Lost in hostile lands: moths of conservation concern in cultivated and suburban areas of south Italy Author Bevacqua, Laura https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5226-2684 Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Forestry and Wood, Rende, Cosenza, Italy laura.bevacqua@outlook.it Author Zucco, Giada https://orcid.org/0009-0000-1119-5737 Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Forestry and Wood, Rende, Cosenza, Italy Author Garofalo, Kevin https://orcid.org/0009-0006-8759-1449 Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Forestry and Wood, Rende, Cosenza, Italy Author Muzzalupo, Innocenzo https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0264-1392 Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Forestry and Wood, Rende, Cosenza, Italy Author Scalercio, Stefano https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5838-1315 Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Forestry and Wood, Rende, Cosenza, Italy text Nature Conservation 2023 2023-12-21 54 203 215 http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.54.108425 journal article http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.54.108425 1314-3301-54-203 E9E254904B2F4DFA984AEE64215A09E8 6309A493740E51468AEE69A7A047AFC6 Boudinotiana notha ( Huebner , 1803) Fig. 5 New record. Calabria: Contrada Rocchi (Rende, Cosenza Province), 39.3675°N , 16.2282°E , 10.III.2022 (1 male). Figure 5. Collected specimen of Boudinotiana notha : Contrada Rocchi, Rende, Cosenza, 10.III.2022, male, wingspan: 32 mm. In Calabria, Boudinotiana notha was found in a suburban area demonstrating that it can survive also where only remnants of riparian forest grow (Fig. 6 ), which is the habitat type where the larvae can be found. Preferred habitats are characterised by wind-protected areas, such as glades, valleys, forest-rides usually on wet, peaty or sandy soils near groundwater ( Hausmann 2001 ). It occurs often near pioneer trees of Populus tremula , but also old trees. Adults can be attracted by Salix and rap runs. It flies exclusively during the day on sunny mornings and, during the afternoon, flies around P. tremula or rests on their twigs. It can be found from 0 m up to 1000 m above sea level ( Hausmann 2001 ). For pupation, the B. notha caterpillar makes a hole in rotten wood and the pupation tubes are closed by a small cover made of gnawed wood (https://lepiforum.org). The species is univoltine and flies from late February to mid-April in Italy, from early April to mid-May in northern Europe. Larval stages can be found from early May to early July in Italy, from June to July in northern Europe. It overwinters as pupa, sometimes for two or three years ( Hausmann 2001 ). Figure 6. Calabrian collection site of Boudinotiana notha . Blue and white square indicates the collecting point, where the specimen was found resting on the soil. Photo: Giuseppe Rijllo. Several records are available from web platforms of citizen science, whereas published data are very scarce in Italy. It was commonly found from the Po Valley to the Alps, in Piemonte and Lombardia and scattered records are reported from Alpine areas in other regions, with the exclusion of Valle d'Aosta . It is very rare in peninsular Italy where it was recorded in a small area of Tuscany, in one locality of the Circeo National Park in Lazio and in a lowland forest in Puglia (Fig. 7 ). It was recorded also on other species of Populus , for example, P. nigra or exceptionally on Salix in Europe ( Hausmann 2001 ). Adults were repeatedly observed also in P. alba stands ( Zdenek Lastuvka , pers. comm). Despite the field efforts carried out after the first finding in the same location and its neighbouring areas, but also in well-preserved riparian habitats of the Crati Valley during 2022 and 2023, no additional individuals were observed. Adults are very active in sunny days and easy to be detected as demonstrated by the large number of observations available for this species in citizen-science platforms. Then, the lack of additional observations leads us to hypothesise that the presence of very small populations are likely in need of conservation actions. Beside the habitat reduction due to the increasing urbanisation at low altitudes, its habitat is strongly threatened by the reduced precipitations expected in the next decades, more pronounced in the Mediterranean Basin ( Brunetti et al. 2012 ). Figure 7. Italian distribution of Boudinotiana notha . Red circle: new finding in south Italy. General distribution. Boudinotiana notha can be found mostly in Europe and in part of Asia, in particular Russia and Japan (GBIF.org). In Europe, it occurs in the central-eastern part of the continent, specifically Austria, Belarus, Belgium, United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Danish mainland, European Russia, Estonia, European Turkey, Finland, French