected within the park are described as new to science: Phlaurocentrum morettoi n. sp., P. paratuberosum n. sp., P. elegans n. sp., Myllocentrum raggei n. sp., Poreuomena sanghensis n. sp., Cestromoecha longicerca n. sp., C. magnicerca n. sp., and Goetia purpurea n. sp. An additional new species from Guinea is described from specimens preserved in the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales of Madrid, Poreuomena huxleyi n. sp. Eurycorypha stylata Stål, 1873 is recorded for the first time from Burkina Faso and Brycoptera lobata Ragge, 1981 from Ivory Coast. The fo…

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Effetti di un incendio sulla pedofauna nella Riserva Naturale Orientata "Zingaro" (Sicilia).

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IMPORTANZA DEI FRAMMENTI DI HABITAT NATURALE PER LE COMUNITÀ DI FILLOMINATORI (INSECTA DIPTERA, LEPIDOPTERA ET HYMENOPTERA) E LORO PARASSITOIDI (HYMENOPTERA EULOPHIDAE).

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ESPANSIONE DELLA RONDINE MONTANA PTYONOPROGNE RUPESTRIS (SCOPOLI) IN SICILIA (Aves Hirundinidae)

Expansion of the Eurasian Crag Martin Ptyonoprogne rupestris (Scopoli) in Sicily (Aves Hirun dinidae). Data collected during the last fifteen years on the distribution of the Eurasian Crag Martin in Sicily and the comparison with those recorded in literature show an expansion trend for this species. While in the newly colonized areas the nesting sites have been observed mainly on natural habitats, where its occurrence was previously recorded the species shows and adaptation to exploit also anthropogenic habitats, such as buildings or other infrastructures.

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Individual consistency and sex differences in migration strategies of Scopoli’s shearwaters Calonectris diomedea despite year differences

Abstract Recently-developed capabilities for tracking the movements of individual birds over the course of a year or longer has provided increasing evidence for consistent individual differences in migration schedules and destinations. This raises questions about the relative importance of individual consistency versus flexibility in the evolution of migration strategies, and has implications for the ability of populations to respond to climatic change. Using geolocators, we tracked the migrations of Scopoli’s shearwaters Calonectris diomedea breeding in Linosa (Italy) across three years, and analysed timing and spatial aspects of their movements. Birds showed remarkable variation in their …

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In difesa della biodiversità.

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Bibliografia Ornitologica Siciliana

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Rediscovery and identity of Pumilomyia protrahenda De Stefani (Diptera, Cecidomyiidae) in Sicily with redescription and reassessment of its taxonomic position

Abstract A population of the gall midge Pumilomyia protrahenda De Stefani, 1919 causing galls on Artemisia arborescens (Asteraceae) was discovered near Palermo (Sicily) in 2008. This species had not been found since 1918. Detailed study of morphological characters of adults, larvae and pupae revealed that Pumilomyia protrahenda belongs to the genus Rhopalomyia Rübsaamen, 1892, tribe Rhopalomyiini. The monotypic genus Pumilomyia De Stefani, 1919 is therefore synonymized under Rhopalomyia Rübsaamen, 1892. Rhopalomyia protrahenda comb. n. is redescribed, with important morphological characters illustrated. Adults have one-segmented palpi, antennae with 12–13 short flagellomeres and long legs w…

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Il ruolo degli uccelli come vettori di dispersione durante le successioni secondarie

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La ricchezza specifica dei Vertebrati in Sicilia

The ‘Atlas of Sicilian Vertebrates’ recorded the distribution of Vertebrates during the 1993-2006 on a UTM grid with cells of 10 x 10 km. Excluding the Chiropterans and all the vertebrates living on the surrounding small islands, 193 species (7 Amphibians, 18 Reptiles, 147 Birds, 21 Mammals) resulted to be present in Sicily. Preliminary investigations found a statistically significant correlation among species richness of each class in the UTMs, which means for example that the richest cells in Amphibians were also the richest in Reptiles, Birds, etc. This correlation persisted when the area-effect was removed by excluding all peripheral cells that included coastland smaller than 100 km2. T…

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Interaction of climate change with effects of conspecific and heterospecific density on reproduction

We studied the relationship between temperature and the coexistence of great tit Parus major and blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus, breeding in 75 study plots across Europe and North Africa. We expected an advance in laying date and a reduction in clutch size during warmer springs as a general response to climate warming and a delay in laying date and a reduction in clutch size during warmer winters due to density-dependent effects. As expected, as spring temperature increases laying date advances and as winter temperature increases clutch size is reduced in both species. Density of great tit affected the relationship between winter temperature and laying date in great and blue tit. Specifically…

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Pamphagidae (Orthoptera: Caelifera) of North Africa: key to genera and the annotated check-list of the species.

At least 95 species of Pamphagidae belonging to 17 genera are known in North Africa. Taxonomic status is fairly known, with some exception, mainly due to scarcity of available specimens of some genera in museums and collections. In this paper, the author proposes a new key to genera and reports the annotated list of all the known species, based on specimens examined in different European museums. Concerning the subfamily Thrinchinae, he proposes to consider only the following species of the genus Tmethis: T. cisti, T. harterti new status, T. maroccanus and T. pulchripennis. He also considers Neotmethis bidentatus synonym of T. harterti, and the three newly described species of the genus Tua…

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La fauna illustrata da Francesco Cupani nel Panphyton Siculum.

