www.biodiversityjournal.com ISSN 2039-0394 (Print Edition) ISSN 2039-0408 (Online Edition) DECEMBER 2011, 2 (4): 161-224 mtli the support of world biodiversity association O n ! g s FOR NATURALISTIC RESEARCH AND ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES Passifhra manicata (juss.) Pers. f ISO 7 - San Go brie/, Carchi (Ecuador) THE GENUS PASSI FLORA Linnaeus, 1753, The genus Pass (flora Linnaeus, 1753 known also as the passion flowers or passion vines, belongs to the family Passifloraceae including more than 530 species. They are mostly perennial lianas or herbaceous vines, with some being trees, shrubs, or even annuals. They are more common and differentiated into Central and South America, but some species also live in North America, Australian Region and Asia. Pollination is mainly carried out by insects, birds, bats and some species are currently considered protocarnivorous plants. Often, Passiflora are cultivated for ornamental purposes, food and medication. The wide morphological variation is likely to result from the diversity of the habitats as well as from co-evolutionary relationships with many organisms (protective ants, butterflies, pollinators) and plant communities providing Passiflora physical support and access to sunlight. Because of particular biology and distribution, Passiflora species, and Passifloraceae in general, can be considered excellent indicators of biodiversity in the Andean region. Giovanni Onore. Fundacion Otonga, Apartado 1 7-03- 1 5 14A - Quito, Ecuador; email: gonore@otonga.org. 1) Passiflora pinnatistipula Cav., 1799 Ecuador, Cotopaxi, Sigchos, 3,100 m, I2.V.2010 (photo G. Onorc). This species lives in humid Andean valleys at altitudes between 2,500 and 3,800 m above sea level. Often it is also cultivated for its fruits which are edible. R pinnatistipula is pollinated by hummingbirds, bats, and is often visited by Hymenopteraand Diptera; it is also capable of self-pollination. It’s an endangered species due to the destruction of its original habitat. 2) Passiflora arborea Spreng., 1826 Bosque nublado Otonga, San Fran- cisco de Las Pampas, 7, VIII. 2011 (photo G. Onorc). It is one of the few arboreal species of Passiflora and lives mostly in the rainforest between 1.000 to 2,300 m above sea level. It is found also along the rivers and in the most degraded areas, such as the edges of pastures and roads. A species of the genus Anastrepha Sehiner, 1868 (Diptera, Tephritidae) uses the fruits of this plant for larvae development. Cover. Passiflora manicata: San Gabriel, Carchi, Ecuador, 2,700 m above sea level, 7. VII. 201 1 (photo G. Onorc). Biodiversity Journal, 2011, 2 (4): 163-170 Continental mollusc fauna of the Great Porto Alegre central region, RS, Southern Brazil A. Ignacio Agudo-Padron & Paulo Lenhard Project Avulsos Malacologicos, Caixa Postal (PO. Box) 010, 88010-970 Centro, Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, SC, Brasil; emails: ignacioagudo@gmail.com; paulolenhard@gmail.com. ABSTRACT Actual available knowledge about the diversity and conservation status of the molluscan fauna occurring in the continental geopolitical space of the central section of Great Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul State, RS, area of the Biome “Pampa” in Southernmost Brazil is analyzed and discussed. Geographically located on the right bank of the Jacui Delta (in the homonymous basin) and legally protected under the category of “State Ecological Park”, next to Guaiba Lake where the Gravatai and Sinos rivers (severely polluted by the anthropogenic indiscriminate action) empty, the region holds 66 malacological species and subspecies - 42 gastropods (23 limnic and 19 terrestrial) and 24 bivalves, included in 45 Genera, 24 Families and two Classes - about 1/3 of the total number of species in the State. Fourteen are introduced and invasive alien species, i.e. 11 Gastropoda (one limnic, 10 terrestrial) and 3 bivalves. Finally, at least 8 native bivalves (Unionoida) are contained in National and State Red Lists of Endangered Fauna. KEY WORDS Continental mollusc fauna, Gastropoda, Bivalvia, Central Great Porto Alegre, Southernmost Brazil region. Received 14.08.2011; accepted 8.10.2011; printed 30.12.2011 INTRODUCTION Located in the Central section of Great Porto Alegre Metropolitan region (Agudo-Padron, 2009a) (Fig. 1), on the right margin of the river basin denominated “Delta do Jacui”, legally protected under the environmental category “Delta do Jacui Ecological State Park”, and possessing a rarefied human occupation, mixing in different degrees rural and urban activities, the little Municipal Districts of Cachoeirinha, Canoas, and Gravatai (Fig. 2), domain of Biome “Pampa” within the basin of the Gravatai and Sinos rivers, today severely polluted by the indiscriminate human actions (Etchichury & Barbieri, 2009), are the geographical areas (see Menegat et al., 2006), reported in this brief note, where malacological research is being systematically developed starting from Spring 2004 (Agudo-Padron, 2007). Previous general informations about the mollusc fauna existent in the Southern State of Rio Grande do Sul, RS, are concentrate in recent available literature (Agudo-Padron, 2008a, 2009a-f, 2010; Agudo-Padron & Lenhard, 2009a, b; Agudo-Padron, 2011a). I. CACHOEIRINHA MUNICIPAL DISTRICT Geographical, environmental and biotic general informations on this geopolitical space comprising the basin of the Gravatai and Sinos rivers (Medeiros et al., 2002; Agudo-Padron, 2009a) and hosting a total of 42 species (32 Gastropoda and 10 Bivalvia), are concentrated in several published contributions as well as in some unpublished regional technical reports (Lanzer, 1996; Agudo-Padron, 2007, 2008b, c, 2009a, e, f; Agudo-Padron & Oliveira, 2008a, b; Agudo-Padron & Silveira, 2008; Agudo-Padron & Lenhard, 2009a; Agudo-Padron et al., 2008, 2009, 2010; Gomes et al., 2011). At least two native snail-eating-snakes species, Sibynomorphus neuwiedi (Ihering, 1911) and Sibynomorphus ventrimaculatus 164 A. Ignacio Agudo-Padron & Paulo Lenhard Figure 1. Great Porto Alegre Metropolitan Central region (green color), Rio Grande do Sul State - RS, Southernmost Brazil. Figure 2. Municipal Districts territories of Canoas (1), Cachoeirinha (2) and Gravatai (3), red color. (Boulenger, 1885) (Reptilia: Serpentes, Dipsa- didae), are registered for this Municipal District territory (Agudo-Padron & Sostizzo, 2009). Moreover, two molluscivore birds species specialized in predation and consumption of freshwater mussels and snails occur in swamp environments. II. CANOAS MUNICIPAL DISTRICT 45 species (22 Gastropoda and 23 Bivalvia) have been reported. Data are included in regional technical reports (Agudo-Padron & Lenhard, 2009c, d; Agudo-Padron, 2011a-c) and some other contributions (Medeiros et al., 2002; Mansur & Pereira, 2006). At least one native snail-eating-snakes species, Sibynomorphus ventrimaculatus (Boulenger, 1885) (Reptilia: Serpentes, Dipsadidae), is registered for this Municipal District territory (Agudo-Padron, 2008c). Two molluscivore birds specialized in predation and consumption of freshwater mussels and snails species occur in swamp environments. III. GRAVATAI MUNICIPAL DISTRICT Twenty-seven mollusc species (24 Gastropoda and 3 Bivalvia) are included in some technical contributions (Veitenheimer-Mendes et al., 1992; Agudo-Padron & Lenhard, 2009a; Ohlweiler et al., 2009; Gomes et al., 2010; 2011) and unpublished regional technical reports (Agudo-Padron, 2008d). At least two native snail-eating-snakes species, Sibynomorphus neuwiedi (Ihering, 1911) and Sibynomorphus ventrimaculatus (Boulenger, 1885) (Reptilia: Serpentes, Dipsadidae), are registered for this Municipal District territory (Agudo-Padron & Sostizzo, 2009). RESULTS A total of 66 continental species and subspecies (42 Gastropoda - 23 limnic/ freshwater and 19 terrestrial - and 24 Bivalvia) included in 45 Genera, 24 Families and 2 Classes, equivalent to about 33% of the total number of species known for the State of Rio Grande do Sul - RS (Agudo-Padron, 2009d), are present in such a little geopolitical territory reported in this paper. Among them, at least twelve (9 terrestrial and 3 freshwater/limnic) are introduced invading exotic forms (Agudo-Padron & Lenhard, 2010). Systematic arrangement are in line with Simone (2006) and Thome et al. (2006, 2007). Specimens collected during this study were deposited in the Invertebrate Department of the Museum of Natural Science of the Lutheran University of Brazil - MCNU (Agudo-Padron, 2011b). Continental mollusc fauna of the Great Porto Alegre central region, RS, Southern Brazil 165 Registration and/or collection localities: 1 - Cachoeirinha Municipal District 2 - Canoas Municipal District 3 - Gravatai Municipal District SYSTEMATIC SPECIES LIST Class Gastropoda Subclass Prosobranchia / Caenogastropoda Family Ampullariidae - Asolene platae (Maton, 1809) 3 - Pomacea canaliculata (Lamarck, 1819) (Figs. 3-6) 2 ’ 3 Family Hydrobiidae - Heleobia species lj 2 - Littoridina cuzcoensis (Pilsbry, 1911) 3 Subclass Gymnophila Family Veronicellidae - Belocaulus angustipes (Heynemann, 1885) 1 - Belocaulus willibaldoi Ohlweiler, Mota & Gomes, 2009 (Figs. 7,8) 1,2,3 - Phyllocaulis soleiformis (d’Orbigny, 1835) (Figs. 9,10) 1,2 - Phyllocaulis tuberculosus (Martens, 1868) 3 - Phyllocaulis variegatus (Semper, 1885) 1 Subclass Pulmonata Family Ancylidae - Burnupia ingae Lanzer, 1991 1,2 - Ferris ia gentilis Lanzer, 1991 1,2,3 - Gundlachia ticaga (Marcus & Marcus, 1962) 3 - Hebetancylus (= Gundlachia ) moricandi (d’Orbigny, 1837) 1,2 - Uncancylus (= Gundlachia ) concentricus (d’Orbigny, 1835) 1,2 Fig-3 Fig-5 Fig-4 Fig-6 Figures 3-6. Native limnic apple snails Pomacea canaliculata (Fig. 3), and typical regional habitats (Figs. 4-6). Photo P. Lenhard. 166 A. Ignacio Agudo-Padron & Paulo Lenhard Family Chilinidae - Chilina fluminea (d’Orbigny, 1835) 3 Family Physidae - Aplexa ( Stenophysa ) marmorata (Guilding, 1828) 1,2,3 - Physa acuta (= cubensis) Drapamaud, 1805 Family Lymnaeidae - Lymnaea (= Pseudosuccicnea ) columella Say, 1817 3 Family Planorbidae - Antillorbis nordestensis (Lucena, 1954) 1,2,3 - Biomphalaria oligoza Paraense, 1975 1,2,3 Fig-7 Fig. 8 Fig-9 Fig. 10 Fig- 11 Fig. 12 Figures 7,8. Native slugs Belocaulus wnllibaldoi. Photos P. Lenhard. Figures 9,10. Native slug Phyllocaulis soleiformis (Fig. 9), common species in regional gardens, vegetated squares, agronomic enterprises and wastelands (Fig. 10). Photos P. Lenhard. Figures 11,12. Little exotic invasive slug Deroceras laeve (Fig. 11), severe pest in regional agronomic enterprises and gardens (Fig. 12). Photos P. Lenhard. Continental mollusc fauna of the Great Porto Alegre central region, RS, Southern Brazil 167 - Biomphalaria peregrina (d’Orbigny, 1835) 3 - Biomphalaria tenagophila tenagophila (d’Orbigny, 1835) 1,2,3 - Biomphalaria tenagophila guaibensis Paraense, 1984 1 - Drepanotrema anatinum (d’Orbigny, 1935) 3 - Drepanotrema depressissimus (Moricand, 1839) 1,2,3 - Drepanotrema heloicum (d’Orbigny, 1835) 3 - Drepanotrema kermatoides (d’Orbigny, 1835) 3 - Drepanotrema lucidum (Pfeiffer, 1839) 3 Family Succineidae - Omalonyx convexus (Heynemann, 1868) 1,2 Family Milacidae - Milax gagates (Draparnaud, 1801) 1 - Lehmannia valentiana (Ferassac, 1821) 1,3 Family Limacidae - Limacus flavus (Linnaeus, 1758) 1,2 - Limax maximus Linnaeus, 1758 1,2 Family Agriolimacidae - Deroceras laeve (Muller, 1774) (Figs. 11,12) 1,2,3 Family Philomicidae - Meghimatium pictum (Stoliczka, 1873) 1,3 Family Bulimulidae - Bulimulus angustus Weyrauch, 1966 1,2 - Bulimulus tenuissimus (d’Orbigny, 1835) 1 Family Megalobulimidae - Megalobulimus abbreviatus (Bequaert, 1948) (Figs. 13-15) 1,2 Fig. 13 Figures 13-15. Native giant snails Megalobulimus abbreviatus (Bequaert, 1948) and its typical habitat in the Gravatai River basin region (borders of forests and fields). Photos P. Lenhard. Fig. 15 Fig. 14 168 A. Ignacio Agudo-Padron & Paulo Lenhard Fig. 16 Fig. 17 Fig. 1 8 Fig. 1 9 Fig.20 Fig.2 1 Figure 16. Collection place of the native mussel naiad Anodontites patagonicus in the Sinos River basin region (industrial provisioning channels). Photos P. Lenhard. Figure 17. Collection place of the native giant mussel naiad Anodontites trapesialis in the Gravatai River basin region (fish farming dams). Photos P. Lenhard. Figure 18. Collection place of the native mussel naiad Leila blainvilleana in the Gravatai River basin region (fish farming dams). Photos P. Lenhard. Figure 19. Collection place of the native mussel naiad Mycetopoda legumen in the Gravatai River basin region (agricultural irrigation channels). Photos P. Lenhard. Figures 20,21. Industrial piece incrusted with exotic invasive Asian golden mussels Limnoperna fortunei in the Sinos River basin region. Photos M. Pacheco and P. Lenhard. Continental mollusc fauna of the Great Porto Alegre central region, RS, Southern Brazil 169 Family Subulinidae - Rumina decollate (Linnaeus, 1758) 1 - Subulina octona (Bruguiere, 1792) 1 Family Helicidae - Helix {Cornu) aspersa Muller, 1774 1,2,3 Family Bradybaenidae - Bradybaena similaris (Ferussac, 1821) 1,2,3 Class Bivalvia Order Unionoida Family Hyriidae - Castalia martensi (Ihering, 1891) 2 - Diplodon delodontus (Lamarck, 1819) 2 - Diplodon multistriatus (Lea, 1834) 2 - Rhipidodonta charruana (d'Orbigny, 1835) 1,2,3 - Rhipidodonta grata (Lea, 1866) 1,2 Family Mycetopodidae - Anodontites obtusus (Spix, 1927) 2 - Anodontites patagonicus (Lamarck, 1819) (Fig. 16) 1,2 - Anodontites tenebricosus (Lea, 1834) 2 - Anodontites trapesialis (Lamarck, 1819) (Fig. 17) 1,2 - Anodontites trapezeus (Spix, 1827) 2 -Leila blainvilleana (Lea, 1835) (Fig. 18) 1,2 - Monocondylaea corrientesensis d’Orbigny, 1835 2 - Monocondylaea minuana d’Orbigny, 1835 2 - Mycetopoda legumen (Martens, 1888) (Fig. 19) 1,2 Order Veneroida Family Corbiculidae - Cyanocyclas (= Neocorbicula) limosa (Maton, 1809) 2 - Corbicula fluminea (Muller, 1774) 1,2 - Corbicula largillierti (Philippi, 1844) 2 Family Sphaeridae - Eupera klappenbachi Mansur & Veitenheimer, 1975 1,2,3 - Pisidium forense Meier-Brook, 1967 3 - Pisidium globulus Clessin, 1888 2 - Pisidium species 1,2 - Pisidium sterkianum Pilsbry, 1897 2 - Sphaerium species l > 2 Order Mytiloida Family Mytilidae - Limnoperna fortunei (Dunker, 1857) (Figs. 20,21) 2 REFERENCES Agudo-Padron A.I., 2007. Malacofauna “urbana” do Bairro Vila Regina, Cachoeirinha, regiao Metropolitana de Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil, com especial enfase no Helix {Cornu) aspersa Muller, 1774. Informativo SBMa, 38(162): 6-8. Agudo-Padron A.I., 2008a. Levantamento biogeografico de moluscos no Estado de Santa Catarina, SC, regiao Sul do Brasil, Vertente Atlantica do Cone Meridional da America do Sul. Caminhos de Geografia, 9: 126-133. Agudo-Padron A.L, 2008b. Ocorrencia confirmada da semi- lesma exotica europeia Milax valentianus Ferussac, 1821 na regiao Sul do Brasil. Informativo SBMa, 39(166): 3. Agudo-Padron, A. I., 2008c. Malacofauna continental ocorrente no campus ULBRA/ Canoas e areas imediato adjacentes: um reporte geral preliminar. Cachoeirinha, RS: ULBRA/Projeto “Avulsos Malacologicos”, Relatorio interno de pesquisa, 1 1 pp. Agudo-Padron A.I., 2008d. Ocorrencia confirmada da semi- lesma exotica europeia Milax valentianus Ferussac, 1821 na regiao Sul do Brasil. II. Novos registros. Cachoeirinha, RS: UFBRA/ Projeto “Avulsos Malacologicos”, Relatorio intemo de pesquisa, 8 pp. Agudo-Padron A.I., 2009a. Recent continental malacological researches and inventory in the Southern Brazil and the general “Atlantic Slope of the South Cone” region, South America: a comparative relationship addenda. VISAYA Net, July 21, 2008: 1-4. Agudo-Padron A.I., 2009b. General mollusk fauna of Rio Grande do Sul State, Southernmost Brazil region: a preliminary revision rehearsal. Ellipsaria, 11: 13-18. Agudo-Padron A.I., 2009c. Ordenamento da fauna de Cachoeirinha, RS: sintese preliminar do seu conhecimento. Cachoeirinha, RS: UFBRA/Projeto “Avulsos Malacologicos”, Relatorio interno de pesquisa, 11 pp. Agudo-Padron A.I., 2009d. Recent terrestrial and freshwater molluscs of Rio Grande do Sul State, RS, Southern Brazil region: a comprehensive synthesis and check list. VISAYA Net, May 14, 2009: 1-13. Agudo-Padron A. I., 2009e. Malacofauna continental ocorrente no Municipio de Cachoeirinha, regiao metropolitana da Grande Porto Alegre, RS: estado atual da arte do seu conhecimento. Cachoeirinha, RS: UFBRA/Projeto “Avulsos Malacologicos”, Relatorio interno de pesquisa, 1 1 pp. Agudo-Padron A.I., 2009f. First confirmed record of the exotic slug Milax gagates (Draparnaud, 1801) in the Southernmost Brazil region. Ellipsaria, 11: 15-16. Agudo-Padron A.I., 2010. Mollusk fauna in the “extremes” of the Southern Brazil region - a revision rehearsal: new bibliographical records. Ellipsaria, 12: 11-13. 170 A. Ignacio Agudo-Padron & Paulo Lenhard Agudo-Padron A.I., 2011a. Colonization of Anthropogenic Spaces by Freshwater Mollusks in the Southern Brazil Region, South American Atlantic Slope. Ellipsaria, 13: 19-23. Agudo-Padron A.I., 2011b. A new emerging scientific continental malacological collection and the research with mollusk fauna in the North Metropolitan region of the “Great Porto Alegre”, RS, Southernmost Brazil. Ellipsaria, 13: 25-33. Agudo-Padron A.I., 2011c. Evaluative summary of the Santa Catarina’s State mollusk fauna, Central Southern Brazil, after 15 years of research. Ellipsaria, 13: 37-46. Agudo-Padron A. I. & Lenhard P., 2009a. Moluscos ocorrentes no Municipio e cidade de Cachoeirinha, regiao Metropolitana da Grande Porto Alegre, Estado do Rio Grande do Sul - RS: um ensaio de guia pratico ilustrado. Cachoeirinha, RS: ULBRA/ Projeto “Avulsos Malacologicos”, Relatorio interno de pesquisa, 19 pp. Agudo-Padron A.I. & Lenhard P, 2009b. Confirmacao de ocorrencia da semi-lesma exotica europeia Milax valentianus (Pulmonata: Stylommatophora: Milacidae) na regiao Sul do Brasil. Rio de Janeiro, RJ: Resumos XXI Encontro Brasileiro de Malacologia, Biodiversidade: 262. Agudo-Padron A.I. & Lenhard P., 2009c. Nova ocorrencia do microcaracol Prohappia besckei (Pulmonata: Stylommatophora: Systrophidae) para o Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, RS, Brasil. Rio de Janeiro, RJ: Resumos XXI Encontro Brasileiro de Malacologia, Biodiversidade: 263. Agudo-Padron A.I. & Lenhard R, 2009d. Novas ocorrencias de moluscos limnicos nas instalagdes da Refmaria PETROBRAS “Alberto Pasqualini”, Canoas, RS. Cachoeirinha, RS: ULBRA/ Projeto “Avulsos Malacologicos”, Relatorio interno de pesquisa, 8 pp. Agudo-Padron A.I. & Lenhard P., 2010. Introduced and invasive molluscs in Brazil: a brief overview. Tentacle, 18: 37-41. Agudo-Padron, A.I. & Oliveira J.V. de., 2008a. Malacological fauna in irrigated rice fields of the Southern Brazil: a comprehensive general study. UNITAS Malacologica Newsletter, 26: 8. Agudo-Padron A.I. & Oliveira J.V. de., 2008b. Mollusk fauna occurrence in irrigated rice fields of the Southern Brazil: a preliminary general report. Ellipsaria, 10: 13-16. Agudo-Padron A.I., Oliveira J.V. & Freitas T.F.S., 2008. Ocorrencia de moluscos em lavouras de arroz irrigado do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul - RS, Brasil. I. Levantamento preliminar e avaliagao do seu impacto regional como pragas agricolas. Cachoeirinha, RS: Avulsos Malacologicos/ IRGA, Relatorio tecnico interno, 13 pp. Agudo-Padron A.I., Oliveira J.V. de & Freitas, T.F.S. de, 2009. Mollusc Fauna of the Municipal District of “Cachoeirinha”, Metropolitan Area of Porto Alegre, RS, Southernmost Brazil: Preliminary Rising, Environmental Importance and Local Impacts in the Agricultural Economy and the Public Health. VISAYA Net, June 30, 2008: 1-8. Agudo-Padron A.I., Oliveira J.V. de & Freitas T.F.S. de., 2010. Ocorrencia de moluscos em culturas de arroz irrigado ( Oryza sativa L.) no Rio Grande do Sul, RS, Brasil. Informativo SBMa, 41(172): 9-13. Agudo-Padron A.I. & Silveira E.F. da., 2008. Levantamento preliminar dos moluscos continentais ocorrentes no Municipio de Cachoeirinha, Mesorregiao da Grande Porto Alegre, RS. Canoas, RS: Resumos VIII Forum de Pesquisa e XIV Salao de Iniciagao Cientifica e Tecnologica da Universidade Luterana do Brasil - ULBRA, 1 CD-Rom: 84. Agudo-Padron A.I. & Sostizzo H., 2009. Serpentes malacofagas Sibynomorphus (Reptilia: Serpentes: Dipsadidae) depositadas no Museu de Ciencias Naturais do Campus da ULBRA/Gravatai, RS. Cachoeirinha, RS: ULBRA/ Projeto “Avulsos Malacologicos”, Relatorio interno de pesquisa, 6 pp. Etchichury C. & Barbieri L., 2009. A asfixia de 2 rios. Porto Alegre, RS: Jornal “ZERO HORA”, Domingo 05/04/2009, pp. 6-7 - Especial Ambiente. Gomes S.R., Picango J.B., Colley E., Agudo-Padron A.I., Nakano E. & Thome J.W., 2011. A newly introduced and invasive land slug in Brazil: Meghimatium pictum (Gastropoda, Philomycidae) from China. