Shedding Light on the Shadows: Hidden Diversity in the Italian Embioptera.

In order to better understand the differences at the species level in webspinners (Embioptera), the authors applied a different approach rather than the usual slide mounting, which has been traditionally used in the study of these insects. The dissection of the male terminalia, besides avoiding the limits of definitive preparations, which prevent a complete comparison of the type material, allowed a complete understanding and comparison of these three-dimensional structures. This new method, which does not necessarily exclude the previous approach, allowed the authors to identify and describe three new species in Italy: from Tuscany ( sp.

The worldwide occurrence of Sceliphron caementarium (Drury, 1773) outside its native range, with new records (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae).

Sceliphron caementarium (Drury, 1773) is a Nearctic mud-dauber wasp, accidentally introduced in various parts of the world. All literature records of its distribution outside its native range are summarized and many new records are provided, showing the quick spreading of this species. The countries and the islands in which Sceliphron caementarium occurs are summarized and ordered chronologically according to the date of the first record.

New substitute name Attenboroughctena nom. nov. for the genus Ceroctena Carré amp; Carré, 1991 (Ctenophora: Cydippida: Pleurobrachiidae).

Attenboroughctena Ceccolini Cianferoni nom. nov. is established as the new name for the genus Ceroctena Carré Carré, 1991 (Ctenophora: Cydippida: Pleurobrachiidae), preoccupied by Ceroctena Guenée, 1852 (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

Interspecific and interpopulation variation in individual diet specialization: Do environmental factors have a role?

Individual diet specialization (IS) has important community- and population-level implications and its ecological drivers are actively investigated. Here, to test the hypothesis that local environmental conditions may influence IS in wild populations, we analyzed the stomach contents of 395 individuals from eight populations of five allopatric species of European cave salamanders (genus Hydromantes). We assessed whether their degree of individual diet specialization (1) scaled positively with the respective niche widths, in agreement with Van Valen's niche variation hypothesis (NVH), and (2) could be predicted by satellite-derived climatic and vegetation characteristics of the sites where the populations live.

What shapes the trophic niche of European plethodontid salamanders?

The trophic niche is a life trait that identifies the consumer's position in a local food web. Several factors, such as ontogeny, competitive ability and resource availability contribute in shaping species trophic niches. To date, information on the diet of European Hydromantes salamanders are only available for a limited number of species, no dietary studies have involved more than one species of the genus at a time, and there are limited evidences on how multiple factors interact in determining diet variation.

Field-recorded data on the diet of six species of European Hydromantes cave salamanders.

The availability of data on the feeding habits of species of conservation value may be of great importance to develop analyses for both scientific and management purposes. Stomach flushing is a harmless technique that allowed us to collect extensive data on the feeding habits of six Hydromantes species. Here, we present two datasets originating from a three-year study performed in multiple seasons (spring and autumn) on 19 different populations of cave salamanders.