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L’ARTROPODOFAUNA ASSOCIATA A PARIETARIA SPP. (URTICACEAE) – 2° NOTA – APHIS PARIETARIAE THEOBALD (HOMOPTERA APHIDIDAE) OSPITE NATURALE INDIFFERENTE DI AFIDIIDI (HYMENOPTERA APHIDIIDAE) INTERESSANTI L’AGROECOSISTEMA AGRUMETO.

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Connecting the data landscape of long-term ecological studies: the SPI-Birds data hub

The integration and synthesis of the data in different areas of science is drastically slowed and hindered by a lack of standards and networking programmes. Long-term studies of individually marked animals are not an exception. These studies are especially important as instrumental for understanding evolutionary and eco-logical processes in the wild. Furthermore, their number and global distribution provides a unique opportunity to assess the generality of patterns and to address broad-scale global issues (e.g. climate change).

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Supraspecific taxonomy of Palaearctic Platycleidini with unarmed prosternum: a morphological approach (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae, Tettigoniinae)

Authors analysed 33 supraspecific taxa of Palaearctic Platycleidini with unarmed prosternum, most of them hitherto considered genera or subgenera of Platycleis and Metrioptera. For each of them they give a short description of the characters revealing the correct classification of males and females. Then, they propose a more consistent classification, when both males and females of a supraspecific taxon are clearly distinct, they should be elevated to distinct genera. On the whole, they propose to classify Palaearctic taxa into 32 genera, for which they propose a key based on the characters used in this paper and illustrated by 140 photographs. Additionally, they describe the following new …

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Centosessantasette anni di reperti di Saga pedo in Italia diacronicamente rivisitati

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Data analysis on extinct and living Picidae in Sicily and Calabria (Southern Italy).

Some species of animals related to forest habitats have disappeared or greatly decreased in the first half of the last century. However, during the second half of the last century the forest areas have increased and many forests have been protected. This produced conditions for a re-colonization or reintroduction of extinct forest animal species. The present study is a complete overview of records of extinct and still living Black Woodpecker Dryocopus martius, European green Woodpecker Picus viridis, Middle spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos medius and Lesser spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos minor in Sicily and Calabria (Southern Italy). This study was carried out to show that these woodpeckers, …

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Year-round variation in the isotopic niche of Scopoli's shearwater (Calonectris diomedea) breeding in contrasting sea regions of the Mediterranean Sea

Top marine predators are key components of marine food webs. Among them, long-distance migratory seabirds, which travel across different marine ecosystems over the year, may experience important year-round changes in terms of oceanographic conditions and availability of trophic resources. We tested whether this was the case in the Scopoli’s shearwater (Calonectris diomedea), a trans-equatorial migrant and top predator, by sampling birds breeding in three environmentally different regions of the Mediterranean Sea. The analysis of positional data and stable isotopes (δ13 C and δ15N) of target feathers revealed that birds from the three regions were spatially segregated during the breeding per…

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High-Performance PCR for Alleles Discrimination of Chromo-Helicase-DNA Binding Protein (CHD1) Gene in Bird Sexing

Genetic analyses aiming at assessing the presence of specific sequences or alleles are often carried out by PCR. Sexing of most birds is nowadays based on PCR with “universal” primers and relies on the assessment of the presence of the sex-linked CHD1-Z and -W alleles. The entire workflow is relatively time-consuming, especially for batch analyses, whereas methods that allow carrying out the entire procedure in a short time are highly desirable. The only method for outdoor analyses reported so far relies on LAMP; however; it fails to work properly in Procellariiformes. Besides improving the LAMP test; we have developed a PCR-based DNA amplification procedure (named high-performance PCR); wh…

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New and little known species of genus Steropleurus Bolivar 1878, from Libya (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Ephippigerinae).

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Remarks on the importance of scattered vegetation in desert areas of Libya for migrating and breeding birds.

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Gli Ortotteri di Sicilia: check-list commentata.

Biogeographia I./qO&#39;I.A)O&#39;O( - 2011 (Pubblicato il 23 dicembre 2011) La Biogeografia della Sicilia Gli Ortotteri di Sicilia: check—list commentata BRUNO MASSA Dipartimerzto DEMETRA (Sezione Entomologizz, Acarologia, Zoologia) Ea’. 4, Vle della Scienze, 90128 Palermo e—maz&#39;[: brzmo. mam: @um&#39;pzz. it Key words: grasshoppers, annotated check-list, endemisms, species richness, Sicily SUMMARY The author analyses all the bibliographic references on Sicilian Orthoptera and many unpublished data, with which he carries out an annotated check—list of species so Far known in the island. On the whole, 127 species of Or- thoptera are currently known in Sicily (including small islands surr…

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Annotated Check-List of Orthoptera of Libya

Abstract A list of Libyan Orthoptera is presented based on specimens preserved in Museums, incorporating all (previously published or unpublished) label information. Overall, 141 species are included, of which four are new records for the country. Given within “species inquirendae” are another six species, with the reasons for confirming their presence. Libya's orthopteran fauna is probably not rich, but our knowledge of it is far from exhaustive.