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 161: 87-95. Gomes S.R., Silva, F.B. da, Mendes I.L.V., Thome J.W. & Bonatto S.L., 2010. Molecular phylogeny of the South American land slug Phyllocaulis (Mollusca, Soleolifera, Veronicellidae). Zoologica Scripta, 39: 177-186. Lanzer R.M., 1996. Ancylidae (Gastropoda, Basommatophora) na America do Sul: sistematica e distribiiicao. Revista Brasileira de Zoologia, 13: 175-210. Mansur M.C.D. & Pereira, D., 2006. Bivalves limnicos da bacia do rio dos Sinos, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil (Bivalvia, Unionoida, Veneroida e Mytiloida). Revista Brasileira de Zoologia, 23: 1123-1147. Medeiros C.R.B. de, Conrad F.M. & Schroder-Pfeifer N.T., 2002. Analise da fauna de moluscos limnicos associada a vegetagao marginal e sedimento superficial de fundo do Arroio Sapucaia, Bacia dos Sinos, RS, Brasil. Revista de Iniciagao Cientifica da ULBRA, 1: 67-78. Menegat R., Porto M.L., Carraro C.C. & Fernandes L.A.D., 2006. Atlas Ambiental de Porto Alegre. UFRGS, Porto Alegre, 256 pp. Ohlweiler F.P., Mota D.J.G. & Gomes S.R., 2009. A new species of Belocaulus (Gastropoda, Veronicellidae) from southern and southeastern Brazil. The Nautilus, 123: 34-42. Simone, L.R.L., 2006. Land and freshwater molluscs of Brazil. Sao Paulo, FAPESP, 390 pp. Thome J.W., Arruda, J.O. & Silva, L.F. da., 2007. Moluscos terrestres no Cone Meridional da America do Sul, diversidade e distribuigao. Ciencia & Ambiente, Fauna Neotropical Austral, 35: 9-28. Thome J.W., Gomes S.R. & Picango J.B., 2006. Os caracois e as lesmas dos nossos bosques e jardins. Pelotas, USEB, 123 pp. Veitenheimer-Mendes I.L., Lopes-Pitoni V.L., Silva M.C.P. da, Almeida-Caon J.E. & Schroder-Pfeifer N.T., 1992. Moluscos (Gastropoda e Bivalvia) ocorrentes nas nascentes do rio Gravatai, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Iheringia, Serie Zoologia, 73: 69-76. Biodiversity Journal, 2011, 2 (4): 171-178 Evidence of the existence of the wild tiger Panthera tigris amoyensis (Hilzheimer, 1905) in South China (Mammalia, Felidae) Li-Yuan Liu College of Life Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China, 100875; e-mail: liu.liyuan@263.net ABSTRACT Wild South China Tigers, Panthera tigris amoyensis (Hilzheimer, 1905), with no authenticated sighting since more than twenty-five years, are generally considered extinct. On October 3 rd 2007 a villager from Zhenping County in Shaanxi Province of China, claimed to have taken a set of photos of a wild tiger in the Daba Mountain. However, the photos aroused suspicion. We already published a paper to prove that in those photos the tiger was a 3 -dimensional, animate object. In the present paper further analyses are reported to support the authenticity of such a photos. A short “video” had been recorded in a photo by the digital camera, in which the tiger was lowering its head and raising its tail while the photo had been taken. The tiger always turned its head following the photographer. Special bunches of glisten from the forehead of the tiger resulted to be formed by the light of camera’s flash reflected from the eyeball of the animal. Many collected evidences suggested that there are about eight tigers living in the Daba Mountain. Although tigers appeared frequently in the neighborhood of Daba Mountain this year, unfortunately, these animals have not been protected at all. We hope that confirming the authenticity of the photos will promote a national complete conservation program to save this important subspecies from extinction. KEY WORDS Wild South China tiger, Authenticity of the photos, Footprint. Received 16.08.2011; accepted 11.10.2011; printed 30.12.2011 INTRODUCTION On November 23 rd 2010, the International Tiger Conservation Forum (also known as the “Tiger Summit”) signed the “St. Petersburg Declaration on Tiger Conservation” to save wild tigers from extinction (Goodrich, 2010). The South China tiger, Panthera tigris amoyensis (Hilzheimer, 1905), was estimated to number 4,000 individuals in the early 1950s. Approximately 3,000 tigers were killed over 30 years as the subspecies was officially hunted as a pest. These animals have not been officially sighted since more than 25 years and have been listed as one of the world’s ten most endangered animals. On October 12 th 2007, an excellent hunter, Mr. Zheng-Long Zhou, published a set of photographs of a young South China tiger claiming that on October 3 rd 2007 he nearly risked his life in the Daba Mountain to take these photos after more than one month of search in the forest [Holden (ed.), 2007a]. Although the Daba Mountain in Zhenping County, Shaanxi Province of China is the native habitat of South China tiger, a controversy over the authenticity of photographs aroused. A month later, a tiger- picture poster appeared in the public domain and the manufacturer claimed that it was a six-year- old product [Holden (ed.), 2007b]. The authorities announced that the photos were copied from the poster and the photographer was arrested for fraud [Holden (ed.), 2008]. But many people, on the contrary, believed that Zhou found the evidence of a live South China tiger. The controversy over the authenticity of the photographs is still ongoing in China. Previously, we have published a paper to prove that the tiger in the photos is a 3 -dimensional, animate object whereas the poster tiger is a forged artificial monster (Liu, 2010). Here further analyses are reported to support the authenticity of the photos. 172 Li -Y uan Liu Moreover, we talked to many eyewitnesses, observed some preying scenes and collected footprints and scrached traces of claws that could have been made only by the tiger. Recently, evidences indicated that tigers appeared in Shenlongjia, nearby Daba Mountain. MATERIALS Mr. Zhou took forty photos by a digital camera (Canon 400D) and thirty-one photos by a film camera, but most of the photos were poorly focused and only about ten could be used for analyses. When taking the pictures, Mr. Zhou hid himself behind a large stone 9.4 m away from the tiger, at 1,800 m above sea level. The poster was obtained from the manufacturer. Moreover, eyewitnesses were interviewed, a local officer supplied us with some photos showing preying scenes and footprints and an exploratory team of Shenlongjia provided some pictures of footprints. RESULTS Doubts on the authenticity of photos were expressed since the tiger appeared always lying there without a movement - something not expected from an animate object. Zhou stated that the tiger raised or lowered its head and erected its ears while he was taking the photos. Fortunately, the movement was recorded in photo no. 31 (Fig. 1). Since images, in digital cameras, are formed by repeatedly reading data from the CCD (or CMOS), movements of the object are recorded as discontinuous shadows. Comparing photo no. 31 to the clearer one no. 29, the tree branches and leaves beside the tiger and the strips on the hip and hind limb of the tiger are highly identical and, still, without obvious movement or double shadow. In photo no. 29, the tail is immediately behind the hind limb, but in photo no. 31, the tail of the tiger departed from the hind limb and a very light tail shadow appeared between the hind limb and the tail, thus making a double tail in the photo. Amazedly, there is one more strip under the right ear of the tiger, which is the double shadow of the right eyebrow and there is a big distance between the two shadows. Also there is a double shadow of pupils and upper eyelids appear broken. All these features indicate that eyes as well as eyebrows of the tiger moved from upper right to lower left. Compared to photo no. 6, in photo no. 31 the strips on the left side of face changed prominently. The fine, curved strips on the side of the face of the tiger in photo no. 6 became a thick bar in photo no. 31, which is also the result of movement of the tiger head. Therefore, photo no. 31 recorded the moving process of the head of the lying tiger which suggests that the tiger in Zhou’s photos is an alive object, not a “paper-tiger”. The camera’s flash went off in digital photos nos. 9 and film photo 31 A. In these two photos, the most curious thing is the bunch of light discs on the forehead of the tiger (Fig. 2). In both photos, the brightest light disc is on the left eye of the tiger and seems to overlap on the eye pupil. In photo no. 9, there are two bunches of light discs with a horseshoe-like shadow. In photo no. 31 A, there are three bunches of light discs showing a diameter gradually decreasing. These light discs have puzzled us for a long time. Apparently, they are not due to the light reflected from a sheet of paper by the camera’s flash because all of them have regular shape and the overlapped light discs indicate that they were formed according to a time sequence but did not occur simultaneously. They should be related to the eye because they seem to begin from the eye and overlap on the eye pupil. We are familiar with the bright glisten of eyes of felids in the night, but, notably, here the glisten are bunches of light discs. How’s that these curious light discs were formed? Many hypotheses were assumed and, thereafter, ruled out. The final answer came from the 100 m-sprint in the Olympic games, in which the top speed is smaller than 10 secs. It really surprised me that the athletes can run 10 m in one second. Generally, the camera-flash continues for 1/1000 sec, during which the athlete can run 1 cm. If the tiger’s eyeball turns fast while the camera’s flash is working, a moving track of the glisten of the eye bottom will appear. A moving distance of one centimeter is too big for the tiger’s eye, but one millimeter, or even a smaller distance, is enough for the eye to produce a track of moving glisten in one photo-camera that is 9 m far. Because of the mechanism of image- Evidence of the existence of the wild tiger Panther a tigris amoyensis (Hilzheimer, 1905) in South China ( Mammalia , Felidae ) 173 Figure 1. Photo no. 31 compared to photos nos. 6 and 29. Blue arrows indicate still objects; white, red and yellow arrows represent the moving tail, eyebrow, eye pupil and strips on the face of the tiger, respectively. Figure 2 - The glisten in the forehead of the tiger in photos nos. 9 and 31 A. In both pictures the camera’s flash went off. The insert shows the horseshoe-like shadow more clearly. Figure 3 - Photos nos. 29, 18 and 35 showing the direction of the midline of the face of the tiger pointing towards the two camera positions. Figure 4. Two big leaves covered the tiger’s top head and the right side of the face respectively, indicating, with their shadows, a 3-D tiger head. 174 Li -Y uan Liu forming in digital cameras, the continuous movement of glisten results in a series of discontinuous light discs. The image in the film camera is formed by chemical reaction, and then the track of movement of glisten is relatively continuous. It is possible that the sensitive eye of the wild tiger was stimulated by the strong gleam and the eyeball appeared as a reflex. Hence different directions of light tracks could have determined the bunch of light discs in Zhou’s photos. In photo no. 9, the right eye was covered by a leaf, and then the two bunches of light discs were formed only by the left eye. It seems as if the eyeball began to move to the upper left forming four discs, then moved down and back forming the horizontal bunch of another four overlapped light discs. Similar movements occurred in the left eye in photo no. 31 A where the pupil seems to have contracted during the movement, making the diameter of the light discs gradually smaller. The bunch of light tracks above the right eye should have been formed by the moving glisten of the right eye, because - contrary to photo no. 9 - the eye was exposed to the camera as well. Photos were taken from two different places (Fig. 3). The first one was just behind a large stone, from where the tiger was photographed in a lateral right posture (Fig. 1 photos nos. 29 and 31); in photo no. 29, the tiger gazed at the camera. The second place was on the right side of the tiger, about 2-5 m from the first camera position. Only in a few photos, the tiger head appeared relatively clear (photos nos. 18 and 35). In such a photos, the tiger looks at the camera and the midline of its head points towards the second camera. Therefore, the tiger must have turned its head to stare at the photographer, as Zhou stated. The angle between the two camera positions is about 30 degrees. Note that in photos nos. 29 and 35 eye pupils are quite different in position and shape, as described in a previous paper (Liu, 2010). In photo no. 6 a big leaf covers the top of the tiger’s head creating a shadow on its forehead as in all other photos (Fig. 4). But there is also another big leaf that extended from the left side covering the right side of the face, which can be seen only in this photo. Under this leaf a shadow can be seen. In the Zhenping County (which is located in the Daba Mountain) many villagers claimed to have encountered the tiger in the last decade. For instance, only in the Xiang- Yang village, three farmers claimed to have seen the tiger four times in the last ten years. Particularly, in an afternoon of 2008, an old man who was searching for three cattle in the mountainside, claimed that a tiger, about 1.7 m in length, tried to attack a calf, and after he moved the cattle away, the tiger turned back to the mountain. In a night of 2003, an old man was on his way back home. At first, he heard a strange cry similar to the sound of a wild boar; when he arrived to an alley, a big tiger stood on a platform only 2 meters away from him staring at him. Recently, in Daba Mountain a few big ungulates were killed and eaten by big carnivores and the killer was supposed to be the tiger. In June 2004, a horse was killed; in October 2007, a cow was killed and eaten (Fig. 5A) and deep scratches were found in a tree near the cow body. In May 2007, a wild boar, about 100 Kg of weight, was killed and mostly eaten (Fig. 5B). In the scene, some footprints of a large cat were found and the width of the footprints was estimated as about 15 cm. A villager showed a white tiger claw, which seemed strong and sharp (Fig. 5C), but it was not possible to date it. The present author investigated tiger traces in Daba Mountain for three times, from 2008 to 2010. During the first three-day investigation, two sets of footprints of large cats were found. In one of them, the forefoot was 10.5 cm and the hindfoot 8.5 cm in width, the toe print was as wide as 4 cm (Fig. 6). In another place, the forefoot was 13.5 cm and the hindfoot 10.5 cm wide. In the course of the second investigation a big tree pierced by large canines and scratched by claws (Fig. 7) was observed. During the last investigation, many footprints and tree wounds were found in the mountainside at about 1 ,400- 1,600 m above sea level. Apparently, the tiger likes to live in a lower and planar place, where its food sources, expecially wild boards, are abundant. Shennongjia is a National Natural Reserve, just in the south-east of Daba Mountain, broader and higher than Daba Mountain. Notably, many people claimed to have seen tigers there in December 2010, and in March, May and June Evidence of the existence of the wild tiger Panther a tigris amoyensis (Hilzheimer, 1905) in South China ( Mammalia , Felidae ) 175 Figure 5. Remnants of a cow (A) and a wild boar (B) supposed to be killed by the tiger, and a tiger claw in a villager’s hand (C). Photos provided by Qian Li. Figure 6. Footprints of a large cat or a tiger. (A) The hind footprint with an intact heart-shaped foot pad and three toes clearly visible and one unclear toe on the leaf. (B) The fore footprint with a half foot pad and four toes. (C) A wide toe print. Red arrows: toes; Blue arrows: foot pad. Insert in B is a schematic footprint of the tiger. Figure 7. (A) Scratched traces of claws on a tree bark, the distances between traces is ca 3-5 cm (Re-photographed in March 2009). (B) Gnawing traces of canines in the same tree (photographed in May 2008). The upper right insert is the detail of a gnawing trace. The upper left insert shows a tiger gnawing a tree. 176 Li -Y uan Liu 2011. In June 2011, an exploratory team found many footprints of large cats. The footprints were as large as 15 cm in width, hence probably due to a tiger (Fig. 8). DISCUSSION As described in our previous paper, when Zhou took the photos, the eye, the tail and the mouth of the tiger were moving, and the shadow under the tiger’s nose and the glisten on the tip of the tiger’s nose were always different. On the other hand, the tiger in the poster is a monster, created from Zhou’s photos with poor resolution, by adding a pair of bat-like large ears, a pair of inverse canines and some beard and hairs around the face; moreover, the poster tiger has a non nakle-jointed hindlimb and blue eyes (Fig. 9). These features are seriously in conflict with the manufacturer’s story that their tiger was rented from a German photographer as a 12*6 cm positive film, with high resolution (Liu, 2010). In our opinion, movements of the head, tail and eye of the tiger and, above all, the leaf on its face, strongly support the conclusion that the tiger in Zhou’s set of photos is an animate object. Since the focus in photo no. 31 is not good and the image is not clear, we always avoided (up to now) using such a photo as evidence. But when we noticed that there was a double image of the eyebrows with a big distance from the tiger head, and that there were also double eye pupils and a double tail, it became very clear to us that the tiger moved its head and tail during the photo shot. A similar phenomenon occurred in the tiger’s eye when the camera’s flash went off. Because the turning of the eyeball, light reflected from the eye bottom resulted in light tracks. This is not only a strong evidence to support that the tiger in Zhou’s photos is animate, but also it revealed to be an useful method for analyzing active animals or moving object in digital photos. Many doubts on photos authenticity were expressed since, in the images published by Zhou, the tiger is always lying there without large movements. Generally speaking, a lying tiger can move its head, eyes, ears and tail. Actually, as described in our previous paper, in the photos tail and eye’s pupil appeared in different positions, and the tail was erected above the hip; in this paper the tiger lowered its head and turned its eyeball while the photos were taken; finally, a more evident movement occurred when the tiger turned its head towards the photographer and I do regret that such a feature was neglected before. All evidences reported and discussed seem to suggest that the tiger in Zhou’s set of photos is a three- dimensional, animate object, that is, a true wild animal. Although the villagers’ tales cannot be accepted as evidences, nevertheless they are important clues to guide the investigation. In fact, nearly all footprints and tree-scratches were found in the mountain where tigers can attract and kill big animals (i.e. a cattle or a horse), although wild boars remain the main food source. Footprints of cats consist of a heart- shaped foot pad and four toes around the front of the pad, also called “plum blossom-like” form. With the exception of the Indian cheetah, the claws of all other felids are, in rest condition, contracted, and there are not claws’ trace in their footprints. Therefore, footprints of cats are easy to recognize. Cats’ fore-foot is larger than the hind one. Among felids, differences in footprints are due to their size. For example, for a leopard, the width of the fore footprint is usually smaller than 8 cm. The width of a tiger’s fore footprint is always more than 10 cm and may be as large as 18 cm. South China tigers are smaller than other tigers, and their footprint is accordingly smaller. Since observed footprints were larger than 10 cm, it is reasonable to presume they belonged to the tiger. Tigers generally sharpen their claws and teeth on trees, especially those of the Pinaceae family, because of their thick scaly bark. When a tiger is angry, it may gnaw a tree and even break it and this could justify the wide and deep scratches observed during our investigations in the field. Although bears have similar behavior, they always look for insects hidden in the dead trees and rarely attack a healthy and living tree. Moreover, bears’ claws are wider and less sharp than tigers’ ones. Based on author’s investigation and other data, it was estimated that currently there are about six to ten tigers in Daba Mountain. It’s an exciting news that the South China tigers are still surviving in the wild, Evidence of the existence of the wild tiger Panther a tigris amoyensis (Hilzheimer, 1905) in South China ( Mammalia , Felidae ) 177 Figure 8. Fore footprints of a big tiger. Both footprints show a part of foot pad and four toes (arrows). Insert represents a schematic footprint of the tiger. Photos provided by Liao QS. Figure 9. The poster-tiger compared to a real tiger (upper right) and to a tiger head (upper left), Please note bat-like ears (blue arrow), downwards canines (yellow arrow), blue iris (white arrow) and a non ankle- jointed hind limb (red arrow). Moreover in the poster image ears are very clear but the body is blurry. 