mainland, Germany, Hungary, Kaliningrad Region, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norwegian mainland, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spanish mainland, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands and Ukraine ( Karsholt and Nieukerken 2013 ). Italian distribution. Piemonte: Eremo, Torino (Giorna 1791--1793); Localita Madonnina, Brignano Frascata, Alessandria, 3.III.1997 ( Cabella and Fiori 2006 ); Ponte Stura Ghiaia Grande, Alessandria, 3.III.2007 (Cabella C., pers. comm.); Gravere, Torino, 18.IV.2018 (Cabella C., pers. comm.); torrente Scrivia, Villa Ivernia, Alessandria, 3.IV.2022 (Cabella C., pers. comm.); Magnano, Biella, 45.4656°N , 8.0298°E , 23.III.2022 (1 male), recorded by Simone Bocca (iNaturalist); Greggio, Vercelli, 45.4586°N , 8.3957°E , 27.II.2022 (1 male), Front, Torino, 45.2628°N , 7.6800°E , 29.II.2021 (1 ex.), recorded by Alessandra Serini (iNaturalist); Rubiana, Torino, 45.1837°N , 7.3479°E , 10.III.2019 (1 male), recorded by Vuillermoz (iNaturalist); Borgone Susa, Torino, 45.1303°N , 7.2406°E , 10.III.2021 (1 male), recorded by Francesca de Leo (iNaturalist); Mompantero, Torino, 45.1477°N , 7.0948°E , 09.III.2020 (1 male), Gravere, Torino, 45.1175°N , 7.0118°E , 30.III.2019 (1 female), Usseaux, Torino, 45.0661°N , 7.0610°E , 17.II.2020 (1 male), Roure, Torino, 45.0567°N, 7.1149°E, 08.III.2019 (1 male), Oulx, Torino, 45.0276°N , 6.8003°E , 01.III.2019 (1 male), Giaveno, Torino, 45.0100°N , 7.3047°E , 10.III.2021 (1 male), recorded by bferrero (iNaturalist); Perrero, Torino, 44.9249°N , 7.1791°E , 16.III.2021 (1 male), recorded by Andrea Pane (iNaturalist). Lombardia: Colli di San Fermo, Bergamo, mid-March-May ( Foehst 1991 ); Veddasca, Varese, 46.0824°N , 8.7979°E , 22.II.2020 (1 ex.), recorded by giuss91 (iNaturalist); Cantello, Varese, 45.8230°N , 8.8742°E , 13.III.2020 (1 ex.), recorded by Mirko Tomasi (iNaturalist); Malnate, Varese, 2.IV.2021(1 female), recorded by Mirko Tomasi (naturamediterraneo); Cesano Maderno, Monza e Brianza, 45.6274°N , 9.1296°E , 29.III.2019 (1 male), Cesano Maderno, Monza e Brianza, 45.6274°N , 9.1250°E , 16.III.2019 (1 female), Cesano Maderno, Monza e Brianza, 45.6253°N , 9.1228°E , 25.III.2019 (1 male), recorded by alilibere (iNaturalist); Acquanegra Sul Chiese, Mantova, 45.1411°N , 10.4421°E , 08.III.2020 (1 ex.), Acquanegra Sul Chiese, Mantova, 45.1382°N , 10.4361°E , 21.II.2021 (1ex.), 02.II.2019 (1 male) recorded by Francesco Cerere (iNaturalist); Motta Baluffi, Cremona, 45.0342°N , 10.2409°E , 24.II.2019 (1 male), recorded by Fausto Leandri (iNaturalist); Motta Baluffi, Cremona, 45.0311°N , 10.2299° E, 28.II.2019 (1 male), recorded by Matteo (iNaturalist); Casalmaggiore, Cremona, 44.9557°N , 10.4894°E , 13.IV.2017 (1 larva), 19.II.2020 (1 ex.), recorded by Tiziana Dinolfo (iNaturalist); Voghera, Pavia, 45.0344°N , 8.9852°E , 01.III.2019 (1 female), recorded by Associazione Naturalistica Codibugnolo (iNaturalist); Bannio Anzino, Verbanio-Cusio-Ossola, 650 m elev., 28.III.2018 (1 male), recorded by Bantorp (naturamediterraneo); Viadana, Mantova, 26.II.2020 (some specimens), recorded by Tiziana Dinolfo (naturamediterraneo). Trentino: Suedtirol ( Kitschelt 1925 ); surroundings of the Lago di Garda ( Wolfsberger 1965 ). Alto Adige: Ulten ( Hinterwaldner 1867 ); Sonnenberghang, Naturns ( Daniel and Wolfsberger 1957 ); Taufers/Waalweg, 1250 m elev., 46.657°N , 10.477°E , 14.IV.2013 (2 exx.), Huemer P. leg (BOLD); Bolzano, Bolzano, 46.4792°N , 11.3483°E , 10.III.2021 (1 ex.), recorded by Zenzi Martin (iNaturalist); Bolzano, Bolzano, 46.4788°N , 11.3491°E , 07.III.2021 (1 ex.), recorded by Verena Trockner (iNaturalist); Segonzano, Trento, 46.1896°N , 11.2509°E , 15.V.2020 (1 larva), recorded by Karol Tabarelli de Fatis (iNaturalist). Veneto: Valdastico, Vicenza, 24.III.2010 (2 males), recorded by Archimede24 (naturamediterraneo). Friuli: San Leonardo, Udine, 150 m, 12.III.1994 (1 maschio), C. Morandini leg. ( Cicerale and Sciarretta 2005 ). Venezia Giulia: Strazig, Gorizia, 8.III (1 es.) ( Hafner 1910 ); Salcano, Gorizia, 15-30.III (some specimens) ( Hafner 1910 ). Emilia-Romagna: Modena, 24.III.2010 (1 ex.), recorded by Enrico Ferrari (naturamediterraneo). Toscana: Torniella, Torrente Farma, Grosseto, 300 m elev., 2.IV.1991 (1 femmina) ( Fabiano and Zilli 1998 ); Iesa, Siena, 350 m elev., II-IV ( Dapporto et al. 2005 ); Bagni di Petriolo, Siena, 160-300 m elev., II-IV ( Dapporto et al. 2005 ); Torniella, Grosseto, 300-400 m elev., II-IV ( Dapporto et al. 2005 ); Carpineto, Siena, 200 m elev., II-IV ( Dapporto et al. 2005 ); Civitella Paganico, Grosseto, 43.0847°N , 11.3131°E , 17.III.1999 (1 ex.), recorded by L. Dapporto (iNaturalist). Lazio: Parco Nazionale del Circeo, foresta planiziale, 24.III.1995 (1 male) ( Fabiano and Zilli 1998 ). Puglia: Torre Fantine, Chieuti, Foggia, 27-II-2002 (1 female), T. Cicerale leg. ( Cicerale and Sciarretta 2005 ).