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ORTHOPTERA RACCOLTI IN TUNISIA NEL XIX SECOLO E CONSERVATI NEL MUSEO CIVICO DI STORIA NATURALE “G. DORIA” DI GENOVA.

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On the identity of Tettigonia krugeri Massa from Libya with some remarks on variability of Tettigonia species (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae; Tettigoniinae).

Morphological and genetic data allowed the authors to resurrect the name Tettigonia krugeri Massa, 1998 as a valid species. It is currently known only from two specimens (one male and one female) collected in Cirenaica (Libya).

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Clutch-size variation in Western Palaearctic secondary hole-nesting passerine birds in relation to nest box design.

Møller, A.P. [et al.]

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Biodiversity of the Sicilian Forests. Part I: the birds

E stata censita la diversita delle specie ornitiche presente in alcune tipologie forestali della Regione Siciliana e la relazione tra le ornitocenosi, le scelte gestionali ed i diversi fattori abiotici e biotici. L’analisi della species richness (= numero delle specie) dimostra che essa e correlata con il bioclima, il diametro massimo degli individui arborei, il valore trofico di tutti gli strati di vegetazione ed il valore trofico dello strato arboreo. I boschi meso-supramediterranei sono piu ricchi di specie rispetto ai boschi termomesomediterranei. L’importanza del diametro massimo degli individui arborei, che esprime indirettamente anche il tipo di gestione di un bosco, viene spiegata d…

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Contribution to the knowledge of the Cynipidae (Hymenoptera) of Jordan

10 paginas, 4 figuras y 1 table

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The role of the Krauss’s organ in sound production in Pamphagidae (Caelifera: Orthoptera).

In Pamphagidae, the Krauss’s organ is located on both sides of the 2nd tergite and its function is superficially known. It has been proposed to have a stridulatory function. This organ can be found in all Pamphagidae except the apterous genera. Rearing specimens of some species and observing mounted pamphagids allowed the author to observe that when the Krauss’s organ is absent (most apterous species) the tympanum is also absent; further, he discovered specialized stridulatory structures on hind femurs of some taxa for sound emission. By rearing two Pamphagidae belonging to different genera, fragments of stridulations involving the Krauss’s organ and specialized structures on the hind femur…

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Revision of the genus Prionotropis Fieber, 1853 (Orthoptera: Pamphagidae: Thrinchinae)

The genus Prionotropis Fieber, 1853 is revised. It is distributed in scattered areas of the Mediterranean region from Turkey in the East to Spain in the West. Overall, seven species are listed, namely P. maculinervis (Stål, 1878) (Turkey; P. urfensis Ramme, 1933 is here considered its synonym), P. willemsorum n. sp. (Greece, Epirus; previously considered P. appula), P. appula (O.G. Costa, 1836) (South Italy), P. hystrix (Germar, 1817) (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Croatia, North-East Italy; P. hystrix sontiaca is here synonymized), P. rhodanica Uvarov, 1923 resurrected status (France, Crau, Rhone delta; here considered a valid species), P. azami Uvarov, 1923 n. status (France, Var regi…

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DNA Extraction From Orthoptera Museum Specimens

We describe a procedure for rapid purification of high quality DNA from either fresh or dry Orthoptera, suitable for the PCR amplification of DNA regions more than 800 bp long (even from oldest specimens), which allows genetic analyses on animals from collections without the complete specimen disruption.

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Pseudorhynchus raggeanus nomen novum

Massa, Bruno (2021): Pseudorhynchus raggeanus nomen novum. Zootaxa 4991 (3): 592-592, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4991.3.9

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GALLIGENI INTERESSANTI E NUOVI PER LA FAUNA ITALIANA

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Libro bianco sul Museo di Storia Naturale di Terrasini.

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Remarks on some interesting African Pamphagidae and Acrididae (Insecta: Orthoptera: Acridoidea).

The author reports about the results of a study of Porthetinae (Pamphagidae) and other Acridoidea preserved in some European museums. The taxonomy of African Porthetinae is still poorly known; some genera were established on variable characters (e.g.: the number of the flagellum segments, the shape of the hind femora or the prosternal tubercle) and collections generally hold only few specimens of this group. These insects are characterized by a remarkable sexual dimorphism, the males generally are winged while females are apterous. Because many species were described only from one sex (sometimes the female sex), there are objective difficulties to identify them correctly. The following syno…

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New genera, species and records of Phaneropterinae (Orthoptera, Phaneropteridae) from sub-Saharan Africa

The results of the study of many specimens preserved in different European museums are reported. The tribe Terpnistrini Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1878 is resurrected. The distribution of the following species is enhanced: Pardalotaasymmetrica Karsch, 1896, Diogenadenticulata Chopard, 1954, Diogenafausta (Burmeister, 1838), Plangiopsisadeps Karsch, 1896, Poreuomenasanghensis Massa, 2013 and Tylopsiscontinua (Walker, 1869). Further, for their peculiar characteristics, two African representatives of the American genus Symmetropleura Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1878 are included in two new genera: Symmetrokarschiaafricana (Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1878), comb. n. and Symmetroraggeadirempta (Karsch, 1889)…

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Cambiamenti selvicolturali e riproduzione di cinciarella Parus caeruleus e cinciallegra Parus major

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A taxonomic revision of westernEupholidopterabush crickets (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae): testing the discrimination power of DNA barcode

The genus Eupholidoptera includes 46 Mediterranean species distributed from Turkey to Greece, Italy and southern France. In the eastern part of its range, Eupholidoptera has been considered to consist of several distinct species, while in the Balkans and Italian peninsula only E. chabrieri has been recognized. However, the status of some Italian populations, confined to particular geographic areas, remains uncertain. To investigate the delimitation of the Italian taxa of Eupholidoptera, we performed both morphological and molecular analyses. Morphological analysis was carried out by considering diagnostic characters usually used to distinguish different taxa, such as the shape of titillator…

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INSECTS, SMALL MAMMALS AND BREEDING PERFORMANCE OF FARMLAND POPULATIONS OF THE COMMON KESTREL (FALCO TINNUNCULUS) IN SICILY.