178 Li -Y uan Liu particularly in Shennongjia and Daba Mountain (both belonging to the same cordillera). Nevertheless, unfortunately up to now the area of Daba Mountain has not been protected and poaching took place every winter without any control and/or limitation. Unproved news, about two tigers were reported to have been killed by knots of steel wire in the last three years. Hence, we hope that the present report will contribute to promote a national conservation program to save such an important subspecies from extinction. REFERENCES Goodrich J.M., 2010. Tiger conservation in the Year of the Tiger, Integrative Zoology, 5: 283-284. Holden C. (ed.), 2007a. Rare-tiger photo flap makes fur fly in China. Science, 318: 893. http://www.sciencemag. org/content/3 1 8/5 852/r-samples. full.pdf Holden C. (ed.), 2007b. Tiger tracked to this 2002 poster. Science, 318: 1701. http://www.sciencemag.org/ content/3 18/5857/r-samples. fhll.pdf Holden C. (ed.), 2008. End of a tiger’s tale. Science, 321: 321. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/321/5887/r- samples.full.pdf Liu L.Y., 2010. The study on the authenticity of the wild South China tiger on a hunter’s photos. International Journal of Biodiversity and Conservation, 2: 338-349. Biodiversity Journal, 2011, 2 (4): 179-188 Ornithological observations on an artificial pond in the Sicilian agricultural environment (Sicily, Italy) Rosario Mascara Via Popolo 6, 93015 Niscemi (CL), Italy; e-mail: wmasca@tin.it. ABSTRACT The present paper originates from interesting wildlife and ecological observations made, in the period 2006- 2011, on fifty-three species of birds frequenting a small artificial pond constructed in a Sicilian agro-forest environment (Caltagirone, CT). Reported data not only provide useful information to improve our knowledge of the avifauna of the SIC-ITA 070005 “Bosco di Santo Pietro” (Sicily, Italy), but also contribute to the understanding of the important ecological role of peculiar habitats such as artificial ponds. KEY WORDS Birds, artificial pond, Sicily. Received 27.11.2011; accepted 09.12.2011; printed 30.12.2011 INTRODUCTION Ponds and other small reservoirs of artificial water play an important role in the ecology of many bird species, especially if placed in dry habitats or agricultural ecosystems and often represent a valid alternative to natural environments (Lo Valvo et al., 1993; La Mantia, 1997; Ma et al., 2004. Barbera et al., 2005; Sanchez-Zapata et al., 2005; Kloskowski et al., 2009; Sebastian-Gonzalez et al., 2010). They are used by birds for trophic requirements and activities related to reproduction, and, often, by migratory species, as a stopover (Mascara, 1990; Guillemain et al., 2000; Castillo-Guerrero & Carmona, 2001). More generally, small pools of water allow some flora and fauna to settle in these peculiar environments where optimal conditions for development of these species occur. The present study provides a contribution to the understanding of these small and peculiar environments, and, moreover report new data useful to improve our knowledge of the avifauna of the SIC-ITA 070005 “Bosco di Santo Pietro” (Sicily, Italy). MATERIAL AND METHODS The artificial pond under study is located in the Caltagirone Municipality (Sicily, Italy) in the context of an agricultural environment represented by a productive olive grove endowed by trees the trunk diameter of which is 50 cm maximum. The pond was created in 2006 with an area of 9 square meters and a maximum depth of 25 cm; the presence of water is permanent due to the continuous inputs of fresh water through a pipe connected to a reservoir; the entire pond-perimeter is naturalized with big stones, twigs, and naturally grown herbaceous riparian vegetation. The adjacent environment is characterized by almond and olive cultivated trees, Eucalyptus spp. and small pine ( Pinus pinea ) artificially planted trees and natural and semi-natural oak woods of the Site of Community Importance known as “Riserva Naturale Orientata Regionale del Bosco di Santo Pietro” (SIC -ITA 070005). Census of birds that used, for various reasons, the artificial pond took place from the early months of 2006 up to July 2011; observations were made, monthly, from a bird-watching shed placed at 5 m from the pond shores. For all surveyed species, a systematic list and ecological notes are provided. Species breeding in Sicily were obtained from recent literature (AA.VV., 2008) supplemented with personal observations; for “the Species’ Value” (total value standardized in cents) see Brichetti & Gariboldi (1992); for the Red List of breeding species see the 180 Rosario Mascara list provided by LIPU-WWF (1999); the checklist used is that by Baccetti et al. (2005, 2008). The following protection lists were used: - The Council Directive 79/409/EEC on the conservation of wild birds (Birds Directive), adopted on April 2 nd 1979. - SPEC Categories (on the conservation status of breeding birds all over Europe): • SPEC 1. Species of global conservation concern, i.e. classified as Globally Threatened, Near Threatened or Data Deficient (BirdLife International 2004; IUCN, 2004; IUCN, 2008). • SPEC 2. Species concentrated in Europe and with an Unfavourable Conservation Status. • SPEC 3. Species not concentrated in Europe but with an Unfavourable Conservation Status. • Non-SPEC E . Species concentrated in Europe but with a Favourable Conservation Status. • Non-SPEC. Species not concentrated in Europe and with a Favourable Conservation Status. • W indicates that the category relates to the winter population. - The Bonn Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, 1979 (Appendices I and II) - The Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats 1979 with Appendix II (strictly protected fauna species) and Appendix III (protected fauna species). - CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) Washington, 1973, Appendices I, II, III. RESULTS List of species Order FALCONIFORMES Family ACCIPITRIDAE Buteo buteo (Linnaeus, 1758) Buzzard. This species is sedentary and occasionally visit the pond and frequent the area for food; it was observed perched on a perimeter- post. A pair breeds in the neighbour woods. Falco tinnunculus Linnaeus, 1758 Kestrel. Sedentary species, frequent the pond for cleaning of the plumage (Fig. 1). A pair nests in the area that is frequented also for food. Order CARADRIFORMES Family BURHINIDAE Burhinus oedicnemus (Linnaeus, 1758) Stone-curlew. Sedentary species, rarely attend the pond to clean the feathers. Specimens breed in the adjacent area. Order COLUMBIFORMES Family COLUMBIDAE Columba livia Gmelin, 1789 domestic type, i.e. Columba livia var. domestica Rock Pigeon. Sedentary, attend the pond and the adjacent area for food, and cleaning of the plumage. Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 Wood Pigeon. Sedentary, attend the pond as well as the adjacent area, for food, and cleaning of the plumage (Fig. 2). Specimens breed in the olive grove where the pond is located in. Both adults and young were observed. Streptopelia turtur (Linnaeus, 1758) Turtle Dove. Summer breeding species, attend the pond for food and for cleaning of the plumage (Fig. 3). Specimens breed in the olive grove where the pond is located in. Both adults and young were observed. Streptopelia decaocto (Frivaldszky, 1838) Eurasian Collared Dove. Sedentary species, attend the pond for food and for cleaning of the plumage. Both adults and young were observed. Order CORACIFORMES Family MEROPIDAE Merops apiaster Linnaeus, 1758 European Bee-eater. Summer breeding species, frequent the pond for food, with family groups comprising a maximum of 35 individuals, from mid- August to late September. In the neighborhood there are some hives and a garden of Mediterranean plants, very attractive for wasps and other insects. Family UPUPIDAE Upupa epops Linnaeus, 1758 Hoopoe. Summer breeding species, frequent the pond and the adjacent area for food and nest Ornithological observations on an artificial pond in the Sicilian agricultural environment (Sicily, Italy) 181 in the olive trees; breeding was observed in 2006 and 2008. Nests were placed in hollow trunks of large trees, a few cm above the ground (Fig. 4). Order PICIFORMES Family PICIDAE Dendrocopos major (Linnaeus, 1758) Great Spotted Woodpecker. Sedentary species, rarely attend the pond to clean the feathers. Specimens breed in the adjacent forest. Order PASSERIFORMES Family ALAUDID AE Calandrella brachydactyla (Leisler, 1814) Greater Short-toed Lark. Migrant species, breeding in Sicily (AA.W., 2008), irregularly observed in the area adjacent to the pond in April. Family HIRUNDINIDAE Hirundo rustica Linnaeus, 1758 Barn Swallow. Summer breeding species, attends the pond for food and for finding material necessary for nests making (Fig. 5). Individuals breed in the buildings of the nearby area. Family MOTACILLIDAE Motacdla alba Linnaeus, 1758 White Wagtail. Wintering species, nesting in Sicily (AA.W., 2008), frequent the pond and the adjacent area for food and for cleaning of the plumage. Anthus pratensis Linnaeus, 1758 Meadow Pipit. Wintering and migrant species, frequent the pond and the adjacent area for food and for cleaning of the plumage. The first arrivals were recorded at the end of October of these years; at least twelve migrating individuals were observed on February 10 th 2008. Family TURDIDAE Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 Blackbird. Sedentary species, rarely attend the pond to clean the feathers. Specimens breed in the adjacent forest. Turdus phdomelos Brehm, 1831 Song Thrush. Wintering species, frequent the pond and the adjacent area for food and for cleaning of the plumage. Family SYLVIIDAE Hippolais polyglotta (Vieillot, 1817) Melodious Warbler. Migrant species, irre- gularly attend the pond and the adjacent area for food and for cleaning of the plumage. It was observed in September of these years. Phylloscopus trochdus Linnaeus, 1758 Willow Warbler. Migrant species, irregularly attend the pond and the adjacent area for food and for cleaning of the plumage. It was observed always in September. Phylloscopus collybita (Vieillot, 1817) Common Chiffchaff. Wintering and migratory species, regularly frequent the pond and the adjacent area for food and for cleaning of the plumage. Sylvia atricapilla (Linnaeus, 1758) Blackcap. Summer breeding species, migrant, partially sedentary. Specimens regularly attend the pond and the adjacent area for food and for cleaning of the plumage and breed in the adjacent woods. At least ten migrating individuals were observed in March 30 th 2008. Sylvia borin Boddaert, 1783 Garden Warbler. Nesting of this species in Sicily was mentioned but never proved yet (Corso, 2005; AA.W, 2008). Birds regularly attend the pond for cleaning of the plumage and are is presumed to nest in the area and in the adjacent forests. It was regularly observed from June to August of these years (Fig. 6). Sylvia communis Latham, 1787 Greater Whitetroat. Summer breeding species, regularly attend the pond and the adjacent area for food and for cleaning of the plumage; specimens breed in the forests of the natural reserve. Sylvia cantillans (Pallas, 1784) Subalpine Warbler. Summer breeding species, irregularly attend the pond and the adjacent area for food and for cleaning of the plumage; specimens nest in the forests of the natural reserve. Sylvia melanocephala (Gmelin, 1789) Sardinian Warbler. Sedentary species, attend the pond for food and for cleaning of the plumage (Fig. 7). Specimens breed in the area and adjacent woods. Both adults and young birds were regularly observed. 182 Rosario Mascara Fig. 1 Fig. 2 Fig. 3 Fig. 4 Fig. 5 Figure 1. Falco tinnunculus. Figure 2. Columba palumbus. Figure 3. Streptopelia turtur. Figure 4. Upupa epops. Figure 5. Hirundo rustica. Ornithological observations on an artificial pond in the Sicilian agricultural environment (Sicily, Italy) 183 Family MUSCICAPIDAE Muscicapa striata (Pallas, 1764) Spotted Flycatcher. Migrant species, breeding in Sicily (AA.VV., 2008), regularly frequent the pond and the adjacent area for food and for cleaning of the plumage. It was observed both in spring and autumn of these years. Ficedula albicollis Temminck, 1815 Collared Flycatcher. Migrant species, irre- gularly attend the pond and the adjacent area for food and for cleaning of the plumage. It was observed always in April. Erithacus rubecula Linnaeus, 1758 European Robin. Wintering species, breeding in Sicily (AA.VV., 2008), frequent the pond and the adjacent area for food and for cleaning of the plumage. First arrivals were recorded in the second half of October of these years. Phoenicurus ochruros (Gmelin, 1774) Black Redstart. Migrant, wintering and breeding species, frequent the pond and the adjacent area for food and for cleaning of the plumage. First arrivals were recorded at the end (in the third decade) of October of these years. Saxicola rubetra (Linnaeus, 1758) Whinshart. Migrant species; it was observed in the second week of January 2007 (Fig. 8). Saxicola torquatus Linnaeus, 1766 African Stonechat. Sedentary species, rarely attend the pond for cleaning; specimens breed in the adjacent area. Family AEGITHALIDAE Aegithalos caudatus siculus Whitaker, 1901 Long-tailed Tit. Regularly attend the pond for food and for cleaning of the plumage, specimens breed in the adjacent woods. Families were constantly observed from June to August (Fig. 9). Family PARIDAE Periparus ater (Linnaeus, 1758) Coal Tit. In the adjacent area it is an irregular migrant species, in the pond area it was observed always in the third decade of October. Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 Great Tit. Sedentary species, attend the pond for food and for cleaning of the plumage. Specimens breed in the area and in the adjacent woods. Breeding individuals used nest boxes placed in the olive grove. Both adults and young birds were regularly observed. Cyanistes caeruleus Linnaeus, 1758 Blue Tit. Sedentary species, attend the pond for food and for cleaning of the plumage. Specimens breed in cavities and cracks of buildings and in the adjacent woods (Fig. 10). Both adults and young birds were regularly observed. Family CERTHIIDAE Certhia brachydactyla Brehm, 1820 Short- toed Treecreeper. Sedentary species, attend the pond for food and for cleaning of the plumage. Specimens breed in the area and in adjacent woods and, in addition, used nest boxes placed in the olive grove (Fig. 11). Both adults and young birds were regularly observed. Family ORIOLIDAE Oriolus oriolus Linnaeus, 1758 Eurasian Golden Oriole. Migrant and summer breeding species, irregularly attend the pond for drinking and the adjacent area for food; specimens breed in the forests of the natural reserve. Family CORVIDAE Garrulus glandarius (Linnaeus, 1758) Eurasian Jay. Sedentary, common species, attend the pond for drinking and cleaning of the plumage (Fig. 12). Specimens breed in the area and in adjacent woods. Both adults and young birds were regularly observed in groups of 6-8 individuals. Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) Eurasian Magpie. Sedentary species, common, frequent the pond for food, cleaning of the plumage and finding material necessary for nest building (Fig. 13). Specimens breed in the adjacent area. Both adults and young birds were regularly observed in groups of 8-10 individuals. Corvus cornix Linnaeus, 1758 Hooded Crow. Sedentary species, rarely attend the pond to drink. Specimens nest in the adjacent area. 184 Rosario Mascara Fig. 6 Fig. 7 Fig. 8 Fig. 9 Fig. 10 Fig. 11 Figure 6. Sylvia borin. Figure 7. Sylvia melanocephala. Figure 8. Saxicola rubetra. Figure 9. Aegithalos caudatus siculus. Figure 10. Cyanistes caeruleus. Figure 11. Certhia brachydactyla. Ornithological observations on an artificial pond in the Sicilian agricultural environment (Sicily, Italy) 185 Family STURNIDAE Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 European Starling. Wintering species, breeding in SE Sicily (see Lo Valvo et al., 1993), along with Sturnus unicolor , a few individuals frequent the pond and the adjacent area for food and for cleaning of the plumage. First arrivals were recorded in October of these years. Sturnus unicolor Temminck, 1 820 Spotless Starling. Sedentary species, common, attend the pond for drinking and cleaning of the plumage. Specimens breed in the area and in adjacent woods. Adults and young birds were regularly observed in groups of 15-20 individuals. Family PASSERIDAE Passer domesticus italiae (Vieillot, 1817) House Sparrow. Uncommon species, attend the pond for drinking and cleaning of the plumage. The systematics of this species and its presence in Sicily are controversial (Corso, 2005; AA.VY., 2008). Passer hispaniolensis (Temminck, 1820) Spanish Sparrow. Sedentary species, common, attend the pond for drinking and cleaning of the plumage. Specimens breed in the area and in adjacent woods. Adults and young birds were constantly observed in groups of 8-10 individuals. Passer montanus (Linnaeus, 1758) Tree Sparrow. Sedentary species, common, attend the pond for drinking and cleaning of the plumage. Specimens breed in the area and in adjacent woods. Nesting individuals used nest boxes placed in the olive grove (Fig. 14). Adults and young birds were regularly observed in groups of 25-30 individuals. Family FRIN GILLID AE Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 Chaffinch. Wintering and breeding in Sicily, uncommon, a few individual attend the pond and the olive grove for food and cleaning of the plumage. First arrivals were recorded last week of October of these years. Fringilla montifringilla (Linnaeus, 1758) Brambling. Irregular migrant species. It was observed in the second decade of March of these years, one single specimen at a time (Fig. 15). Carduelis chloris (Linnaeus, 1758) European Greenfinch. Wintering species, not common, breeding in Sicily; a few individuals frequent the pond and the olive grove for food and for cleaning of the plumage, along with other species of finches. Carduelis spinus (Linnaeus, 1758) Eurasian Siskin. Wintering and migrant species, common, more abundant in the winter of some years rather than in others. Specimens attend the pond and the olive grove for food and for cleaning of the plumage. First arrivals were recorded in last week of October and, in the spring, from February to the first decade of April of these years. This species nests on Mount Etna (CT, Sicily) (AA.VV., 2008). Carduelis carduelis (Linnaeus, 1758) European Goldfinch. Sedentary species, common, attend the pond for drinking and cleaning of the plumage. Specimens breed in the area and in adjacent woods. Adults and young birds were regularly observed in family groups. Carduelis cannabina (Linnaeus, 1758) Eurasian Linnet. Sedentary species, uncommon, attend the pond for drinking and cleaning of the plumage. Specimens breed in the area and in adjacent woods. Adults and young birds were constantly observed in family groups. Serinus serinus Linnaeus, 1766 European Serin. Sedentary species, common, with a few wintering individuals; specimens attend the pond for drinking and cleaning of the plumage, and breed in the area and in adjacent woods. Adults and young birds were constantly observed in family groups and in groups of 30-40 individuals, with other finches. Coccothraustes coccothraustes (Linnaeus, 1758) Hawfinch. Wintering species, uncommon, attend the pond for drinking and cleaning of the plumage. From one to three individuals were observed in Januaiy and February of these years (Fig. 16). Family EMBERIZIDAE Emberiza cirlus Linnaeus, 1758 Cirl Bunting. Sedentary species, uncommon, attend the pond for drinking and cleaning of the plumage. Specimens breed in the area and adjacent woods. Adults and young birds were constantly observed. 