ARPHA Conference Abstracts : Conference Abstract
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Corresponding author: Roberto Viviano (roberto.viviano3@outlook.com)
Received: 13 Sep 2019 | Published: 13 Sep 2019
© 2019 Ignazio Sparacio, Roberto Viviano
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation: Sparacio I, Viviano R (2019) Saproxylic beetles (Insecta: Coleoptera) on an old beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) in Madonie Mountains (Sicily, Italy). ARPHA Conference Abstracts 2: e46540. https://doi.org/10.3897/aca.2.e46540
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Saproxylic insects associated with old trees are seriously threatened in Europe and their habitat is severely decreased. Usually, old trees harbour a very diverse fauna of beetles with many rare species and red-listed saproxylic insect species. These insects live in the dead wood outside the tree (in branches or parts of the trunk), inside the tree hollows, in the debris, and in fungal fruit bodies.
During 2019 we collected saproxylic beetles near Monte Carbonara (Madonie Mountains, Sicily, Italy) at 1800 meters above sea level. Particularly, we studied a very old still standing beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), t with numerous cavities and parts of the trunk fallen to the ground.
Samples were collected by visually looking for beetles, on the ground and under leaves near the old beech, in its cavities and sifting the debris in the laboratory.
Up to date the results include interesting beetle species such as Osmoderma cristinae Sparacio, 1994 (Cetoniidae), Byrrhus numidicus Normand, 1935 (Byrrhidae), Rosalia alpina (Linnaeus, 1758) and Morimus asper Sulzer, 1776 (Cerambycidae).
biodiversity, conservation, beetles
Ignazio Sparacio
Vth International Congress on Biodiversity: „Taxonomy, Speciation and Euro-Mediterranean Biodiversity”