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IMPORTANZA DEGLI IMENOTTERI (INSECTA HYMENOPTERA) NELLA DIETA DEL GRUCCIONE, MEROPS APIASTER L. (AVES MEROPIDAE).

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A new algorithm for the identification of dives reveals the foraging ecology of a shallow-diving seabird using accelerometer data

International audience; The identification of feeding events is crucial to our understanding of the foraging ecology of seabirds. Technology has made small devices, such as time-depth recorders (TDRs) and accelerometers available. However, TDRs might not be sensitive enough to identify shallow dives, whereas accelerometers might reveal more subtle behaviours at a smaller temporal scale. Due to the limitations of TDRs, the foraging ecology of many shallow-diving seabirds has been poorly investigated to date. We thus developed an algorithm to identify dive events in a shallow-diving seabird species, the Scopoli’s shearwater, using only accelerometer data. The accuracy in the identification of…

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RICORDANDO ANTONIO GALVAGNI (Rovereto, 25 maggio 1924 - 30 aprile 2015)

ND

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New or little known birds for the Republic of Georgia (Eastern Europe)

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On the Rock Partridge in the painting “Saint Jerome in the study” by Antonello da Messina.

Pictorial work of Antonello da Messina during the Sicilian period (1455-60) is considered less fruitful and less mature than during his stay in Venice (ca 1474-1476). While some art critics consider the painting “Saint Jerome in the study” a work of the first period, others believe that it was produced during the Venice period. The Authors analysed the plumage characters of the Rock Partridge, Alectoris graeca, depicted with symbolic significance in the painting, to try the identification of the population which the subject used as model could belong to. However, they conclude that the identification as a Sicilian as well as an Alpine Rock Partridge is doubtful and in this case the plumage …

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Ricordo di Sergio Frugis

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Modelli di distribuzione dei Vertebrati della Sicilia: Primi dati

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Agro-biodiversity evaluation in Sicilian farmlands entered into agri-environment scheme agreements

To test if the application of Rural Development Regulation 1257/1999 played a possible role in maintaining or increasing biodiversity, monitoring of the avifauna has been carried out in 2004-2005. On the whole, 836 point counts were carried out, 418 in spring and 418 in winter, evenly shared between 16 farmlands entered into F2 and F4 agri-environmental measures, and an equal number of “not enhanced” farmlands, which represented test-farms and control-farms, respectively. Between bird frequencies within test-farms and control-farms statistical differences have been dected; farms entered in agri-environmental measures showed, on average, higher values of species, frequency of occurrence and …

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Revision of the Afrotropical genus Leiodontocercus (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae, Phaneropterinae) with a description of four new species

Specimens belonging to the genus Leiodontocercus are rare or even absent in natural history museum collections; this is likely due to at least two reasons, notably, their relatively small size, and, the sheer difficulty in finding them in dense Afrotropical forests. Until recently, three species from less than fifteen specimens were known from this genus, whose identification relied on a singular diagnostic character, that is, the shape of the male cerci. The present contribution is based on the examination of thirty specimens collected from various countries, ranging from central to west Africa; apart from the male cerci, a second diagnostic character – the stridulatory file – is used to d…

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A taxonomic revision of the Palaearctic genus Roeseliana (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Tettigoniinae: Platycleidini): a case of ongoing Mediterranean speciation

The genus Roeseliana presently includes 10 specific or subspecific taxa, but following different authors some of them are considered synonyms. However, the authors who have treated these taxa often did not agree with the synonymies, in particular, concerning some taxa, such as R. fedtschenkoi (Saussure, 1874) and R. roeselii (Hagenbach, 1822). The present authors examined hundreds of specimens of different taxa, for the first time were able to obtain the translation from the Russian of the description of R. fedtschenkoi, compared the main morphological characters used to discriminate different taxa, biometrics, bioacoustics and genetics of some taxa. This allowed them to conclude that it is…

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Unconditional adoption rules out the need for parent–offspring recognition in a single‐brooded colonial seabird

Parent–offspring recognition (POR) is fundamental in colonial birds when the potential intermingling of chicks is higher due to the large number and proximity of nests. In species with isolated nests, where chick presence in the nest is strong contextual evidence of kinship, there might be circumstances when the parent might doubt the identity of the chick, but not enough to reject it. Olfactory-based recognition of conspecifics and nest sites in birds has gained strong evidence suggesting a potential role of olfaction in POR. Despite that, there are no studies testing it. We used Scopoli's shearwater (Calonectris diomedea) as model colonial single-brooded species with a developed olfactory…

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Nesting and feeding habits of the European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster L.) in a colony next to a beekeeping site.