186 Rosario Mascara Fig. 12 Fig. 13 Fig. 14 Fig. 15 Fig. 16 Figure 12. Garrulus glandarius. Figure 13. Pica pica. Figure 14. Passer montanus. Figure 15. Fringilla montifringilla. Figure 16. Coccothraustes coccothraustes. Ornithological observations on an artificial pond in the Sicilian agricultural environment (Sicily, Italy) 187 Species 79/409 SPEC Categories Berne C. Bonn C. CITES National Value Red List Buteo buteo - - A. II A. II A. I 46.3 - Falco tinnunculus X SPEC3 A. II A. II A. I 46.4 - Burhinus oedicnemus X SPEC3 A. II A. II - - VU Columba palumbus X NonSPEC E A. Ill - - 31.4 - Streptopelia turtur X SPEC3 A. Ill - A. I 34 - Streptopelia decaocto X - A. Ill - - 22.5 - Merops apiaster - SPEC3 A. II A. II - 43.8 VU Upupa epops - - A. II - - 41.3 - Dendrocopos major - - A. II - - 40.1 - Calandrella brachydactyla X SPEC3 A. II - - 41.4 - Hirundo rustica - SPEC3 A. II - - 33.5 - Motacilla alba - - A. II - - 37.2 - Anthus pratensis - NonSPEC E A. II - - 65.5 - Turdus merula X NonSPEC E A. Ill A. II - 22.1 - Turdus philomelos X NonSPEC E A. Ill A. II - 36.1 - Hippolais polyglotta - NonSPEC E A. II A. II - 39.8 - Phylloscopus trochilus - - A. II A. II - - - Phylloscopus collybita - - A. II A. II - 35 - Sylvia atricapilla - NonSPEC E A. II A. II - 28.6 - Sylvia borin - NonSPEC E A. II A. II - 40.1 - Sylvia communis - NonSPEC E A. II A. II - 42 - Sylvia cantillans - NonSPEC E A. II A. II - 46.2 - Sylvia melanocephala - NonSPEC E A. II A. II - 39.9 - Muscicapa striata - SPEC3 A. II A. II - 33.6 - Erithacus rubecula - NonSPEC E A. II A. II - - - Phoenicurus ochruros - - A. II A. II - 34.8 - Saxicola rubetra - NonSPEC E A. II A. II - 47.6 - Saxicola torquatus - SPEC3 A. II A. II - 34.2 - Aegithalos caudatus siculus - - A. Ill - - 36.3 LR Parus ater - - A. II - - 33.2 - Parus major - - A. II - - 27.8 - Parus caeruleus - NonSPEC E A. II - - 41 - Cert hi a brachydactyla - NonSPEC E A. II - - 41 - Oriolus oriolus - - - - - 33 - Garrulus glandarius - - A. Ill - - 36.8 - Pica pica - - A. Ill - - 31 - Sturnus vulgaris - - A. Ill - - 21.8 - Sturnus unicolor - - - - - 41 - Passer domesticus italiae - - A. Ill - - 29.4 - Passer hispaniolensis - - A. Ill - - 38.9 - Passer montanus - - A. Ill - - 24.7 - Fringilla coelebs - NonSPEC E A. Ill - - 29.9 - Fringilla montifringilla - - A. Ill - - - - Carduelis chloris - NonSPEC E A. II - - 31 - Carduelis spinus - NonSPEC E A. II - - 48.1 LR Carduelis carduelis - - A. II - - 27.9 - Carduelis cannabina - SPEC2 A. II - - 36.1 - Serinus serinus - NonSPEC E A. II - - 31.9 - Coccothraustes coccothraustes - - A. II - - 52.4 - Emberiza cirlus - NonSPEC E A. II - - 40 - Table 1. Conservation Status of birds according to the most important national and international protection lists (see Material and Methods; VU= Vulnerable, LR= rare). 188 Rosario Mascara DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION First observations on the use of the pond by sedentary avifauna occurring in the area, for bio- ecological activities of various kinds, were immediately made, a few days after the pond realization. In particular, Magpie, Sparrows (Spanish Sparrow and Tree Sparrow) and finches (Goldfinch and Serin) were the first users. After four years, there have been many contacts (fifty-three species were observed) and nearly all of them were photographically documented. These species used the pond mainly for cleaning of the plumage, for food and drink, but also for getting the material necessary for nest construction (dried grass, twigs and mud). For each surveyed species respective lists of protection, when present, are listed in Table 1. Despite of the small size of the habitat under investigation and taking into account that observations were made only on bird populations, the ecological role of this small artificial pond, also in relation to its surroundings, is markedly clear. This preliminary study may be useful to stimulate close inspection and careful monitoring of these particular areas, especially in a region such as Sicily, particularly rich in extensive arid areas or great deal of land used for agricultural purposes. REFERENCES AA.VV., 2008. Atlante della Biodiversita della Sicilia: Vertebrati terrestri. Studi e Ricerche, 6, Arpa Sicilia, Palermo, 536 pp. Baccetti N., Fracasso N. & Serra L., 2005. Check-list degli Uccelli (Aves) italiani (25.01.2005). Sito web del Ciso- Coi: http://www.ciso-coi.org. Baccetti N., Accetti N., Fracasso N. & Serra L., 2008. Check-list degli. Uccelli (Aves) italiani. Versione dicembre 2008. http://www.ciso-coi.org/COImateriale/ ListaCISO-COI.pdf. Barbera G., La Mantia T. & Portolano B., 2005. Ecosistemi agrari. Pp. 389-406. In: Blasi C., Boitani L., La Pasta S., Manes F. & Marchetti M., (a cura di). Stato della Biodiversita in Italia. Ministero dell’Ambiente e della Tutela territorio, Direzione per la Conservazione della Natura. Birdlife International, 2004. Birds in Europe: population estimates, trends and conservation status. Wageningen, The Netherlands: BirdLife International. (BirdLife Conservation Series No. 12). Brichetti P. & Gariboldi A., 1992. Un “valore” per le specie ornitiche nidificanti in Italia. Rivista italiana di Ornitologia, 62: 73-87. Castillo-Guerrero J.A. & Carmona R., 2001. Distribution of aquatic and raptor birds in a freshwater artificial pond of Baja California Sur, Mexico. Revista de biologia tropical, 49:1131-1142. Corso A., 2005. Avifauna di Sicilia. L'Epos Editore, Palermo, 324 pp. IUCN, 2004. The 2004 IUCN Red List of threatened species, (www.redlist.org). IUCN, 2008. Guidelines for using the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. Version 7.0 IUCN. Gland, Switzerland. LIPU-WWF. Calvario E., Gustin M., Sarrocco S., Gallo- Orsi U., Bulgarini F. & Fraticelli F. (a cura di ), 1999. Nuova lista Rossa degli Uccelli nidificanti in Italia. Rivista italiana di Ornitologia, 69: 3-43. Guillemain M., Fritz H. & Guillon N. 2000. The use of an artificial wetland by shoveler Anas clypeata in western France: the role of food resources. Revue d’Ecologie (Terre et Vie), 55: 263-274. Kloskowski J., Green A.J., Polak M., Bustamante J. & Krogulec J., 2009. Complementary use of natural and artificial wetlands by waterbirds wintering in Donana, south-west Spain. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 19: 815-826. La Mantia T., 1997. II ruolo degli elementi diversificatori negli agrosistemi mediterranei: valorizzazione e relazioni con le popolazioni di vertebrati. II Naturalista siciliano, 21 (suppl.): 175-211. Lo Valvo F., Massa B. & Sara M., 1993. Uccelli e paesaggio in Sicilia alle soglie del terzo millennio. II Naturalista siciliano, 17 (suppl.): 1-373. Ma Z., Bo, Li B., Zhao B., Jing K., Tang S., 2004. Are artificial wetlands good alternatives to natural wetlands for waterbirds? A case study on Chongming Island, China. Biodiversity and Conservation, 13: 333-350. Mascara R., 1990. Nidificazione di Tachybaptus ruficollis, Ixobrychus minutus e Gallinula chloropus in piccole vasche di irrigazione in Sicilia. Rivista italiana di Ornitologia, 60: 95-96. Sanchez-Zapata J.A., Anadon J.D., Carrete M., Gimenez A., & Navarro J., 2005. Breeding waterbirds in relation to artificial pond attributes: implications for the design of irrigation facilities. Biodiversity and Conservation, 14: 1627-1639. Sebastian-Gonzalez E., Sanchez-Zapata J.A. & Botella F., 2010. Agricultural ponds as alternative habitat for waterbirds: spatial and temporal patterns of abundance and management strategies. European Journal of Wildlife Research. 56: 11-20. Biodiversity Journal, 2011, 2 (4): 189-194 Observations on Athis thysanete (Dyar, 1912) (Lepidoptera, Castniidae) from Mexico and comparative notes to other species in the family Roberto Vinciguerra 1 , Pedro Lozano Rodriguez 2 , Fernando Hernandez-Baz 3 & Jorge M. Gonzalez 4 1 Via XX Settembre, 64, 1-90141 Palermo, Italy; e-mail: rob.vinciguerra@tiscali.it. 2 4 poniente 2007, Tehuacan, Puebla, Mexico. 3 Facultad de Biologia-Xalapa, Universidad Veracruzana, Zona Universitaria, Circuito Gonzalo Aguirre Beltran, s/n, C.P. 91000, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico; e-mail: ferhbmx@yahoo.com.mx. 4 Research Associate, McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Texas A & M University, Department of Entomology, College Station, Texas 77843-2475, USA; e-mail: gonzalez.jorge.m@gmail.com. ABSTRACT General information on distribution, biology, and behavior on a rare species of the family Castniidae, Athis thysanete (Dyar, 1912), endemic from Mexico, is provided. Comparative notes are also given of the Chilean Castnia eudesmia Gray, 1838, in an attempt to understand the insect-plant relationships of A. thysanete. The note ends with additional remarks on the need for conservation of the habitat of the species. KEY WORDS Lepidoptera, Castniidae, Athis thysanete , Castnia eudesmia, Yucca, Puya. Received 19.10.2011; accepted 20.11.2011; printed 30.12.2011 INTRODUCTION Even though specimens of this family are highly appreciated by collectors, the Castniidae remains poorly represented in public and private Lepidoptera collections (Gonzalez et al., 2008, 2010; Vinciguerra, 2008). At the same time knowledge about Biology, Ecology and food plants is limited with the possible exception of those species of economic importance (Gonzalez & Stunning, 2007; Miller, 2008; Gonzalez et al., 2008, 2010). Due to modification and alteration of their habitat, some species in the family might have fragmented and restricted distributions, increasing vulnerability of at least a few of them (Lamas, 1993; Gonzalez & Stunning, 2007; Gonzalez et al., 2010; Moraes et al., 2011; Rios & Gonzalez, 2011). Among the 33 known genera of Neotropical Castniidae, Athis Hiibner is the largest with fifteen species which are distributed from Mexico and throughout Central America, some Caribbean countries/islands, Northern South America and down to Peru, Bolivia and Brazil (Lamas, 1995; Gonzalez, 2004; Gonzalez et al., 2010; Vinciguerra & Gonzalez, 2011; Gonzalez & Hernandez-Baz, in press). Recent publications dealing with two taxa of this genus have enhanced the knowledge about the distribution of Athis palatinus staudingeri (H. Druce) (Vinciguerra & Gonzalez, 2011), while the other (Vinciguerra, 2011) presents the description of the Peruvian Athis pirrelloi Vinciguerra. Very little is known about many aspects of the eco-ethology of the several species in the genus Athis (Gonzalez, 2004). Adults seem to have selectively diurnal habits. Their larval stages are unknown, as are most host plants on which they feed. Imagoes have triangular-shaped forewings, with two (or three) hyaline spots located in the sub-apical area. The apex of the forewing is either pointed or rounded. The hind wings are commonly brightly-coloured, in contrast with the forewings, which are, usually brownish, cryptic (Miller, 1972, 1986; Gonzalez, 2004). From a morphological point of view, they seem to be close to the genera Insigniocastnia Miller, and Hista Oiticica (Moraes et al., 2010). Mexico is the country in the northern hemisphere with the largest number of species in the family Castniidae, and seven taxa are known 190 R. VlNCIGUERRA, R L. RODRIGUEZ, F. HERNANDEZ-BAZ & J.M. GONZALEZ in the genus A this (Miller, 2000; Gonzalez, 2008; Gonzalez & Hemandez-Baz, 2011). Of those species, A this thysanete (Dyar), is possibly one of the less known in the group (Vinciguerra & Gonzalez, 2011). This species was originally described based on a female deposited at the USNM in Washington (Dyar, 1912). Interestingly, it is one of few Castniidae endemic to Mexico (Miller, 2000; Gonzalez, 2008). The main aim of this note is to present novel information about Athis thysanete (Dyar) together with comments and comparisons with another Castniidae. MATERIALS AND METHODS The information provided herein comes from material personally collected by one of the authors (PLR), as well as the study of specimens deposited in few entomological collections from England, France, Italy, Mexico, and USA. Codes of the collections where specimens of Athis thysanete were found, are as follows: BLGC, Bernardo Lopez Godinez Collection, Mexico; CNIABM, Coleccion Nacional de Insectos "Dr. Alfredo Barrera Marin", Mexico; MGCL, McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Gainesville, Florida, US; NHM, Natural History Museum, London; PLRC, Pedro Lozano Rodriguez Collection, Mexico; RVC, Roberto Vinciguerra Collection, Palermo, Italy; USNM, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., US. A collection whose owner did not authorize us to be mentioned appears as NA. Examined material. 1 male, Mexico, Puebla, Tehuacan, 27 Mayo 2007, Coll. B. Lopez G. (BLGC); 1 male, idem, 19. VI. 2008, Coll. B. Lopez G. (BLGC); 1 male, idem, 23. V. 2009, Coll. B. Lopez G. (BLGC); 1 male, idem, 15.VII., 2009, Coll. B. Lopez G. (BLGC); 1 male, idem, 18.VI.2010, Coll. B. Lopez G. (BLGC); 1 female, idem, 20.VI.2010, Coll. B. Lopez G. (BLGC); 1 female, idem, 19.V.2010, Coll. B. Lopez G. (BLGC); 1 male, idem, 19.V.2011, Coll. B. Lopez G. (BLGC); 1 male, thysanete Dyar, Tehuacan, [Puebla, Mexico], 2438, VI[-1910], CNIABM- 2450, Coll R. Muller, (CNIABM); 1 male, thysanete Dyar, Tehuacan, [Puebla, Mexico], 9386, VI[- 1910], CNIABM-2451, Coll R. Muller, (CNIABM); 1 male, CoahuayaMa[sic] [Coahuayana], Mich[oacan], Mexico, VIII. 1950, Coll. Tarsicio Escalante (MGCL); 1 female, C. thysanete 5 , Mexico, Coatepec, [Veracruz], 478, 20.31, Joicey Bequest. Brit. Mus. 1934-120, Type examined by G.T. 1928 belongs to this group (NHM); 3 males, 1 female, Mexico, Puebla, Tehuacan, La Lobera, Altitud: 1678 m, N18° 28.56’ W97° 22.34’, 25.V.2010 (PLRC); 1 male, Messico, Puebla, Tehuacan, VI.2003, T. Porion leg. (RVC); 1 female, Tehuacan, [Puebla], Mexico, VI.1910, Coll. R. Muller, Type N° 14031, Castnia thysanete Type, Dyar (USNM); 1 male, Mexico, Puebla, Tehuacan, VI.2006, Coll. ? (NA); 6 males, idem, 6-8.VI.2008 (NA). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Distribution. Most specimens known and mentioned herein, including the type, were collected in the state of Puebla, specifically in the Tehuacan valley region. However, two of the specimens examined were collected in the states of Michoacan (Coahuayana) and Veracruz (Coatepec) respectively (Fig. 1). Males are highly variable in size and females tend to be larger than males (Figs. 2-7). Biology and Behavior. Athis thysanete adults emerge at the beginning of the rainy season and are frequently found between May and June, rarely found in July. Most specimens known to the authors had been collected in Yucca tree forests (Izotales) (Fig. 8) found in the xeric shrubland ecoregion of the Tehuacan valley, in the state of Puebla. However, this type of habitat can be also found in the Cuicatlan Valley, and covers other regions of Puebla, Oaxaca, as well as a small section of Veracmz (Miranda & Hernandez, 1963; Ramos & Gonzalez, 1972). The most common plants forming “Izotales” in the Tehuacan valley are Yucca periculosa Baker (Asparagaceae). Plant species in the genera Beaucarnea and Nolina (Asparagaceae) which are phylogenetically close to Yucca, can also form groups similar to “Izotales” in Veracruz (Miranda & Hernandez, 1963; Ramos & Gonzalez, 1972). Hechtia spp. plants (Bromeliaceae) are frequently found in areas of Izotales. Here in the Tehuacan valley, adults of Athis thysanete fly at mid morning and until early in the afternoon (10:30-13:30), during very sunny and hot days. Males tend to fly fast in straight lines and 1 to 3 meters above ground. Observations on Athis thysanete (Dyar, 1912 ) (Lepidoptera: Castniidae) from Mexico and comparative notes to other species in the family 191 Figure 1. Map of Mexico showing the localities where Athis thysanete (Dyar) have been collected. Curiously enough, we know about an insect- plant relationship found in Chile, South America, which seems to be slightly similar to what we have seen between Athis thysanete and Yucca plants in Mexico. Larvae of Castnia eudesmia Gray, the only Chilean Castniidae, frequently mentioned with the incorrect name “ Castnia psittacus Molina”, are borers of Puya plants (Bromeliaceae) (Reed, 1935; Ureta, 1955; Angulo, 1998; Angulo & Olivares, 1993, 2009; Gonzalez et al., 2010; Penco, 2011). These plants constitute dense formations (known as Chaguales) in Chile, which are slightly similar to Izotales ( Yucca tree forests) in Mexico. Adults of the Chilean giant butterfly- moth can be seen from late October to March (since Chile lies deep in the Southern Hemisphere, the seasons fall at opposite times of year from the Northern Hemisphere. Thus, the summer months go from December to March) and they fly during hot and sunny days from mid morning (-10:00) to mid (-15:00) afternoon (Reed, 1935; Angulo & Olivares, 1993; A. SofFia and M. Miranda, pers. comm.). Males are territorial and frequently engage in fights (Reed, 1935). Adults of C. eudesmia feed on flowers of several Puya species, as well as plants from different families (Figs. 9- 10). They fly zigzagging around Puya plants and perch on dry leaves where the cryptic coloration of their forewings allow them to camouflage with the background. As mentioned for Castnia eudesmia , males of Athis thysanete seem to be highly territorial and they patrol areas of around 30 m engaging in fights when other males cross their paths. Adults perch on dead branches/leaves of Yucca where they wait for passing females to entangle in courtship. Females are not as fast as males but both sexes fly zigzagging around branches/ trunks of Yucca plants making it difficult to capture them. It appears that the larva of Athis thysanete feeds on Yucca periculosa Baker plants. One of us (PLR) has collected a few recently emerged specimens among dry leaves of Yucca plants where the castniids can easily “hide” thanks to their cryptic forewing color pattern. Final remarks. It is unfortunate that so little is known about A. thysanete. The information 192 R. VlNCIGUERRA, R L. RODRIGUEZ, F. HERNANDEZ-BAZ & J.M. GONZALEZ Figures 2-7. Athis thysanete (Dyar) (Castniidae). All specimens collected in Tehuacan, Puebla, Mexico. Sex of the specimen, collecting date and insect collection where they are deposited (between parentheses) appear after each figure number. Specimens are shown at scale from each other. Fig. 2: female, 19.VI.2008 (BLGC). Fig. 3: female, 23.V.2009 (BLGC). Fig. 4: male, VI.2003 (RVC). Fig. 5: male, 25.V.2010 (PLRC); Fig. 6: male, 20.VI.2010, (BLGC). Fig. 7: male, 29.V.2010 (BLGC). provided herein suggests that the distribution of the species is larger than originally thought and that the species is highly dependent of the plant formations known as Izotales ( Yucca tree forests). Thus an effort should be made not only to promote the protection and conservation of such habitat, but to study the relation between such plant formation and this interesting castniid. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Our deepest appreciation to Bernardo Lopez Godinez (BLGC) for providing us with useful information as well as allowing us to use pictures of some specimens from his insect collection. We have to thank a dear friend, who did not authorized us to disclose his name, but made possible to contact Bernardo and also provided Observations on Athis thysanete (Dyar, 1912 ) (Lepidoptera: Castniidae) from Mexico and comparative notes to other species in the family 193 Fig. 8 Figure 8. Izotal ( Yucca tree forest) formed by Yucca periculosa Baker (Asparagaceae) in Tehuacan, Puebla, Mexico. These plants seem to be the host of A this thysanete (Dyar) (Castniidae) (picture Fernando Hemandez-Baz). Figures 9,10. Castnia eudesmia Gray sucking nectar. Fig. 9: from flowers of Puva venusta Phil, ex Baker (Bromeliaceae), El Trebolar, Santiago Metropolitan region, Chile, December, 2007 (picture Alejandro Soffia). Fig. 10: from flowers of Cynara cardunculus L. (Asteraceae), Punta del Lacho, Las Cruces, Chile, December, 2009 (picture Marcela Miranda). key information and data. We would like to thank Marcela Miranda and Alejandro Soffia who kindly provided information on their observations of the Chilean Castnia eudesmia and allowed us to use their pictures. Thanks to Maria Eugenia Diaz (Coleccion Nacional de Insectos “Dr. Alfredo Barrera Marin”, Museo de Historia Natural de la Ciudad de Mexico, D.F.), Alessandro Giusti (The Natural History Museum, London), Don Harvey (National Museum of Natural History, Washington D.C.), Gerardo Lamas (Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Peru), Jacqueline Y. Miller (McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Gainesville, Florida), who allowed us to examine the Castniidae under their care and/or provided us with data and/or useful information. We are also 194 R. VlNCIGUERRA, R L. RODRIGUEZ, F. HERNANDEZ-BAZ & J.M. GONZALEZ indebted to Andrea C. Gonzalez who proof-read and suggested necessary changes to the original manuscript. REFERENCES Angulo A.O., 1998. El huevo de Castnia psittacus Molina (Lepidoptera: Castniidae). Gayana Zoologia, 62:211-213. Angulo A.O. & Olivares, T.S., 1993. Biology and immature stages of the bromeliad base borer, Castnia psittacus , in Chile (Lepidoptera: Castniidae). Tropical Lepidoptera, 4: 133-138. Angulo A.O. & Olivares T.S., 2009. The real larva of Castnia eudesmia (Lepidoptera: Castniidae). Tropical Lepidoptera Research, 19: 56-57. Dyar H.G., 1912. Descriptions of a new species and genera of Lepidoptera, chiefly from Mexico. Proceedings of the United States National Museum, 42(1885): 39-106. Gonzalez J.M., 2004. Castniinae (Lepidoptera: Castniidae) from Venezuela. VI. The genus Athis. Diagnosis and Comments. Caribbean Journal of Science, 40: 408-413. Gonzalez J.M., 2008. Castnidos (Lepidopteros). In: Ocegueda S. & Llorente-Bousquets J. (coords.). Catalogo taxonomico de especies de Mexico, vol. I: Conocimiento actual de la biodiversidad. CONABIO, Mexico, 1-4, 169-170. Gonzalez J.M., Boone J.H., Brilmyer G.M. & Le D., 2010. The Giant Butterfly-moths of the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, with notes on the Herman Strecker collection (Lepidoptera: Castniidae). SHILAP Revista de lepidopterologia, 38: 385-409. Gonzalez J.M. & Hemandez-Baz F., in press. Polillas y Taladradores Gigantes de la familia Castniidae (Lepidoptera) de Guatemala. In: Cano E.B. & Schuster J.C. (eds.). Biodiversidad de Guatemala, Volumen II. Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, Guatemala. Gonzalez J. M., Hemandez-Baz F. & Vinciguerra R., 2008. Notes on some Athis inca ssp. collected in Mexico (Lepidoptera: Castniidae). SHILAP Revista de lepidopterologia, 36: 473-476. Gonzalez J.M. & Stunning D., 2007. The Castniinae at the Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Bonn (Lepidoptera: Castniidae). Entomologische Zeitschrift, 117: 89-93. Lamas G., 1993. Bibliografia de los Castniidae (Lepidoptera) americanos. Re vista pemana de Entomologia, 35: 13-23. Lamas G., 1995. A critical review of J.Y. Miller’s Checklist of the Neotropical Castniidae (Lepidoptera). Re vista pemana de Entomologia, 37: 73-87. Miller J.Y., 1972. Review of the Central American Castnia inca complex (Castniidae). Bulletin of the Allyn Museum, 6 : 1-13. Miller J.Y., 1986. The Taxonomy, Phylogeny, and Zoogeography of the Neotropical Castniinae (Lepidoptera: Castniidae), Ph.D. Thesis. University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA, 571 pp. Miller J.Y., 2008. Studies in the Castniidae. V. Description of a new species of Zegara. Bulletin of the Allyn Museum, 160: 1-13. Miller J.Y., 2000. Castniidae (Lepidoptera). In: Llorente J.E., Gonzalez E. & Papavero N. (eds.), Biodiversidad, Taxonomia y Biogeografia de Artropodos de Mexico: Hacia una Sintesis de su Conocimiento vol. 2, CONABIO, Mexico, 537-531. Miranda F. & Hernandez X. E., 1963. Los tipos de vegetacion de Mexico y su clasificacion.- Boletin de la Sociedad Botanica de Mexico, 28: 29-179. Moraes S.S., Duarte M. & Gonzalez J.M., 2010. Revision of Hista Oiticica (Lepidoptera: Castniidae) and discussion on the validity of its subspecies. Zootaxa, 2421: 1-27. Moraes S.S., Duarte M. & Miller J.Y., 2011. Revision of the Neotropical genus Yagra Oiticica (Lepidoptera: Castniidae). Journal of Natural History, 45: 1511- 1531. Penco F.C., 2011. Lepidoptera Argentina. Catalogo ilustrado y comentado de las mariposas de Argentina. Parte I: Castniidae. El Autor, Moron, 41 pp. Ramos A.C.H. & Gonzalez M. F., 1972. La vegetacion de la zona arida veracmzana. Anales del Institute de Biologia de la Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico., Serie Botanica, 43: 77-100. Reed E.F., 1935. La Castnia eudesmia, Gray. Revista Chilena de Historia Natural, 39: 267-271. Rios, S. & & Gonzalez J.M., 2011. A Synopsis of the Castniidae (Lepidoptera) of Paraguay. Zootaxa, 3055:43-61. Ureta R. E., 1955. Castnia psittacus (Molina, 1781), nueva combinacion. Revista Chilena de Entomologia, 4: 229-231. Vinciguerra R., 2008. Osservazioni su Ircila hecate (Herrich- Schaffer, [1854]) (Lepidoptera: Castniidae). SHILAP Revista de lepidopterologia, 36: 205-208. Vinciguerra R., 2011. Observations on the genus Athis Hiibner, [1819] and description of a new species from Pem (Lepidoptera, Castniidae). Biodiversity Journal, 2: 97-102. Vinciguerra R. & Gonzalez J.M., 2011. Observations on distribution of Athis palatinus staudingeri (Dmce, 1896) (Lepidoptera: Castniidae). SHILAP Revista de lepidopterologia, 39: 155-159. Biodiversity Journal, 2011, 2 (4): 195-200 Biodiversity, Environmental Education and Social Media Fabio Massimo Viglianisi & Giorgio Sabella Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences - Section of Animal Biology, University of Catania, via Androne 81, 95124 Catania, Italy; e-mails: fabiovgl@unict.it, sabellag@unict.it. ABSTRACT The synergies between environmental education, technological innovations and social media are considered and reviewed. The possibility to use these synergies to create sustainable behaviors on a large scale is discussed. KEY WORDS Environmental communication; technological innovations; collective intelligence, emergent behavior. Received 27.10.2011; accepted 20.11.2011; printed 30.12.2011 INTRODUCTION Ecosystems, with their contents in biodiver- sity, are the platform on which our entire exi- stence is based (Costanza et ah, 1997). The whole of Earth’s ecosystems provides essential services to humanity as a whole estimated at over U.S. $ 72 trillion a year comparable to the entire world’s gross income. Nevertheless, in 2010 almost two thirds of the planet’s ecosystems have been considered degraded due to damage, mismanagement and lack of investment in their productivity, health and sustainability [Nelle- mann & Corcoran (eds.), 2010]. At the same time, the number of endangered species increases year by year (Fig. 1) and, according to the Global Environment Outlook (UNEP, 2007), our planet is experiencing its sixth mass extinction mainly caused by the man. Already in 2004 the risk of extinction of terrestrial animal and plant species caused by human effects on climate was estima- ted between 15% and 37% (Thomas, 2004). The loss of biodiversity has also major impact on food production. For example, many of the world’s major crops such as coffee, tea and mango are highly dependent on entomophilous pollination and pest control performed by birds and insects. The degradation of ecosystems and the consequent loss of biodiversity could lead, by 2050, to a reduction of up to 25% of food pro- duction, increasing the risk of starvation for many people [Nellemann & Corcoran (eds.), 2010]. In the light of these perspectives, in the next decades it is imperative to move from a society based on the growth of material consumption to one based on the sustainability, avoiding the degradation of natural systems and their inhabi- tants. This transition will be possible only with a heavy impact on the mentality and the habits of billions of people and, in this context, environ- mental education and environmental communi- cation become basic. It is quite obvious why these processes are undergoing a strong accele- ration both globally and at the level of individual nations. It is no coincidence that, in Italy, the strategic plan for biodiversity (AA.VV., 2010) identifies, as one of the major goals, the increas- ing, in the population, of the awareness of the importance of biodiversity and its conservation; this objective is to be followed through the poli- cies based on environmental education sup- ported by the modern computer technology and the multimedia (AA.VV., 2010). Environmental education and, in general, environmental com- munication are a means of creating the signifi- cant changes in everyone’s behavior, essential for creating a new sustainable culture. In this sense, the learning and the acquisition of a col- lective behavior become the basic means to achieve the sustainable patterns of behavior and development. The set of actions and attitudes by 196 Fabio Massimo Viglianisi & Giorgio Sabella Total species assessed Total threatened species Figure 1. Increase in the number of species assessed for The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ (2000-2011.1). which the individual expresses his personality and relates himself to the others and to the envi- ronment are the result of multisensory personal processes and are dependent on continuous inte- raction and feedback. As such, they are deeply involved in the evolution and the technological innovations increasingly used in education and environmental communication. Currently, the most innovative and fastest way to change the behavior at global level seems to be the use of the social media (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010), which are represented by different ways of web communication which range from networking sites to virtual worlds (Table 1). The most inte- resting features of the social media are the velo- city of circulation and of diffusion of the infor- mations, the vast pool of users and the pervasive force in creating new trends and behaviors. For this reason they are already widely used in online marketing. The social media, together with the planetary network of computers, smart- phones and personal tablets, offer a great oppor- tunity and represent the most promising choice for the spread of a new sustainable culture. Social presence / Media richness Low Medium High Self- presentation/ Self- disclosure High Blogs Social networking sites (e.g., Facebook) Virtual social worlds (e.g., Second Life) Low Collaborative projects (e.g., Wikipedia) Content communities (e.g., YouTube) Virtual game worlds (e.g., World of Warcraft) Table 1. Classification of Social Media by social presence/media richness and self-presentation/self-disclosure (from Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010). DISCUSSION Various definitions of the environmental edu- cation have been given, one of the most compre- hensive is that developed during the conference organized by UNESCO in October 1977 in Tbilisi. In that document (UNESCO, 1978) it is reported (recommendation no. 1, point 3): “ A basic aim of environmental education is to succeed in making individuals and communities understand the complex nature of the natural and the built environments resulting from the interaction of Biodiversity, Environmental Education and Social Media 197 their biological, physical, social, economic and cultural aspects, and acquire the knowledge, values, attitudes, and practical skills to participate in a responsible and effective way in anticipating and solving environmental problems, and the management of the quality of the environment” . The first part of the definition regards the descriptive and the notional aspects of environ- mental education which are acquired through the learning of schematic transverses across different scientific and environmental disciplines. This notional approach, such as “know the world around you,” was applied, with some exceptions, in many schools since the eighties and nineties of the last century. More important, however, are the goals and the values of environ- mental education that should lead to a change in knowledge and behavior. The ultimate purpose, which means a key step, is the passage from the particular to the global, namely the verification of transformation of all projects of environmen- tal education and communication in a real change of each one’s behavior, the sum of which becomes global awareness. The transition from individual behavior to global awareness requires a network of relationships and knowledge, and all this strongly affects the use of computer technology and multimedia. Although this appro- ach could have a significant fallout only on part of the most industrialized world, it is sufficient to reach a critical mass so that environmental com- munication could have positive effects. This objective, however, is always very difficult to be fully achieved and verified, especially due to the strong competition of the conflictual ethics and for the complexity of checking the behavior acquired out of the learning paths. To achieve better results, greater importance should be given even to the type of emotion and to the strong empathy which should be establi- shed in the active involvement of consciences, especially those of the young. For this reason, the implementation of any environmental education project should be seen as a continuous and broad- spectrum process which reaches the final result of the establishment of a new emotional bond with the natural and anthropic world that sur- rounds anybody. In any case, reaching the aware- ness of the risks of a development without limits to growth, with its inevitable political and social implications, and the understanding that the only possible development is the sustainable one, are cultural paths neither easy to acquire and not easy to verify. In summary, the objective to be pursued is to stimulate the profound cultural transformations which lead to the formation of a new conscience in which the awareness and the dignity of being citizens of the “Gaia planet” give priority to values that are currently very far from the collective perception. The long path towards these aims is even more complicated for the exponential accelera- tion of the planetary emergencies. The prediction of a relatively rapid breakdown of traditional energy resources and the approaching of the point of no return for global warming, greatly reduce the chances of success of traditional edu- cational systems, which are based on a conti- nuous, but slow, process of the cultural evolu- tion, which should lead the children to become good citizens in the future. Accelerating behavioral changes and the maturation of awareness using faster and more persuasive ways of environmental communica- tion becomes a priority. In this context, the modem information technologies and the social media (including social network, content com- munities, blogs, the hundreds of thousands apps used in mobile devices, etc.) seem to offer many answers and opportunities. Personal experiences and direct learning are, however, an essential step of understanding and knowledge of both natural and anthropic environments. Visiting an industrial complex or a natural park, walking along a river or spending a day in a farm, are not replaceable approaches; they involve a personal commitment involving all the senses and activa- ting feedbacks and positive behaviors. At this point, it is important to wonder about how modern technology affects learning and per- ception, and if the use of technology in environ- mental communication may provide a genuine and undistorted experience. Simply put, the question is whether these means are to be consid- ered as facilitators and amplifiers of learning, or instead, they are just trendy gadgets of no use in environmental education. Of course, this pro- blem is much debated and has several facets, which, schematically, can be traced to two anti- thetical attitudes. The first, more extreme, does not require the use of any technical device and is based on a direct relationship between the envi- 198 Fabio Massimo Viglianisi & Giorgio Sabella Figure 2. Outline of rapid multiplication flow of information between the nodes. ronment and the man, a sort of return to the myth of the noble savage. This view, though valuable in its simplicity, however, seems anachronistic and unfortunately late now. The second, oppo- site, considers as essential the personal terminals for proper learning aids. The trend seems to favor the latter hypothesis, as evidenced, for example, by the increasing amount of the number of users of smartphones, 15 million users only in Italy in 2010 (comScore, 2010). In contrast to the debate, the degree of impairment of the environmental balance is much clearer and can be easily illustra- ted using a dialogue of the film by Yann Arthus- Bertrand HOME (at http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=jqxENMKaeCU): “The cost of our actions on the environment was very high but it is too late to be pessimistic” . This attitude, highly realistic and not hypocritical, is based on, and emphasizes, one of the most important human qualities: adaptation, making us see the change as an achievable goal, even if difficult. For this reason, the use in environmental educa- tion of the network of computers, smartphones and personal tablets connected to the social media becomes fundamental to pilot the actions and the behaviors, even if apparently uneven and unrelated, to the desired effect. In the connected world, the progress is “col- lective intelligence”; the development is no lon- ger a linear and mechanical process, because our world has become, thanks to technology, a “cultu- ral system” where open innovation is a virus that goes in any direction (Levy, 1994). In this scena- rio, the power of collective intelligence is put in evidence by the extension of personal technology, so that actions and behaviors of each individual, associated and cooperating, reach a new critical mass, determining the so-called “emergent beha- vior” (Beni & Wang, 1989; Kaiser et al., 2010), or rather, a systematic set of individual intelligences, whose actions and emotions work together to pro- duce important and decisive effects at educatio- nal, sociological, political and anthropological levels (Graefe & Vogelsong, 2008). At this point, the technological means beco- mes an integral part of each individual; it beco- mes, at the same time, a catalyst and an imple- menter of the individual actions and behaviors and builds the transition from the local to the glo- bal in a simple and complete manner. Assuming that the environmental knowledge is a precursor, or at least a correlate, to the environmental behav- ior change, the use of current and future informa- tion technologies, combined with the possibilities offered by social media, enhancing connectivity and synchronization of thought, could contribute significantly to the formation of a single common thought and impose quickly eco-sustainable behaviors. In this way, the individual perceives to be part of an unique social context, to which it is impossible not to belong, and he is forced to channel his behavior in that direction. The new social media, which were born and have evolved through information technology, are well suited to be used as a means of a rapid dissemination of ideas, using the same mecha- nisms of the viral marketing in which an impor- tant idea can spread very quickly (Maibach, Biodiversity, Environmental Education and Social Media 199 1993; Wilson, 2000; Gordon, 2011). In this regard, it must be considered that, in a social net- work, the connections that bind the individuals ensure a rapid flow of information between the nodes (Fig. 2), allowing, relatively quickly, to make decisions and to update the individual behavior. In addition, the mechanisms which regulate and control a social system, despite their complexity, are simpler than those of a natural system, for this reason the assertion of a new global behavior implies the involvement of a critical mass estimated at around 20% of the nodes (Yang- Yu et al., 2011). CONCLUSION A critical period, both in social and environ- mental terms, is approaching and the obligation to learn as quickly as possible the sustainable behavior will increase the importance of environ- mental education and its widespread dissemina- tion. Certainly, the environmental changes indu- ced by climate change and the biodiversity loss will not disappear overnight, but the sooner humanity shall become aware of the problem and intervene the better it will be able to control its own destiny and protect the beauty and the diver- sity of the planet for future generations. The use of information technology now ena- bles to expand awares and emotions, transfor- ming the mode of construction of knowledges and training processes. Global connectivity, rea- ched through social media, could enable to rea- lize these new behaviors, which should realize a reversing of the actual trend: “ Destroy what is essential to create the superfluous ” . For these reasons, environmental education, in sinergy with social media, represents a strategic tool for the conservation of biodiversity at both global and local level. Environmental education, more than other instruments and/or strategies, can certainly play a decisive role in changing consciences and beha- viors, provided that it is pervasively conveyed on a variety of means of comunication, allowing to reach a critical mass which could carry out the significant changes. From this point of view, information technology and communication, which are increasingly entering our daily life, while leading to a reduction of our liberties, however, would enable to speed up the acquisi- tion of new skills by creating a sustainable global response constituted by the individual local actions. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We are grateful to Dr. Oscar Lisi (Catania, Italy) for his comments and suggestions to the improvement of the text. REFERENCES AA.VV., 2010. Strategia nazionale per la biodiversita in Ita- lia. Ministero dell’ambiente e della tutela del territorio e del mare, 204 pp. Beni G. & Wang J., 1989. Swarm Intelligence. Proceedings of the Seventh Annual Meeting of the Robotics Society of Japan, Tokyo, Japan, 1989: 425-428. comScore, 20 1 0. Online document from the global Internet market research firm at http://www.comscore.com/ Press_Events/Press_Releases/20 1 0/3/UK_Leads_Euro- peanC ountries_in_Smartphone_Adoption_with_7 0_G ro wth_in_Past_ 1 2_Months . Costanza R., D’Arge R., De Groot R., Farber S., Grasso M., Hannon B., Limburg K., Naeem S., O’Neill S., Paraelo J., Raskin R., Sutton P., & van der Belt M. 1997. The value of the Worlds ecosystem services and natural capital. Nature, 387: 253-260. Gordon R., 2011. A framework for sustainable marketing. Marketing Theory, 11: 143-163. Graefe D. & Vogelsong H., 2008. Environmental education as a catalyst for behavior change: a study of the effects of Coastwatch Magazine on subscriber environmental knowledge and behavior. Proceedings of the 2007 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium; 2007 April 15-17: 277- 282. Kaplan A.M. & Haenlein M., 2010. Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media. Business Horizons, 53: 59-68. Kaiser C., Krockel J. & Bodendorf F., 2010. Swarm Intelli- gence for Analyzing Opinions in Online Communities. Proceedings of the 43rd Hawaii International Confer- ence on System Sciences: 1-9. (The) IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 2011. http ://w ww.iucnredlist.org/about/ summary - statistics#Tables_l_2. Levy P., 1994. L’ intelligence collective. Pour une anthro- pologie du cyberspace. La Decouverte, Paris, 245 pp. Maibach, E., 1993. Social marketing for the environment: Using information campaigns to promote environmental awareness and behavior change. Health Promotion International, 8: 209-224. Nellemann C. & Corcoran E. (eds.), 2010. Dead Planet, Liv- ing Planet - Biodiversity and Ecosystem Restoration for 200 Fabio Massimo Viglianisi & Giorgio Sabella Sustainable Development. A Rapid Response Assess- ment. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), GRID-Arendal. http://www.grida.no/publica- tions/rr/dead-planet/. Thomas C.D., Cameron A., Rhys E.G., Baklcenes M., Beau- mont L., Collingham J., Erasmus B., Ferreira de Siqueira M., Grainger A., Hannah L., Hughes L., Hunt- ley B., van Jaarsveld A., Midgley G., Miles L., Ortega- Huerta M., Townsend Peterson A., Phillips O. & Williams S., 2004. Extinction risk from climate change. Nature, 427: 145-148. UNEP, 2007. United Nations Environment Program. Global Environment outlook, http://www.unep.org/geo/ GEO4/media/media_briefs/Media_Briefs_GEO-4%20 Global.pdf. UNESCO, 1978. Intergovernmental Conference on Environmental Education organized by Unesco in cooperation with UNEP, Tbilisi (USSR), 14-26 October 1977, Final Report. ED/MD/49 Paris, 101 pp. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0003/000327/ 032763eo.pdf. Yang- Yu L., Slotine J. & Barabasi A., 2011. Controllability of complex networks. Nature, 473: 167-173. Wilson F., 2000. The Six Simple Principles of Viral Market- ing.Available. Accessible at http://www.wilsonweb. com/wmt5/viral-principles.htm. Biodiversity Journal, 2011, 2 (4): 201-206 Observations on the saxicavous habits of Cepaea nemoralis (Linnaeus, 1 758) (Pulmonata, Stylommatophora, Helicidae) in the Pyrenees (France) Daniel Quettier 21 Avenue du Donjon, 31260 Salies du Salat, France; e-mail: daniel.quettier@wanadoo.fr. ABSTRACT Since 1800 numerous geologists and biologists published several papers on the origin of holes in hard limestone observed in several countries of Europe and North Africa assuming that terrestrials snails were responsible for such a perforations. In the present paper a few observations on the saxicavous activities of Cepaea nemoralis (Linnaeus, 1758) in the Pyrenees (France) are reported. KEY WORDS Saxicava; Helixigenic; Pyrenees; Cepaea nemoralis. Received 16.08.2011; accepted 11.10.2011; printed 30.12.2011 INTRODUCTION The phenomenon of saxicavous land-snails of Europe and North Africa, described and reported in numerous papers (Prevost, 1843, 1854; Figuier, 1858; Gaudin, 1860; Bouchard-Chantereaux, 1861; Marrat, 1864; Merle Norman, 1864; Brehm, 1869; Mackintosh, 1869; Roffe, 1870; Trevelyan, 1871; Bretonniere, 1888; Forel, 1888; Platania, 1890; Meunier, 1890, 1900; De Gregorio, 1890, 1916; Harle, 1900; Wilson, 1913; Lamy, 1930; Kiihnelt, 1932, Di Salvo, 1932, Rensch, 1932a, 1932b, 1937; Jamnik, 1997; Manganelli et al., 2000; Quettier, 2002 ; Liberto et al., 2010; Colomba et al., 2011), does interest different species including Cepaea nemoralis (Linnaeus, 1758) which is one of the most frequently cited. A few of these rock-boring species are saxicavous only in some localities, while others make perforations in the rock as their biological constant characteristic. Despite of different geographical areas and dissimilar atmospheric conditions, this phenomenon has always the same specific characteristics. Perforations are constantly on compact carbonate rocks and predominantly on the vertical or sub-vertical surface, on the side exposed to the prevailing direction of the rainfall; the galleries are always directed from the bottom up so that water can’t penetrate inside, flooding them. The cast of a small group of holes made by Cepaea nemoralis in the Pyrenees (Fig. 1) is representative of its general characteristics; it is possible to find tunnels leading to the upper edge of the rock, but the origin of the perforations is always on the bottom; the hole-diameter varies from 2 to 3 cm and remains constant with no significant restrictions along the tunnels. Perforations begin with the construction of a single gallery, then a second one is added, a third one and so on, thus increasing in number and depth; the rock wall between several contiguous galleries gradually reduces up and finally disappears, leaving a large cavity the bottom of which appears completely pitted; sometimes Cepaea nemoralis dug their tunnels also through layers of calcite including fossils (Figs. 2-6). DISCUSSION As far as concerns observations on the saxicavous habits of Cepaea nemoralis in the Pyrenees (France), perforations in the rock made by these animals are usually observed in karst areas with partial or complete vegetation cover, being less abundant in exposed areas with isolated rocks; a few perforations can also be found in the plains, on isolated rocks or in limestone houses 202 Daniel Quettier Fig. 1 Fig. 4 Fig. 5 Fig. 6 Fig. 8 Fig. 9 Fig. 10 Fig. 7 Figure 1. The cast of a small group of holes made by Cepaea nemoralis in the Pyrenees. Figures 2-6. General characteristics of perforations made by Cepaea nemoralis in the Pyrenees (France). Figure 7. Pile Romaine of Luzenac (Ariege, France). Figures 8-9. Cepaea trapped in the tunnels (Pyrenees, France). Figure 10. Rocks completely altered and perforated by Cepaea nemoralis from Flider at Prat Bonrepaux (Ariege, France). Observations on the saxicavous habits of Cepaea nemoralis ( Linnaeus , 1758) (Pulmonata, Stylommatophora, Helicidae) in the Pyrenees ( France ) 203 hand-made by man as is the case of “Pile Romaine” of Luzenac (Ariege) (Fig. 7). When galleries are particularly complex in structure, Cepaea often remain trapped inside the tunnels because of increasing size of shells (Figs. 8- 9), whereas sometimes specimens happen to die in the holes for natural causes. As already observed in some areas that in the past were the seat of an intense activity of saxicava and today show a luxuriant vegetation covering the holes inside of which Cepaea nemoralis can rarely be found, in various locations of the Pyrenees, as the cliffs of Hider at Prat Bonrepaux (Ariege), Cepaea specimens are not encountered anymore. In this place, for example, there was a rocky area of over 100 square meters completely altered and perforated every centimeter (Fig. 10) now abandoned by Cepaea nemoralis , with ivy and moss invading the tunnels and the ground vegetation extremely abundant. Since it is a location away from human settlements and activities, this ecosystem was probably altered due to natural causes. Some literature papers above-mentioned, report that saxicavous land-snails dissolve the rock by using an acidic substance. In 2002 an experiment carried out by some CNRS researchers revealed that after placing a few Cepaea nemoralis specimens in some purposely- cut blocks of limestone, several eroded areas showing the same shape as the foot of the Cepaea previously resting on the blocks were found. It was observed that on the Pyrenees there is a change in the orientation of the perforations correlating to higher altitudes, probably due to the colder air currents from the Atlantic Ocean. At the local level, in each perforated area, the tunnels have a prevailing orientation that, in the same site, can vary by more than 20°, with the exception of very chaotic rocky areas where it can vary by up to 180°. In other places, along the banks of rivers where the last limestone rocky groups appear on the surface, at about 260 m above sea level and well protected in the valleys, the orientation of the holes is of nearly 360°, with a few predominant directions depending on the sites, including on the eastern side of the massif. As clearly visible on the graphs showing the orientation of the perforations between 1,000 and 2,000 m above sea level (Fig. 11), the more increasing the North 1000 - 1500 m 1500 - 2000 111 South Figure 11. Orientation of perforations made by Cepaea nemoralis on the Pyrenees (France) at different altitudes, expressed in m above sea lave. 204 Daniel Quettier altitude the more the hole-angle is reduced and the western areas of the mountains, more exposed to the natural elements, do not show nearly any perforations at all. As calculated in England by Stanton (1986), the drilling speed of Cepaea nemoralis is equal to 1.5 mm in 10 years. As demonstrated by the same author, knowing the speed of drilling and the main orientation of holes, it is possible to reconstruct the original position of some blocks of limestone reworked or processed by man. For example, the “Dolmen de Comminge” (Camarade-Ariege), a megalithic construction with numerous perforations made by terrestrial molluscs shows, on the horizontal part, a group of reversed perforations, thus suggesting that this block of several hundred pounds was originally placed in reverse with an orientation differing from the current one by about 85°; moreover, the vertical walls show further perforations that attest these movements and reversals occurred during the assembly of the construction (Fig. 12). Another example is that of the “Pile Romaine“ of Fuzenac (Ariege), a building dated between the I and IV century A.C, more than 7 meters in height, located in a field along the road D618. When the front of the northwestern side of the building collapsed, it was subject to saxicavous activities of land- snails that bored holes in the blocks of limestone just below the mortar. Taking into account that perforations are, on average, 95 mm long, it can be inferred that the building collapsed about 630 years ago, around 1380. Probably, Cepaea nemoralis perforates the limestone mainly to escape the cold temperatures of winter; in fact, during the winter this species is usually under the soil at a depth of about 20 cm, avoiding the frozen ground for a few months. Measurements carried out in September 2011 on the temperature of the subsoil at 20 cm compared to the temperature inside a tunnel of the same length bored by Cepaea nemoralis showed that there is a difference with respect to the temperature at the soil-level (Fig. 13). In particular, the soil is sensitive to any changes of outside temperature; an increase of 16 °C causes in the ground, five hours later, a temperature increase of 5 °C. On the rocks there are not the same variations; the change occurs in about eight hours, but the range is only 1/10 of the outside temperature, i.e. for an increase of 16 °C, the temperature in the rocks increases only by 1.5 °C (Chabert, 1980; Guillou-Frottier et al., 1998; Benhammou & Draoui, 2011). Figure 14 summarizes the temperatures recorded in September-November 201 1, in order to show either the trend curves in rock and soil during the summer and winter time or the condition of rocky micro- environments when temperature is extremely high or low. Perforations in the rocks made by Cepaea nemoralis also protect these animals against predators such as the common shrew ( Sorex araneus Finnaeus, 1758: Mammalia, Soricidae), several species of insects and birds; that’s probably the reason why Cepaea nemoralis spend long periods inside the galleries even in summer. CONCLUSION Observations on the saxicavous activity of Cepaea nemoralis in the Pyrenees region (France) reported in this paper confirm numerous works previously made on this item. In particular, the main cause that leads these land-snails to rock-boring is likely to be the need to escape the cold temperatures of some rocky habitats, expecially during the winter. Hence, as suggested by Sacchi (1955a, 1955b) who hypothesized that the same phenomenon in Cornu aspersum (O.F. Muller, 1774) and related species of Algeria and in Erctella mazzullii De Cristofori & Jan, 1832 complex from Sicily (see also Colomba et al., 2011) was the result of the adaptation to dry and arid climatic conditions occurred in past geological periods, climatic factors may be the prevalent cause of saxicavous habits of mollusc species in different geographical areas all over the world. Observations on the saxicavous habits of Cepaea nemoralis ( Linnaeus , 1758) (Pulmonata, Stylommatophora, Helicidae) in the Pyrenees ( France ) 205 Fig. 12 Fig. 13 Monthly data Fig. 14 Figure 12. Orientation pattern of perforations of Cepaea nemoralis from Dolmen de Comminge (Camarade-Ariege, France) Figure 13. Measurements earned out during the day in September 2011 on the atmospheric temperature, temperature of the subsoil at 20 cm and in a tunnel of the same length bored by Cepaea nemoralis (Pyrenees, France). Figure 14. Temperatures recorded in September-November 2011 (Pyrenees, France), showing the trend curves in rock and soil during the summer and winter time. 206 Daniel Quettier REFERENCES Benhammou M. & Draoui B., 2011. Modelisation de la temperature en profondeur du sol pour la region d’ Adrar - Effet de la nature du sol. Revue des Energies Renouvelables, 14: 219-228. Bouchard-Chantereaux N.R., 1861. Observations sur les helices saxicaves du Boulonnais. Annales des Sciences Naturelles, 16: 197-218. Brehm A.E., 1869. Les merveilles de la nature, les vers, les mollusques, les echinodermes, les zoophytes, les protozoaires, et les animaux des grandes profondeurs. Baillier et fils, Paris, 780 pp. Bretonniere M., 1888. Perforation de roches calcaires par des escargots. Comptes rendus de l’Academie des Sciences, 107: 566-567. Chabert F., 1980. Habitat enterre. These, Unite Pedagogique d’ Architecture Groupe ABC. Colomba M.S., Gregorini A., Liberto F., Reitano A., Giglio S., Sparacio I., 2011. Monographic revision of the endemic Cornu mazzullii (De Cristofori et Jan, 1832) complex from Sicily and re-introduction of the genus Erctella Monterosato, 1894 (Pulmonata, Stylommatophora, Helicidae). Zootaxa 3134: 1-42. De Gregorio A., 1890. Sur les galets produits sans charriage et sur les roches perfores par les escargots. Le Naturaliste, 12: 78-79. De Gregorio A., 1916. Spigolature geologiche. Roccia titonica a Nebrodensia tithonincola di Montepellegrino e cenni delle lumache perforanti e del marmo cotognino. II Naturalista Siciliano, 23: 90-92. Di Salvo G., 1932. Sulle perforazioni di rocce operate dai molluschi litofagi terrestri Bollettino. Associazione Mineralogica Siciliana, 8: 43-50. Figuier L., 1858. Animaux perforants. L’annee Scientifique et industrielle, histoire naturelle, 2: 28-36. Forel L. A., 1888. Calcaire perfore par l’Helix aspersa. Archives des sciences physiques et naturelles, 20: 576. Gaudin C.T., 1860. Roches perforees par V Helix mazzullii. Bulletin de la Societe Vaudoise des Sciences Naturelles, 43: 45-49. Guillou-Frottier L., Mareschal J.C., Musset J., 1998. Ground surface temperature history in selected borehole temprature profiles. Journal of Geophysical Research, 103 (B4): 7385-7397. Harle E., 1900. Rochers creuses par des Colimagons a Salies-du-Salat (Haute-Garonne). Bulletin du museum d’histoire naturelle de Paris, 3: 141-144. Jamnilc P., 1997. New discussion abaout the holes in rhynoceros’ bones from Dolaryeva jama. Acta carsologica, 26: 411-430. Kiihnelt W., 1932. Uber Kalklosung Durch Ldschnecken. Zoologische Jahrbucher Abteilung fur Systematik, Okologie und Geographic der Tiere, 63: 131-144. Lamy, E., 1930. Quelques mots sur la lithophagie chez les gasteropodes. Journal de conchyliologie, 74: 1-34. Liberto F., Giglio S., Reitano A., Colomba M.S., Sparacio I., 2010. 1 Molluschi terrestri e dulciacquicoli di Sicilia della collezione F. Mina Palumbo di Caste lb uono. Monografie Naturalistiche 2. Edizioni Danaus, Palermo, 136 pp. Mackintosh D., 1869. Note on apparent lithodomous perforations in north-west Lancashire. Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society, 25: 280-282. Manganelli G., Bodon M., Cianfanelli S., Favilli L., Talenti E., Giusti F., 2000. Conoscenza e conservazione dei molluschi non marini italiani: lo stato delle ricerche. Bollettino Malacologico, 36: 5-42. Marrat F. R, 1864. The Boring snail of the Bois des Roches. The Zoologist, 22: 8932-8934. Merle Norman A., 1864. The boring snail of the Bois-des- Roches. The Zoologist, 22: 9012-9014. Meunier S., 1890. Observations sur une roche perforee par des escargots. Le Naturaliste, 12: 12-14. Meunier S., 1900. Les calcaires de Constantine (Algerie) creuse par des Helix. Bulletin de la Societe d’Histoire Naturelle de Toulouse, 33. Platania G., 1890. Sulla litofagia di alcuni gasteropodi terrestri. Atti e Rendiconti delTAccademia di Scienze, Lettere e Arti dei Zelanti e padri dello studio di Acireale, 1: 45-49. Prevost M.C., 1843. Calcareous rocks pierced by Helices. The Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal, 34: 186- 187. Prevost M. C., 1854. Sur la perforation de roches calcaires attribute a des Helix. Compte redu des Seances de l’Academie des Sciences, 39: 824-834. Quettier D., 2002. Les perforations biogeniques ou ces escargots qui grignotent nos massifs calcaires. SpeleOc - Revue des Speleologues du Grand Sud-Ouest, 96: 14-15. Rensch B., 1932a. Uber die Abhangigkeit der Grosse, des relativen Gewichtes und der Oberflachenstruktur der Landschneckenschalen von den Umweltsfaktoren. (Okologische Molluskenstudien I). Zeitschrift fur Morphologie und Okologie der Tiere, 25: 757-807. Rensch B., 1932b. Uber den Unterschied zwischen geographischer und individueller Variabilitat und die Abgrenzung von der olcologischen Variabilitat. Archiv far Naturgeschichte, Zeitschrift fur wissenschaftliche Zoologie Abt. B 1: 95-113. Rensch B., 1937. Untersuchungen uber Rassenbildung und Erblichkeit von Rassenmerkmalen bei sizilischen Landschnecken. Zeitschrift fur Induktive Abstammungs- und Vererbungslehre, 72: 564-88. Roffe J., 1870. On some supposed lithodomous perforations in limestone rocks. Geological Magazine, 7: 4-10. Sacchi C.F,. 1955a. II contributo dei molluschi terrestri alle ipotesi del “Ponte Siciliano”. Elementi tirrenici ed orientali nella malacofauna del Maghreb. Archivio Zoologico Italiano, 40: 49-181. Sacchi, C.F., 1955b. Fattori ecologici e fenomeni microevolutivi nei Molluschi della montagna mediterranea. Bollettino di Zoologia, 22: 563-652. Stanton W.I., 1986. Snail hole in (Helixigenic Cavities) in hard limestone - an aid to the interpretation of karst landforms. Proceedings of the University of Bristol Spelaeological Society, 17: 218-226. Trevelyan W.C., 1871. On supposed borings of lithodomus mollusc. Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society, 27: 231-232. Wilson C., 1913. Snail cavities in stones. Nature, 91: 112. Biodiversity Journal, 2011, 2 (4): 207-208 New record of Tentyria Latreille, 1 802 (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae) as host of Poecilotiphia rousselii (Guerin, 1838) (Hymenoptera, Tiphiidae) Roberto A. Pantaleoni 1,2 & Mario Boni Bartalucci 3 1 Di parti memo di Protezione delle Piante, Universita degli Studi di Sassari, Via Enrico de Nicola, 1-07100 Sassari, Italy; e-mail: pantaleo@uniss.it. 2 Istituto per lo Studio degli Ecosistemi, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (ISE-CNR), Traversa la Crucca 3, Regione Baldinca, 1-07 1 00 Li Punti (SS), Italy; e-mail: r.pantaleoni@ise. cnr. it. 3 Museo di Storia Naturale di Firenze, Sezione di Zoologia "La Specola", Via Romana 17, 1-50125 Firenze, Italy; e-mail: bartaluc@gmail.com. ABSTRACT An attack of Poecilotiphia rousselii (Guerin, 1838) (Hymenoptera Tiphiidae Myzininae Meriini) on a larva of Tentyria Latreille, 1802 (Coleoptera Tenebrionidae) is reported from sand dunes of Porto Ferro (Sassari, NW- Sardinia, Italy). Only one previous record of Meriini hosts is known and it also regarded a larva of Tentyria. KEY WORDS Myzininae, Meriini, Aculeata, Foraging, Prey. Received 17.11.2011; accepted 09.12.2011; printed 30.12.2011 On September 7 th 1997, during a field survey of ant-lion larvae in the sand dunes of Porto Ferro (Sassari, Sardinia, Italy; 40°40’55”N 8°12’20”E), one of the Authors (RAP) observed a larva of Coleoptera (around 2 cm long) tum- bling and shaking on the ground. On prompt examination, he could see a tiny adult Hymenoptera that was attacking the larva. Both were immediately collected. The adult Hymenoptera (Fig. 1) was identi- fied as a female of Poecilotiphia rousselii (Guerin, 1838), a Tiphiidae of Myzininae sub- family and Meriini tribe. The larva of Coleoptera (Fig. 2) is a Tenebrio- nidae. Following the papers of Boving & Craig- head (1931), Marcuzzi & Rampazzo (1960) and Sanchez et al. (1985), it was recognized as a Ten- tyria Latreille, 1802. In the area of the sand dunes of Porto Ferro there are three species of Tentyria particularly T. grossa sardiniensis Ardoin, 1973, T. ligurica confusa Ardoin, 1973, T. rugosa floresii Gene, 1836 (P. Leo, in litteris). Regarding the four tribes of the subfamily Myzininae (Hymenoptera Tiphiidae) (Boni Bar- talucci, 2004) we know well, by repeated and exhaustive observations, that the larval hosts of Figure 1. Female of Poecilotiphia rousselii (Hymenoptera Tiphiidae) attacking a larva of Tentyria (Coleoptera Tenebrionidae) in Porto Ferro 7 th September, 1997 (R. A. Pantaleoni legit). Photo by Marcello Romano (scale 1 mm). 208 Roberto A. Pantaleoni & Mario Boni Bartalucci Figure 2. Larva of Tentyria (Coleoptera Tenebrionidae) attacked by a female of Poecilotiphia rousselii (Hymenoptera Tiphiidae Myzininae Meriini) in Porto Ferro 7 th September, 1997 (R. A. Pantaleoni legit). Photos by Carlo Cesaroni (scale 1 mm). the tribe Myzinini (with Nearctic and Neotropic distribution) attack the larvae of soil-dwelling scarab beetles (Krombein, 1938). In the tribe Mesini we found a further well-known case, the genus Hylomesa Krombein, 1968 (with Afrotropical and Oriental distribution) adapted to attacking wood-boring cerambycid larvae (Krombein, 1968). Only hypotheses are possible in the cases of the other genus of Mesini, Mesa Saussure, 1892, and of the tribe, with Australian distribution, Austromyzini. It would not be sur- prising if both attacked scarab beetle larvae too. Records about cicindelid larvae as hosts refer to Pterombrus (e. g. Goulet & Huber, 1993; O’Neill, 2001) which actually should be removed from Myzininae and probably con- nected to Methochinae. Regarding the last tribe Meriini, the most abundant in the Euro-Mediterranean region, only one previous record on the hosts is known. Actu- ally Ferton (1911), on the “naked sable” (dune ?) in La Calle (today El Kala, El Tarf, Algeria), observed the attack of a female on a larva of Tentyria sp. The female was described as the new species Myzine andrei Ferton, 1911, junior synonym of Poecilotiphia rousselii (Guerin, 1838) (Boni Bartalucci, 1994). Our record reflects Ferton’s old observation. Consequently it is confirmed that Poecilotiphia rousselii (Guerin, 1838) attacks larvae of Ten- tyria in order to supply food for their offspring. Whereas all the Meriini live in xerotermic habi- tats, if not in deserts, where the species of Tene- brionidae are particularly abundant, the hypothe- sis that the foraging activity of the members of the tribe Meriini are focused on the larvae of Tenebrionidae appears very plausible. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This note was written thanks to the Forum Entomologi Italiani (Italian Entomologist Forum) [www.entomologiitaliani.net] where the authors had the opportunity to share their own entomological knowledge. A special thanks to Davide Badano, Carlo Cesaroni, Piero Leo and Marcello Romano for the help, photos and data on Tenebrionidae. REFERENCES Boni Bartalucci M., 1994. Taxonomy of the mediterranean Myzininae (Hymenoptera: Tiphiidae). Opuscula Zoo- logica Fluminensia, 121: 1-23. Boni Bartalucci M., 2004. Tribe groups of the Myzininae with special regard to the palaearctic taxa of the tribe Meriini (Hymenoptera Tiphiidae). Linzer Biologische Beitrage, 36: 1205-1308. Boving A.G. & Craighead F.C., 1931. An illustrated synop- sis of the principal larval forms of the order Coleoptera. The Brooklyn Entomological Society, Brooklyn, New York, VIII + 351 pp. Ferton C., 1911. Notes detachees sur l’instinct des hymenopteres melliferes et ravisseurs (7eme serie) avec la description de quatre especes nouvelles. Annales de la Societe entomologique de France, 80: 351-412. Goulet H. & Huber J. T., 1993. Hymenoptera of the world: an identification guide to families. Research Branch Agriculture Canada, Ottawa, 668 pp. Krombein K.V., 1938. Studies in the Tiphiidae II. A revision of the Nearctic Myzininae. Transactions of the Ameri- can Entomological Society, 64: 227-292. Krombein K.V., 1968. Studies in the Tiphiidae. X. Hylomesa , a new genus of Myzininae wasp parasitic on larvae of longicorn beetles (Hymenoptera). Proceedings of the United States National Museum, 124: 1-22. Lopez Sanchez S., de los Santos A. & Montes C., 1985. Estudio morfologico de la forma larvaria de Tentyria platiceps Stev. 1829 (Col. Tenebrionidae). EOS, 41: 173-182. Marcuzzi G. & Rampazzo L., 1960. Contribute alia cono- scenza delle forme larvali dei Tenebrionidi (Col. Heter.). EOS, 36: 63-117. O’Neill K.M., 2001. Solitary Wasps: Natural History and Behavior. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York, XIII + 406 pp. Biodiversity Journal, 2011, 2 (4): 209-212 New records of Gerromorpha, Leptopodomorpha and Nepomorpha (Heteroptera, Insecta) from Madhya Pradesh, India Kailash Chandra & E. Eyarin Jehamalar Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata- 700 053, India; e-mails: kailash611@rediffmail.com; jehamalar@gmail.com. ABSTRACT Four species of aquatic Heteroptera Gerris nepalensis Distant, 1910, Mesovelia horvathi Lundblad, 1934, Valleriola cicindeloides Distant, 1908, and Anisops kuroiwae Matsumura, 1915 belonging to four families and three infraorders namely Gerromorpha, Leptopodomorpha and Nepomorpha are newly recorded for the state of Madhya Pradesh. The diagnosis and distribution data of all these four species are provided here. KEY WORDS New records, Aquatic Heteroptera, Madhya Pradesh. Received 25.11.2011; accepted 23.12.2011; printed 30.12.2011 INTRODUCTION Aquatic bugs belonging to the order Hemiptera, suborder Heteroptera, include three infraorders viz., Gerromorpha, Leptopodomorpha and Nepomorpha. The first two infraorders are semiaquatic bugs and the latter one is true aquatic bugs. They play a major role as biological control agents, and ecologically as food for higher trophic levels such as fishes, birds etc. Thirumalai et al. (2007) have given detailed information about aquatic bugs belonging to infraorders Gerromorpha and Nepomorpha from Madhya Pradesh. Leptopodomorpha have not been given due attention in India, except for the record of the occurrence of 4 genera and 10 species (Thirumalai, 1999). In the present study four species of aquatic and semiaquatic Heteroptera, Gerris nepalensis Distant, 1910 and Mesovelia horvathi Lundblad, 1934 (Gerromorpha), Valleriola cicindeloides Distant, 1908 (Leptopo- domorpha) and Anisops kuroiwae Matsumura, 1915 (Nepomorpha), belonging to four families, namely Gerridae, Mesoveliidae, Leptopodidae and Notonectidae are newly recorded from Madhya Pradesh. Previously four species of aquatic Heteroptera, namely Microvelia albomaculata Distant, 1909 ,Rhagovelia ( Neorhagovelia ) sumatrensis Lundblad, 1936, Rhagadotarsus ( Rhagadotarsus ) kraepelini Breddin, 1905 and Naboandelus signatus Distant, 1910 were recorded by Chandra et al. (in press) from Madhya Pradesh, after the record of 57 species of aquatic Heteroptera from the state by Thirumalai et al. (2007). ACRONYMS. The materials used for this study are deposited in Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata (ZSIK) and Zoological Survey of India, Jabalpur (ZSIJ) collections: collection H.S. Sharma (HSS), ZSIK, Reg. No. 2522/H15 {Gerris nepalensis ); collection D.K. Ghosal (DKG), ZSIK, Reg. No. 2520/H15 (G. nepalensis ); collection D.S. Mathur (DSM), ZSIK, Reg. No. 2523/H15 (G. nepalensis); collection R.K. Singh (RKS), ZSIK, Reg. No. 2521/H15 (G. nepalensis ); collection D.K. Harshey (DKH), ZSIK, Reg. No. 2519/H15 (G. nepalensis ); collection E.E. Jehamalar (EEJ), ZSIK, Reg. No. 2518/H15 {Mesovelia horvathi ); ZSIK, Reg. No. 2516/H15 {Anisops kuroiwae); collection E.E. Jehamalar and Devanshu (EEJD), ZSIJ, Reg. No. A/15098 {Valleriola cicindeloides ); collection N.K. Sinha (NKS), ZSIJ, Reg. No. A/15100 {V cicindeloides ); collection V.V. Rao (VVR), ZSIJ, Reg. No. A/15099 {V cicindeloides ); collection H. Khajuria (HK), ZSIK, Reg. No. 2517/H15 {Anisops kuroiwae ). 210 Kailash Chandra & E. Eyarin Jehamalar RESULTS Infraorder GERROMORPHA Family GERRIDAE Subfamily GERRINAE Gerris nepalensis Distant, 1910 1910. Gerris nepalensis Distant, Ann. Mag. nat. Hist., 5: 142. 1903. Gerris nepalensis Distant: Fauna of British India, 5: 143-144. 1993. Gerris (Gerris) nepalensis Distant: Ent. Scand., 24: 157. 2002. Gerris (Gerris) nepalensis Distant: Thimmalai, Rec. zool. Surv. India, 100 (Part 1-2): 61. Examined material. Betul, Mura, 24.III. 1990, 1 apt. male (HSS); Jabalpur, Amkhas, Nagpur Road, 2.VI.1971, 1 apt. female (DKG); Budhagar tank, 20.III.1974, 1 mpt. female, 1 apt. female, 1 imm. ex. (DSM); Panna, Pratappur, 15.11.1987, 1 apt. male ex. (RKS); Shivpuri, SSS Club, 24.III.1980, 3 apt. males, 3 mpt. females, 6 apt. females (DKH). Diagnosis. Body piceous and flat ventrally. Male body length 6.87 mm, width across mesoacetabula 2.27 mm, female, length 8.27 width 2.68 mm; generally apterous (Fig. 1), rarely macropterous; head predominantly black and shiny, base with crescent shaped yellow marking; pronotum piceous, anterior pronotal lobe with median yellow stripe; apex of 7 th abdominal sternum excavated medially; eighth abdominal sternum of male with two silvery white patches; connexival spines well developed in females, very small in males; ventral sclerite of male endosoma rod shaped. Distribution. Vietnam, India, China, Japan, Far East of Russia. Distribution in India: Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Sikkim and Uttar Pradesh. Remarks. Distant (1903) mentioned that body above and hemelytra are black, but in the specimens recorded here they are dark brown to piceous. Family MESOVELIIDAE Subfamily MESOVELIINAE Mesovelia horvathi Lundblad, 1934 1934. Mesovelia horvathi Lundblad, Arch. Hydrobiol. Suppl., 12: 190. 1980. Mesovelia horvathi Lundblad: Thimmalai, Rec. zool. Surv. India, Misc. Occ. Pap., 165: 26. 2002. Mesovelia horvathi Lundblad: Thimmalai, Rec. zool. Surv. India, 100 (Part 1-2): 78. 2011. Mesovelia horvathi Lundblad: Man and Murphy, Raff. Bull. Zoology, 59: 54-55. Examined material. Madhya Pradesh, Tilwa- raghat, 9.IX.2011, 1 macropterous male (EEJ). Diagnosis. Length: 2.6 mm; colour luteous (Figs. 3, 4); inner margin of mid leg 1-2 black spines on both sexes; apices of rostmm, tibiae and tarsi fuscous; tarsi 3-segmented; inner subapical margin of fore femur with 5 minute spines; 8 th abdominal sternum of male with a pair of black tuft of hairs on the sublateral region. Distribution. Australia, China, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. Distribution in India: Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Remarks. Commonly in the plains and mountains in stagnant and slow running water (Thimmalai, 2001) and also found in brackish water (Man & Murphy, 2011). In the present study it has been collected in an abandoned dirty pond. Infraorder LEPTOPODOMORPHA Superfamily LEPTOPODOIDEA Family LEPTOPODIDAE Subfamily LEPTOPODINAE Tribe Leptopodini Valleriola cicindeloides Distant, 1908 1908. Leptopus cicindeloides Distant: Ann. Mag. nat. Hist., 8: 140. 1910. Leptopus cicindeloides (Distant): Fauna of British India, 5: 224. Examined material. Jabalpur, Vijay Nagar, ZSI Residential Colony, 25.IX.2010, 1 ex. (EEJ-D); Bheraghat, 24.XI.1972, 1 ex. (NKS); Khargone, Gangli Village, 10.11.1971, 1 ex. (WR). Diagnosis. Length 5.5 mm; Colour greyish ochraceous; body (Fig. 2) with pale pilosity; head with ocelli and median tubercle; first antennal segment stout, small and the 3 rd segment very longer; pronotum with four dark brownish grey fascia, which is not reached upto the apex of New records of Gerromorpha, Leptopodomorpha and Nepomorpha (Heteroptera, lnsecta) from Madhya Pradesh, India 211 Figure 1. Gerris nepalensis male, apt. form (length 6.87 mm). Figure 2. Valleriola cicindeloides (length 5.5 mm). Figure 3. Mesovelia hor\>cithi male dorsal view (length 2.6 mm). Figure 4. idem Fig. 3, ventral view. Figure 5. Anisops kuroiwae male dorsal view (length 5.6 mm). Figure 6. idem Fig. 5, head ventral view. 212 Kailash Chandra & E. Eyarin Jehamalar pronotum; base, postero-lateral margin and apex of pronotum ochraceous; scutellum and wings fuscous; clavus with two ochraceous spots, one at the apex and another at the base; middle and apex of the corium with two ochraceous spots; membrane grayish ochraceous. Distribution. Yemen, India. Distribution in India: Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and West Bengal. Remarks. Anterior central longitudinal line and the fascia on the posterior region of pronotum is not prominent in all specimens. Sometimes the fascia united and only leaving the central prominent apical and faint postero sub lateral ochraceous patch. Infraorder NEPOMORPHA Family NOTONECTIDAE Subfamily ANISOPINAE Anisops kuroiwae Matsumura, 1915 1915. Anisops kuroiwae Matsumura, Ent. Mag. Kyoto, 1: 109. 2004. Anisops batillifrons Lundblad: Bal & Basu, Zool. Surv. India, State Fauna Series, 10: 300. 2004. Anisops kuroiwae Matsumura: Nieser, Raff. Bull. Zoology, 52: 86-87. 2007. Anisops kuroiwae Matsumura: Thimmalai, Rec. zool. Surv. India, Occ. Paper No., 273: 39. Examined material. Jabalpur, Vijay Nagar, ZSI Residential Colony, 27.IX.2010, 2 males, 2 females (EEJ); Shahdol, Bandhavgarh National Park, 7.IX.1972, 2 exx. (HK). Diagnosis. Length male 5. 6-6. 4, female 5.4- 6.3; width, male 1.5-1. 6, female 1.3-1. 8. Interocular space anteriorly produced into a cephalic projection. Cephalic projection in dorsal view rounded at apex, in lateral view extending in front of eye less than half the total length of the frons. In frontal view, tylus and frons are excavate with two carinae on each. Males (Figs. 5, 6) are easily recognized by the structure of the cephalic projection and the frons. Distribution. Widespread in Australasia from southern China to Australia, Southeastern Palaearctic (Japan) and West Malaysia. Distribution in India: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. CONCLUSION In the present study 4 species of aquatic Heteroptera, Gerris nepalensis, Mesovelia horvathi, Valleriola cicindeloides and Anisops kuroiwae, belonging to the infraorders Gerromorpha, Nepomorpha and Leptopodomorpha are newly recorded from Madhya Pradesh. It is interesting to note that Mesovelia horvathi hitherto recorded only from South India (Tamil Nadu) has been reported from Central India. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The authors are thankful to the Director, Dr. K. Venkataraman, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata for facilities and encouragements. We are also thank Dr. Talmale, Assistant Zoologist, Zoological Survey of India, Jabalpur for arranging special tour. REFERENCES Chandra K., Jehamalar E.E. & Thimmalai G., in press. Four new records of Gerroidea (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) from Madhya Pradesh. Records of Zoological Survey of India. Distant W.L., 1 903 . Rhynchota. The Fauna of British India including Ceylon and Burma. Appendix, 5: 143-144. Man Y.C. & Murphy D.H., 2011. Guide to the aquatic Heteroptera of Singapore and peninsular Malaysia. 6. Mesoveliidae, with description of a new Nereivelia species from Singapore. The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, 59: 53-60. Thimmalai G., 1999. Aquatic and semi-aquatic Heteroptera of India. Indian Association of Aquatic Biologists (IAAB) Publication No., 7: 1-74. Thimmalai G., 2001. Insecta: Aquatic and semi-aquatic Heteroptera. Zoological Survey of India, Fauna of Conservation Area Series, II: Fauna of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, 111-127. Thimmalai G., Sharma R.M. & Chandra K., 2007. A checklist of aquatic and semiaquatic Hemiptera (Insecta) of Madhya Pradesh. Records of Zoological Survey of India, 1 07 (Part-4) : 7 1 -9 1 . Biodiversity Journal, 2011, 2 (4): 213-216 On the specific validity of Rupestrella jaeckeli Beckmann, 2002 (Gastropoda, Pulmonata, Chondrinidae) Walter Renda 1 , Marco Bodon 2 & Gianbattista Nardi 3 'Via Bologna 18/a, 87032 Amantea (CS), Italy. 2 Dipartimento di Scienze Anibientali dell'Universita di Siena, Via Mattioli 4, 53100 Siena, Italy. 