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New and little known species of the genus Parapholidoptera Maran (Insecta, Orthoptera)

Material of species of the genus Parapholidoptera Maran is presented. New records of P. noxia (Ramme) are reported from Georgia, P. georgiae sp. n. from Georgia and P. kalashiani sp. n. from Armenia are described. P. syriaca is newly reported from Lebanon. (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

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Maladera insanabilis (Brenske, 1894), specie invasiva nella regione mediterranea e sua distribuzione in Libia (Coleoptera Scarabaeidae Sericini).

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New genera, species and records of Afrotropical Phaneropterinae (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae) preserved at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Bruxelles.

The results of the study of the rich material of Orthoptera Phaneropterinae at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Bruxelles, are reported. The following new taxa are described: Dithela longicaudata n. sp. from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Terpnistriella bredoi n. gen. n. sp. from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mimoscudderia paulyi n. sp. from the Madagascar, Pseudogoetia constanti n. gen. n. sp. from the Democratic Republic of Congo (including a table listing differences with related genera), and Materuana abyssinica n. sp. from the Ethiopia. Some taxonomic and distributional data about the following species are also reported: Melidia claudiae Massa, 2015, Symmetrokars…

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Analysis of Prey Composition in Eurasian Reed Warblers' Acrocephalus scirpaceus Droppings at Four Breeding Sites in Italy

Our aim was to investigate the among-populations diversity of prey composition in Eurasian Reed Warblers’ diets via their droppings, both to assess the ecological validity of this sampling method and to test whether the prey species most abundant in fecal samples were also the most present in the Italian study site. We collected fecal samples at four sites throughout Italy, for a total of 144 samples. Within reedbeds, the breeding habitat of the Eurasian Reed Warbler, we also collected arthropods by carrying out entomological sweepings at one of the study sites. Within the fecal samples, we identified dozens of prey species, belonging mainly to Araneae, Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera and …

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Uccelli (Aves)

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Le zone ornitologiche della Sicilia: un metodo per l'individuazione oggettiva di ecoregioni.

Gli autori presentano una zonizzazione ecologica della Sicilia costruita in maniera oggettiva su base ornitologica con i dati sulla distribuzione delle specie nidificanti raccolti nei periodi 1979-1984, 1985-1992 e 1993-2006. Le maglie quadrate 10x10 km in cui erano riportati i dati originali sono state raggruppate con una cluster analysis sulla base della somiglianza della comunità ornitica nidifican- te, utilizzando le specie indicatrici per individuare il livello ottimale di raggruppamento che caratte- rizza ciascun gruppo e, insieme alle categorie di uso del suolo, fitoclimatiche e geologiche prevalen- ti al loro interno, i caratteri ecologici principali di ciascun gruppo. Sono state in…

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SUCCESSFUL FOSTERING OF A CAPTIVE-BORN EGYPTIAN VULTURE (NEOPHRON PERCNOPTERUS) IN SICILY

Successful fostering of the Endangered Egypian vulture was implemeted in 2003 in 2 sites and successfully delivered.The two Egyptian Vulture wild nestlings and the foster nestling were weighed and banded. On 11 August 2003, the two wild juveniles left their nest at 0700 H, followed by the fostered young at 0930 H. One day after fledging, the three young flew back into the nest and in the following days returned to the nest at various times. We were able to track the family in the surrounding area until 28 August 2003. Dispersal from the breeding site occurred at the end of August, the usual period for this population. Our fostering experiment seemed successful; both foster parents and the a…

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Interspecific variation in the relationship between clutch size, laying date and intensity of urbanization in four species of hole-nesting birds

Marie Vaugoyeau [et al.]

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AGROMYZA HIEMALIS BECKER (DIPTERA, AGROMYZIDAE) LEAF-MINER OF NETTLE (URTICA SPP.): PHENOLOGY AND PARASITOIDS IN ITALY.

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Gall Midges (Diptera Cecidomyiidae) of Sicily.

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A new Omocestus I. Bolivar 1878 (Orthoptera Acrididae) from Libya

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Andricus cydoniae Giraud, 1859 Junior Synonym of Cynips coni-fica Hartig, 1843, as Experimentally Demonstrated (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipini)

We demonstrated the life cycle closure of Cynips conifica Hartig, 1843 (presently Andricus conificus), previously supposed on the basis of molecular data, and the identity of the sexual generation, through laboratory experiments. As a consequence, Andricus cydoniae Giraud, 1859 became a junior synonym of A. conificus (Hartig, 1843). We provide illustrations and a diagnosis for adults and galls, observations on biology, and information on distribution. Moreover, as sexual galls of A. conificus cannot be distinguished from those of Andricus multiplicatus, a detailed comparison between sexual galls and adults of these two species is reported.

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New species of Platycleis from Libya (Orthoptera Tettigoniidae).

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Tettigoniidae (Insecta: Orthoptera) collected in tropical forests of Zambia, Cameroon, Gabon and São Tomé during the entomological expeditions of African Natural History Research Trust

The present study is based on a significant sample of Orthoptera, mainly Tettigonoidea, collected by the African Natural History Research Trust in four African countries; a total of 109 taxa was fo...

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Premessa alle tavole micologiche, floristiche e faunistiche

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Tettigoniidae (Orthoptera) from Jordan with description of new species and redescription of less known species

Twenty species of Tettigoniidae are recorded from Jordan, 13 of them for the first time. Two new species are described, Uvarovistia rammei and Parapholidoptera willemsei. New status is proposed for Paradrymadusa philbyi Uvarov (= Scotodrymadusa philbyi) and for Platycleis (Incertana) erecta Uvarov (= Platycleis (Decorana) erecta).

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The role of the Krauss's organ in sound production in Pamphagidae (Caelifera: Orthoptera)

Abstract In Pamphagidae, the Krauss's organ is located on both sides of the 2nd tergite and its function is superficially known. It has been proposed to have a stridulatory function. This organ can be found in all Pamphagidae except the apterous genera. Rearing specimens of some species and observing mounted pamphagids allowed the author to observe that when the Krauss's organ is absent (most apterous species) the tympanum is also absent; further, he discovered specialized stridulatory structures on hind femurs of some taxa for sound emission. By rearing two Pamphagidae belonging to different genera, fragments of stridulations involving the Krauss's organ and specialized structures on the h…

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L’ARTROPODOFAUNA ASSOCIATA A PARIETARIA SPP. (URTICACEAE) – 3° NOTA – PARASSITOIDI DI COSMOPTERIX PULCHRIMELLA CHAMBERS (LEPIDOPTERA COSMOPTERIGIDAE).

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One hundred and fifty years of ornithology in Sicily, with an unknown manuscript by Joseph Whitaker

A new complete check-list of Birds of Sicily is presented in this paper, with a comparison with previous lists for a period of one hundred and fifty years. Further, an unknown manuscript by Joseph Whitaker “Birds of Sicily”, dated back to ca. 1920, has been transcribed and is here presented integrally. Thus, lists of birds here presented have been separated as follows: i) Doderlein (1869–1874); ii) Whitaker (1920); iii) Iapichino &amp; Massa (1989), Lo Valvo et al. (1993) iv) Corso (2005), Ientile &amp; Massa (2008); v) 2010–2020: Massa et al. (2015) and personal observations; vi) long-term trend: personal observations. Overall, 437 species are listed. Out of 283 species regularly present i…

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Adattamento dell’Arvicola del Savi Microtus savii (de Sélys Longchamps) alle mutate tecniche colturali in un vigneto siciliano

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Nuovi dati sulla distribuzione in Italia di alcuni Ortotteri (Orthoptera, Ensifera, Caelifera)

Orthoptera,Vengono riportati nuovi dati sulla distribuzione in Italia di 10 specie di Ortotteri (5 Tettigoniidae, 2 Gryllidae e 3 acrididae), non segnalate in precedenza per alcune regioni o poco note.

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Strelitzia nicolai (Strelitziaceae), new host plant for Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Coleoptera Curculionidae) in Sicily.

The Red Palm Weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier, 1790) (Coleoptera Curculionidae), is con- sidered the main palm pest in the Mediterranean basin. This species is native to Southeastern Asia and is now widely spread throughout Oceania, Africa, Europe and the Caribbean (MURPHY & BRISCOE, 1999; EPPO, 2008, 2012; CHEBBI et al., 2011; RODA et al., 2011). Moreover, in North America the pest was found in California, where it is now considered eradicated (CDFA, 2010; IPPC, 2015). In Italy the first registered sightings were on nursery palms in Tuscany (SACCHETTI et al., 2005, 2006) and on ornamental palms in urban areas in Sicily (LONGO & TAMBURINO, 2005; LO VERDE & MASSA, 2007). Afterwards,…

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Trecentesimo anniversario della nascita di Carl von Linné.

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A new genus of Phaneropterinae (Orthoptera: Ensifera: Tettigoniidae) from Central Africa.

The new genus Pseudoplangia is described for Plangia laminifera Karsch, 1896. Its general aspect is similar to that of the genus Plangia Stål, 1873, but it differs remarkably in the vertex width, in the shape of eyes, that are oval and elongate, in the length of mid femora, that are shorter than pronotum length, in the shape of fore and mid legs that are very much laterally compressed, and in the presence of broad-based spines on the hind tibiae.

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Contrasting age-specific recruitment and survival at different spatial scales: A case study with the European storm petrel

Evolutionary studies on optimal decisions or conservation guidelines are often derived by generalising patterns from a single population, while inter-population variability in life-history traits is seldom considered. We investigated here how survival and recruitment probabilities changed with age at different geographical scales using the encounter histories of 5523 European storm petrels from three Mediterranean colonies, and also how our estimates of these parameters might be expected to affect population growth rates using population matrix models. We recorded similar patterns among colonies, but also important biological differences. Local survival, recruitment and breeding success inc…

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Il contributo di Jeannette Villepreux Power alla conoscenza e agli zoologici del paesaggio della Sicilia dell’800.

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New or interesting records of Palearctic Orthoptera (Insecta).