3 Via Sorzana 43, 25080 Nuvolera (BS), Italy. Corresponding author: W. Renda, email: w.rendal@tin.it. ABSTRACT After studying the shells of a large population of Rupestrella jaeckeli Beckmann, 2002, located ESE of Agrigento (southern Sicily), near the type locality, a complete correspondence of characters with Rupestrella philippii (Cantraine, 1840) was observed; the latter has already been known to occur in central-eastern Sicily as well as other Mediterranean areas. Synonymy is therefore proposed between the two taxa: R. jaeckeli should be more properly considered a junior synonym of R. philippii. KEY WORDS Rupestrella jaeckeli , R. philippii, southern Sicily, taxonomy. Received 30.11.2011; accepted 15.12.2011; printed 30.12.2011 INTRODUCTION The genus Rupestrella Monterosato, 1894, includes xeroresistant and calciphilic molluscs inhabiting calcareous rocks, distributed in the Mediterranean region (Gittenberger, 1973, 1984; Holyoak & Seddon, 1986; Burgos & Gittenberger, 1994; Beckmann, 1997; Bank, 2011). According to the checklist of the family Chondrinidae, recently proposed by Kokshoom & Gittenberger (2010), 15 species and some subspecies are attributed to this genus. While highlighting the need for a critical review of the group, four species were considered belonging to the Italian fauna (Manganelli et al., 1995), all of them also present in Sicily. Three of them are considered endemic to this island: R. occulta (Rossmassler, 1839), R. rupestris (Philippi, 1836) and R. scalaris (Benoit, 1882), while the fourth, R. philippii (Cantraine, 1840), is also widespread in central and southern Italy, Sardinia and the Tuscan Archipelago, as well as the island of Majorca, the Maltese Islands, Croatia, Dalmatia, Albania, Montenegro, Greece, Turkey, Cypms and Libya (Gittenberger, 1984; Giusti et al., 1995; Beckmann, 2007; Kokshoom & Gittenberger, 2010). More recently, Beckmann (2002) has revised the Rupestrella species endemic to Sicily, proceeding to confirm the subspecific level of some taxa described historically ( R . homala homala (Westerlund, 1892); R. occulta gibilfunnensis (De Gregorio, 1895); R. rupestris coloba (Pilsbry, 1918)), and describing some new subspecies (R. homala falkneri Beckmann, 2002, R. homala massae Beckmann, 2002, R. rupestris carolae Beckmann, 2002, R. rupestris lamellosa Beckmann, 2002, and R. rupestris margritae Beckmann, 2002); however many of these do not seem to be very characterised and, probably, they represent phenotypic variations of individual populations or even of specimens of the same population. Finally, in the same article, he has described a new species: R. jaeckeli Beckmann, 2002. This latter entity was separated on the basis of the shell, after analyzing a small number of specimens, collected in two places located in Agrigento (Beckmann, 2002: 73). The recent discovery of a large population of Rupestrella , surveyed in the same area from which the materials studied by Beckmann (2002) had been collected, allowed to check the taxonomic status of R. jaeckeli. 214 Walter Renda, Marco Bodon & Gianbattista Nardi MATERIALS AND METHODS The population object of this note was found on a limestone cliff located 3 km ESE of Agrigento (Fig. 1), 160 m a.s.l. (Municipality of Agrigento, AG), UTM 33S UB7729, where it lives together Figure 1. Distribution of the Rupestrella populations surveyed near Agrigento (southern Sicily). Black circle: site identified by the authors; red circle: site studied by Beckmann (2002). with Rupestrella rupestris (Philippi, 1836). Here more than 200 shells and living adult specimens were found, W. Renda leg. 18.IX.2008 and 09.IV.2009. The visit of the locus typicus of R. jaeckeli , “Sizilien, Mte. Biaggio, Kalkfels SE Agrigenf ’ (Beckmann, 2002), namely the Tempio di Demetra, S. Biagio, Valle dei Templi in Agrigento, UTM 33 S UB7629, which took place in this UNESCO World Heritage Site (Nappi, 2004), under the supervision of assigned staff, highlighted the current complete absence of molluscs belonging to the genus Rupestrella ; amongst the Chondrinidae only Granopupa granum (Draparnaud, 1801) specimens were collected (A. Margelli leg. 12.V.2008). Even in other rocky or raderal areas located in the immediate vicinity of this site, such as Porta di Gela or the other temples in Valle dei Templi (M. Bodon, 04.1.1989 and 30.XII.2007; G. Nardi, 04.X.2011), the presence of the genus Rupestrella was not detected. The typical material from the Jaeckel collection, preserved in the CISMAR collection (Gromitz, Germany), was requested, but without obtaining their authorization. However, good pictures of R. jaeckeli , which have allowed to highlight the apertural armature in detail, in addition to those present in the original publication (Beckmann, 2002), are those available in Welter-Schultes (2009). For the nomenclature of plicae and lamellae inside the shell aperture of the specimens studied, the scheme proposed by Nardi (2009) was followed and, specifically for the genus Rupestrella , that by Beckmann (1997). The materials analysed are stored in the private collections of the authors. DISCUSSION Beckmann (2002) described Rupestrella jaeckeli after studying only four specimens, three of them coming from S. Biagio, the Tempio di Demetra (S.G.A. Jaeckel jun. leg. 04. IV. 1958); the fourth coming from Agrigento, without further and more precise details (W. Blume legit 1958). Beckmann separated this taxon because of the presence of only one palatal plica (the upper one), moreover absent in one of the four specimens, and because of the parietal lamella absent or reduced. He compared R. jaeckeli only withR. occulta (Rossmassler, 1839), an endemic taxon present in western Sicily, not comparing it with R. philippii , a species widely distributed throughout south-eastern Sicily, southern Italy and other Mediterranean countries. Beckmann (2002) identified the latter in the same material from the Jaeckel collection, from the same locality S. Biagio, though with one single specimen. Probably, as the author considered R. jaeckeli and R. philippii sympatric and thus distinct, did not compare them. The material studied by Beckmann (2002) not only is objectively very scarce and very variable, but some of these specimens even seem to be immature (Beckmann, 2002: Tab. 11, Fig. 13). The population studied here, surveyed in a place very close to the locus typicus established by Beckmann for R. jaeckeli (Fig. 1), is undoubtedly attributable to R. philippii and has highlighted a high variability in the morphology of the shell, a phenomenon already known in other populations of the same species (Sacchi, 1954). The adults, with well thickened peristome, show a cylindrical- conical profile (Fig. 2 A), or conical (Fig. 2 B), On the specific validity of Rupestrella jaeckeli Beckmann, 2002 ( Gastropoda , Pulmonata, Chondrinidae) 215 while inside the aperture it is possible to find different combinations of plicae and lamellae. Almost all of the examined shells (97%), have one columellar lamella (columellaris) and two palatal plicae, the upper palatal plica (upper palatalis) and the lower palatal plica (lower palatalis) (Figs. 2 A, 2 B, 2 D), as usually found in R. philippii (Figs. 3 A-C). A small proportion (2.6%) has one columellar lamella and only one palatal plica, the upper palatal plica (Fig. 2 C), while one single shell (0.4%) shows two columellar lamellae and two palatal plicae (Fig. 2 E). The lower palatal plica, when not developed, is either absent or reduced to a rudimentary tubercle (Fig. 2 C), barely visible even in the typical material (Welter- Schultes, 2009: Fig. 1). The presence of an angular lamella (angularis) and a parietal lamella (parietalis) remains rather constant, more or less developed. The specimens without palatal plicae or angular and parietal lamellae present the peristome not thickened, they are therefore considered to be still immature (Figs. 2 F, 2 G). CONCLUSION In light of the variability present in a large population of R. philippii , located near the locus typicus of R. jaeckeli , it is believed that the few specimens on which this latter taxon was described are simply morphological variations of the same species. Synonymy is therefore proposed between the two entities: R. jaeckeli should therefore be considered as a junior synonym of R. philippii. Figure 2. Variability of apertural armature in shells of Rupestrella philippii (Cantraine, 1840) (= R. jaeckeli Beckmann, 2002), belonging to a population collected 3 km ESE of Agrigento, 160 m a.s.l. (municipality of Agrigento, Agrigento, southern Sicily), 33S UB7729, W. Renda leg. 18.IX.2008 and 09.1V.2009. A: specimen with cylindrical-conical profile; B: specimen with conical profile; C: specimen with one columellar lamella and one palatatal plica; D: specimen with one columellar lamella and two palatatal plicae (as specimens A and B); E: specimen with two columellar lamellae and two palatatal plicae; F, G: two immature specimens without palatal plicae inside the aperture and with not thickened peristome (W. Renda and G. Nardi coll.; photo by S. Bartolini). 216 Walter Renda, Marco Bodon & Gianbattista Nardi Figure 3. Shells of Rupestrella philippi (Cantraine, 1840) belonging to different Italian populations. A: specimen from Monte Argentario SSW of Porto S. Stefano, 150 m a.s.l. (municipality of Monte Argentario, Grosseto, Tuscany), 32T PM7398, G. Nardi, A. Braccia & L. Romani leg. 07.XI.2004; B: specimen from S. Maria di Pulsano, 490 m a.s.l. (municipality of Monte S. Angelo, Foggia, Apulia), 33T WG7514, G. Nardi & A. Braccia leg. 22.IH.2001; C: specimen from the archaeological mins of the Teatro Greco, Siracusa, 30 m a.s.l. (municipality of Siracusa, eastern Sicily), 33S WB2403, G. Nardi leg. 06.X.2011 (G. Nardi coll.; photo by S. Bartolini). ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We wish to thank Stefano Bartolini (Florence, Italy) for the photographs of shells and Alessandro Margelli (Santa Maria al Monte, Pisa, Italy) for his unpublished data about the collecting undertaken in Agrigento. REFERENCES Bank R.A., 2011. Fauna Europaea: Mollusca Gastropoda. Fauna Europaea version 2.4, http://www.faunaeur.org. Burgos J.R.A. & Gittenberger E., 1994. New distributional data for Rupestrella dupotetii (Terver) (Gastropoda: Chondrinidae) from Southern Spain and NW. Africa, with notes on allegedly subspecific characters. Journal of Conchology, 34: 351-355. Beckmann K.-H., 1997. A contribution to the knowledge of the Pupillacea. The Rupestrella species of the European- Asiatic Mediterranean area (Gastropoda: Chondrinidae). Heldia, 4: 31-34. Beckmann K.-H., 2002. Elemente einer Revision der endemischen Rupestrellen Siziliens. In: Falkner et al., 2002. Collectanea Malacologica. Weisbaden, Germany, 49-79, pis. 10-13. Beckmann K.-H., 2007. Die Land- und Susswassermollusken der Balearischen Inseln. CLECOMM-Project, ConckBooks, Hackenheim, 255 pp. Gittenberger E., 1973. Beitrage zur Kenntnis der Pupillacea. III. Chondrininae. Zoologische Verhandelingen, 127: 1-267. Gittenberger E., 1984. Vicariantists and dispersalists the Chondrininae (Gastropoda, Pulmonata). In: Solem A. & van Bruggen A.C. (eds.), 1984. World-wide snails. Biogeographical studies on non-marine Mollusca. Leiden, 56-69. Giusti F., Manganelli G. & Schembri P. J., 1995. The non- marine molluscs of the Maltese Islands. Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali (Torino), Monografie, 15: 1-607. Holyoak D.T. & Seddon M.B., 1986. Geographical variation in Rupestrella dupotetii (Terver) (Gastropoda: Chondrinidae) from Morocco and Algeria. Journal of Conchology, 32: 185-190. Kokshoorn B. & Gittenberger E., 2010. Chondrinidae taxonomy revisited: New synonymies, new taxa, and a checklist of species and subspecies (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Pulmonata). Zootaxa, 2539: 1-62. Manganelli G., Bodon M., Favilli L. & Giusti F., 1995. Gastropoda Pulmonata. In: Minelli A., Ruffo S. & La Posta S. (eds.). Checklist delle specie della fauna italiana. Calderini, Bologna, 16, 60 pp. Nappi M.R., 2004. Agrigento: l’area archeologica. In: II patrimonio dell’umanita: tesori salvati e da salvare. Con l’elenco aggiornato dei siti. Touring Club Italiano, Milano, 354 pp. Nardi G., 2009. Una nuova sottospecie di Chondrina megacheilos (De Cristofori & Jan, 1832) per le Prealpi Bresciane (Gastropoda, Pulmonata, Chondrinidae). Bollettino Malacologico, 45: 83-93. Sacchi C.F., 1954. Contribute alia conoscenza faunistica della Campania. Ricerche malacologiche nella regione sorrentina. II. Appunti biogeografici. Annuario dell’Istituto e Museo di Zoologia dell’Universita di Napoli, 6: 1-38, pi. 1. Welter-Schultes F., 2009. Species summary for Rupestrella jaeckeli. www.animalbase.uni-goettingen.de (version 21- 01-2009). Biodiversity Journal, 2011, 2 (4): 217-220 Odostomia brevicula Jeffreys, 1 883 junior synonym of Turbonilla amoena (Monterosato, 1 878) (Gastropoda, Heterobranchia, Pyramidellidae) Riccardo Giannuzzi Savelli 1 , Pasquale Micali 2 , Italo Nofroni 3 & Francesco Pusateri 4 1 Via Mater Dolorosa 54 - 90146 Palermo, Italy; email: malakos@tin.it 2 Via Papiria, 17 - 61032 Fano (PU), Italy; email: lino.micali@virgilio.it 3 Via B. Croce, 97 - 00142 Roma, Italy; email: italo.nofroni@uniromal.it 4 Via Castellana 64 - 90135 Palermo, Italy; email: francesco@pusateri.it ABSTRACT Based on the study of the type material of Odostomia brevicula Jeffreys, 1883, deposited in the United States National Museum Washington (USNM), this doubtful taxon appears to be based on two immature shells of Turbonilla amoena (Monterosato, 1878) of which it shall be considered a junior synonym. KEY WORDS Chrysallida brevicula, Turbonilla amoena, recent, Mediterranean Sea. Received 30.11.2011; accepted 20.12.2011; printed 30.12.2011 INTRODUCTION Odostomia brevicula Jeffreys, 1883 was described on two speciemens, indicated by the Author as “more or less imperfect”, dredged off Crete (Aegean Sea) at a depth of 70-120 fathoms (128-220 m). Original description (Jeffreys, 1883: p. 397): “SHELL conical, solid, opaque, and glossy; sculpture , short, strong, straight, and rather sharp longitudinal ribs, of which there are about a dozen on the last whorl; they terminate abruptly at the periphery, which is bluntly angulated; the interstices of the ribs have an excavated appearance; under the microscope the whole surface is covered lengthwise with very fine and close-set striae; the apex is quite smooth and polished; colour clear white; spire short; whorls 4 (besides the bulbous and heterostrophe embryonic nucleus), compressed, and gradually enlarging; the last is almost equal to half the spire; suture shallow and nearly straight; mouth oval, pointed at the base; pillar curved; tooth small and indistinct, tubercular, placed on the upper part of the pillar; umbilicus none; L. 0.1, B. 0.05”. The species was figured by Jeffreys (1883: pi. 16, fig. 4), but the original drawing, here copied (Lig. 1), is not much clear and has not allowed a clear recognition of this species by the later Authors. As concerns the allocation in genus Odostomia , it is useful to point out that Jeffreys used to place in this genus almost all species of Pyramidellidae and, in particular, the species currently placed in Odostomia Lleming, 1813, Ondina De Lolin, 1869, Turbonilla Risso, 1826, Eulimella Jeffreys, 1847 e Chrysallida P.P. Carpenter, 1856. Therefore the generic allocation has not helped the Authors that successively tried to understand this taxon. Monterosato (1884: 88) proposed for this species the new name Pyrgulina abbreviata for O. brevicula Jeffreys, 1883 not Monterosato, 1878, that was however a nomen nudum, therefore there is not the need of a replacement. Really Monterosato was not aware of another and valid senior homonym that is O. brevicula A. 218 R. Giannuzzi Savelli, R Micali, I. Nofroni & R Pusateri Figure 1. Odostomia brevicula Jeffreys, 1883, original drawing. Figures 2-5. Holotype of Odostomia brevicula. Fig. 2: frontal view (bar line = 0.2 mm). Figs. 3, 4: detail of protoconch (bar line = 0.1 mm). Fig. 5: detail of axial microsculpture (bar line = 0.05 mm). Figure 6. Paratype of Odostomia brevicula , dorsal view (bar line = 0.2 mm). Figure 7. Turbonilla amoena. Frontal view, shell from Vibo Marina (VV) -200 m, 2007, S. Bartolini coll, (bar line = 0.25 mm). Oclostomia brevicula Jeffreys, 1883 junior synonym of Turbonilla amoena (Monterosato, 1878) (Gastropoda, Heterobranchia, Pyramidellidae) 219 Adams 1861, from sea of China, and this makes available the name proposed by Monterosato. Kobelt (1905: 133, pi. 71, fig. 18) placed O. brevicula in Parthenina B.D.D., 1883, giving a misleading description in German (it is different from the description in Latin), because the striae, indicated in the original description as “lengthwise”, that means axial, are indicated as spiral. Nordsieck (1972: 97, pi. PII, fig. 3) drew under this name an immature specimen of Turbonilla jeffreysii (Forbes & Hanley, 1850). Aartsen (1977: 52) examined the type material, pointing out that the specimens were “badly preserved and [omissis] fixed to a carton with a fair amount of adhesive”. The Author clearly stated that “the figure by Nordsieck can not be this species”. Waren (1980: 37), in his work on Jeffreys’s types, stated that at the l’USNM (United States National Museum of Natural History) of Washington are present the “partly broken” holotype, registered at n° 132507, and a paratype registered at n° 132504. A question mark was put by the Author before the name, to indicate an uncertain systematic value. Based on these doubtful bibliographic records, this species was included in the recent list of species (Piani 1980; Bruschi et al., 1985; Sabelli et al., 1990-1992; Cossignani & Ardovini, 2011) under the name Chrysallida brevicula , with doubtful specific validity. MATERIALS AND METHODS The present work was carried out by examining photos of two specimens of the type series kept at the Department of Invertebrate Zoology National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, USA (Figs. 2-6) RESULTS AND CONCLUSION From the study of the photos it is clear that Odostomia brevicula is based on two immature specimens of Turbonilla amoena (Monterosato, 1878), a species quite rare on muddy bottoms of the bathyal zone, but widely distributed in the Mediterranean (Fig. 7). The holotype (Figs. 2-5) is 2.46 mm high, as indicated by the Author. A characteristic of this species, but also of others belonging to same group, is the presence of an axial micro sculpture consisting of irregular folds (Fig. 5), different from growth lines. The sinonimy proposed by Carrozza & Nofroni (1993) for Turbonilla amoena shall be therefore updated as follow: Turbonilla amoena (Monterosato, 1878) = Odostomia (Turbonilla) venusta Monterosato, 1875 not Issel, 1869 = Odostomia compressa Jeffreys, 1884 = Odostomia brevicula Jeffreys, 1883 not A. Adams, 1861 = Pyrgulina abbreviata Monterosato, 1884 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We are grateful to Jerry Harasewych and Yolanda Villacampa (Smithsonian Institution, USA) for the SEM photos of type material and to Stefano Bartolini for the digital photo. REFERENCES Aartsen J.J. van, 1977. European Pyramidellidae: I. Chtysallida. Conchiglie, 13: 49-64. Bruschi A., Ceppadomo I., Galli C. & Piani P., 1985. Caratterizzazione ecotipologica delle coste italiane. Catalogo dei molluschi conchiferi viventi nel Mediterraneo. Ed. ENEA, Roma, 111 pp. Carrozza F. & Nofroni I., 1993. Sulla validita specifica di Turbonilla amoena (Monterosato, 1878) e sua priorita rispetto a Turbonilla compressa (Jeffreys, 1884) (Heterostropha: Pyramidellidae). Bollettino Malacologico, 29: 97-191. Cossignani T. & Ardovini R., 2011. Malacologia Mediterranea. Informatore Piceno, Ancona, 540 pp. Jeffreys J.G., 1883. Mediterranen Mollusca (No. 3) and other Invertebrata. Ann als and Magazine of Natural History 5, 11: 393-401. 220 R. Giannuzzi Savelli, R Micali, I. Nofroni & R Pusateri Kobelt W., 1905. Iconographie der schalentragenden europaischen Meeresconchylien, 3. C. W. Kreidel’s Verlag, Wiesbaden. 406 pp, pis. 59-98. Monterosato, T. Allery de Maria, 1884. Nomenclatura generica e specifica di alcune conchiglie mediterranee. Stabilimento Tipografico Virzi, Palermo, 152 pp. Nordsieck F., 1972. Die europaischen Meeresschnecken (Opisthobranchia mit Pyramidellidae; Rissoacea). Jena, Gustav Fischer, 327 pp. Piani P., 1980. Catalogo dei molluschi conchiferi viventi nel Mediterraneo. Bollettino Malacologico, 16: 113-224. Sabelli B., Giannuzzi Savelli R. & Bedulli D., 1990-1992. Catalogo annotato dei molluschi marini del Mediterraneo. Libreria Naturalistica Bolognese, Bologna, 3 vols, 781 pp. Waren A., 1980. Marine Mollusca described by John Gwyn Jeffreys, with the location of the type material. Conchological Society of Great Britan and Ireland. Special publication, 1 . London, 60 pp.