The author reports some interesting Orthoptera from Palearctic region, namely: Pezodrymadusa subinermis Karabag, 1961, Phytodrymadusa viridipennis (Shchekanovtsev, 1915), Paranocarodes sulcatus (I. Bolivar, 1912) from Armenia, Scintharista notabilis notabilis (Walker, 1870) from Azores, Brachycrotaphus tryxalicerus (Fischer, 1853) from Egypt, and Euchorthippus declivus (Brisout, 1848) from Sardinia (Italy). Additionally, he establishes the synonymies Eupholidoptera peneri Kaltenbach, 1969 = Uvarovistia rammei Katbeh Bader et Massa, 2001 from Jordan; Stenobothrus ursulae Nadig, 1986 = S. nadigi La Greca, 1986 from Piedmont and Aosta Valley (Italy); Pterolepis pedata A. Costa, 1882 = Rhacocle…

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Storie di Procellariformi in Italia.

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High-speed duetting-latency times of the female acoustic response within the bush-cricket genera Leptophyes and Andreiniimon (Orthoptera, Phaneropteridae)

To find a mate, male and female bush-crickets of the family Phaneropteridae typically engage in duets. The male sings and the female responds. For mutual recognition, the amplitude pattern of the male song and the species-specific timing of the female response have been shown to be very important. In the seven studied species, belonging to the generaLeptophyesandAndreiniimon, these duets are extremely fast and nearly completely in the ultrasonic range. The females produce very short sounds by fast closing movements of the tegmina. They respond with species-specific delays of 20 to 150 ms after the beginning of the male song. The different latency times are probably not important for species…

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Conflicts between touristic recreational activities and breeding shearwaters: short-term effect of artificial light and sound on chick weight

Human disturbances are increasingly becoming a conservation concern for many populations of colonial seabirds. Colonially reproducing species are particularly vulnerable to localised disturbances because detrimental elements can simultaneously affect the entire population. Studies of petrels and shearwaters have shown that light pollution, in particular, can be harmful for both fledglings and adults, but little is known of the way such anthropogenic elements affect the quality of parental care at the nest. Chick provisioning in petrels and shearwaters occurs exclusively at night and is also negatively correlated with the amount of moonlight. We tested the hypothesis that high-intensity ligh…

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The Birds of Italy, vol. 1: Anatidae–Alcidae

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New species of Platycleis Fieber, 1853 of the subgenus Decorana Zeuner, 1941 in the Nature Reserve of Trapani saltpans (Sicily, Italy) (Insecta Orthoptera Tettigoniidae).

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Some new species of Phaneroptera, Eulioptera and Scolocerca (Orthoptera Tettigoniidae: Phaneropterinae) from West Tropical Africa

The author describes Phaneroptera abdita n. sp., characterized by only two apical spurs; two new species of Eulioptera, E. iolandae n. sp. with unarmed fore coxae, E. atypica n. sp., with atypical opaque tegmina; and Scolocerca thomasi n. sp., all from West Tropical Africa. In addition, he discusses on the probable only African distribution of Phaneroptera sparsa Stål, 1857, and transfers Dithela longicaudata Massa, 2017 to the genus Eulioptera Ragge, 1956. 

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Diet and diving behaviour of European Storm Petrels Hydrobates pelagicus in the Mediterranean (ssp. melitensis).

Capsule Unlike Atlantic populations, which feed on krill, Mediterranean populations feed mainly on pelagic fish Gymnammodites cicerellus. Aims To determine the diet and dive depth of the Mediterranean subspecies of European Storm Petrels Hydrobates pelagicus melitensis. Methods Analysis of regurgitates of adults arriving at the colony for chick feeding and by determination of dives depth using the capillary tube method. Results The main prey is Gymnammodites cicerellus, a pelagic fish. Storm Petrels dive for their prey and can reach up to 5 m in depth. They also make short foraging trips just outside the colony where they capture Opossum Shrimps Misydacea. Conclusions European Storm Petrels…

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&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A new genus of Phaneropterinae (Orthoptera: Ensifera: Tettigoniidae) &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;from Central Africa&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

The new genus Pseudoplangia is described for Plangia laminifera Karsch, 1896. Its general aspect is similar to that of the genus Plangia Stal, 1873, but it differs remarkably in the vertex width, in the shape of eyes, that are oval and elongate, in the length of mid femora, that are shorter than pronotum length, in the shape of fore and mid legs that are very much laterally compressed, and in the presence of broad-based spines on the hind tibiae.

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Le isole Pelagie: un luogo straordinario anche per la fauna.

Lampedusa e Linosa sono isole molto diverse fra loro, una calcarea, l’altra vulcanica; quindi è comprensibile che la fauna sia in buona parte differente. Tuttavia la maggioranza delle specie vi sono migrate attivamente o, nel caso di Lampedusa, rappresentano la testimonianza di un antico collegamento con la Tunisia. L’importanza faunistica delle Pelagie è dovuta ai taxa endemici ma anche alla presenza di specie africane al limite geografico della loro distribuzione (Lampedusa, di natura calcarea, si trova infatti sulla piattaforma continentale africana).

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I nomi dialettali degli uccelli in Sicilia.

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La Biogeografia della Sicilia: considerazioni conclusive sul XXXVII Congresso della Societa' Italiana di Biogeografia

Biogeographia vol. XXX - 2011 (Pubblicato il 23 dicembre 2011) La Biogeografia della Sicilia La Biogeografia della Siciliaz considerazioni conclusive sul XXXV11 Congresso della Societa Italiana di Biogeografia BRUNO MASSA* VALERIO SBORDON1**, AUGUSTO V1GNATAGL1ANT1*** q‘ Dipartimento Demetra, Universita dzq Palermo; e—maz&#39;[: eruno. massa @unz}ga.z&#39;t ** Dzpartimento di Biologia, Uniz/ersita di Roma q Ybr 1/Ergata”; e—mai[:12a1erz&#39;o.5[9ord0ni@uniroma2. it *** Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie “Charles Darwin”, Universita di Roma qLa Sapienza”; e—mai[: augusto. z2z&#39;gnatag[z&#39;anti@uniroma1.it 11 tema generale del Congresso e stato la Biogeografia della Sicilia, al suo in~ …

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Two new African and Madagascan species of the genus Holochlora (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae, Phaneropterinae)

Two new species, Holochlora mauritiana and H. ingrischi from the island of Mauritius and Zimbabwe, respectively, are described. Along with a third species, H. biloba Stål, 1874 from Madagascar, they are the sole African representatives of the mostly Oriental genus Holochlora Stål, 1873, including ca. 60 taxa distributed from India to China. Preliminary hypotheses on biogeographical and evolutionary origin of Afro-Madagascan Holochlora species are shortly discussed.

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Valutazione della Biodiversità in Sicilia.

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AGGIORNAMENTO SULLA DISTRIBUZIONE DEL SUCCIACAPRE Caprimulgidae) IN SICILIA CAPRIMULGUS EUROPAEUS (Aves

Caprimulgus europaeus In recent years Update on the distribution of breeding Nightjar in Sicily. there have been numerous observations of Nightjar in areas where it had never previously been observed. In some cases the reason may be a deeper exploration, but in other cases the possible explanation is the expansion of the species. However, it is quite interesting the change in the habitat by this species. The present paper provides an update of its status based on data collected in the fifteen years following the publication of the last Sicilian Atlas of breeding birds.

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Biological significance and conservation of biogeographical bird populations as shown by selected Mediterranean species.

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Note su un bloom di Prymnesium parvum Carter (Haptophyta) nel lago di Pergusa e sue conseguenza sulla fauna.

Dal 17 febbraio ai primi giorni di marzo 2008 è stata registrata una morìa di centinaia di Carpe (Cyprinus carpio) nel Lago di Pergusa, in coincidenza di un’anomala colorazione giallastra delle acque ascrivibile ad un intenso bloom dell’aptofita ittiotossica Prymnesium parvum. La microalga manifesta comunemente bloom e tossicità in acque eutrofiche poco profonde, con salinità comprese fra 1 e 12 PSU. Il bloom tossico nel Lago Pergusa, per quanto determinato dalla complessa interazione di numerosi fattori ambientali, è essenzialmente connesso alle mutate condizioni di salinità del corpo idrico negli ultimi 5 anni (da >20 PSU a <5 PSU). Sebbene non abbia causato mortalità nelle popolazioni di…

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Data from: Effects of interspecific coexistence on laying date and clutch size in two closely related species of hole‐nesting birds

Coexistence between great tits Parus major and blue tits Cyanistes caeruleus, but also other hole‐nesting taxa, constitutes a classic example of species co‐occurrence resulting in potential interference and exploitation competition for food and for breeding and roosting sites. However, the spatial and temporal variations in coexistence and its consequences for competition remain poorly understood. We used an extensive database on reproduction in nest boxes by great and blue tits based on 87 study plots across Europe and Northern Africa during 1957–2012 for a total of 19,075 great tit and 16,729 blue tit clutches to assess correlative evidence for a relationship between laying date and clutc…

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Supplementary material 1 from: Heller K-G, Hemp C, Massa B, Kociński M, Warchałowska-Śliwa E (2018) Paraplangia sinespeculo, a new genus and species of bush-cricket, with notes on its biology and a key to the genera of Phaneropterinae (Orthoptera: Tettigonioidea) from Madagascar. Journal of Orthoptera Research 27(2): 143-153. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.27.24243

Supplementary material 1 from: Heller K-G, Hemp C, Massa B, Kociński M, Warchałowska-Śliwa E (2018) Paraplangia sinespeculo, a new genus and species of bush-cricket, with notes on its biology and a key to the genera of Phaneropterinae (Orthoptera: Tettigonioidea) from Madagascar. Journal of Orthoptera Research 27(2): 143-153. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.27.24243

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Supplementary material 2 from: Heller K-G, Hemp C, Massa B, Kociński M, Warchałowska-Śliwa E (2018) Paraplangia sinespeculo, a new genus and species of bush-cricket, with notes on its biology and a key to the genera of Phaneropterinae (Orthoptera: Tettigonioidea) from Madagascar. Journal of Orthoptera Research 27(2): 143-153. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.27.24243

Supplementary material 2 from: Heller K-G, Hemp C, Massa B, Kociński M, Warchałowska-Śliwa E (2018) Paraplangia sinespeculo, a new genus and species of bush-cricket, with notes on its biology and a key to the genera of Phaneropterinae (Orthoptera: Tettigonioidea) from Madagascar. Journal of Orthoptera Research 27(2): 143-153. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.27.24243

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Trematerra P, Suss L, 2007. Prontuario di entomologia merceologica ed urbana con note morfologiche, niologiche e di gestione delle infestazioni. Aracne ed., Roma. Naturalista Siciliano.

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Agnesi V, Di Patti C, Truden B, 2007. L'elefante nano. Kalos ed., Palermo. Naturalista Siciliano.

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