Davide Badano

University of Siena | UNISI · Department of Life Sciences

Nemopteridae (spoon-winged or thread-winged lacewings) is a rare group in China, with significant value of conservation. Here, we report a new species of spoon-winged lacewing species, and the third known from China, namely Brevistoma raksasiae Zheng, Ni & Liu sp. nov. (Nemopteridae: Nemopterinae) from the Turpan Basin in Xinjiang. We also revise t...

The poorly known antlion genus Cuca Navás, 1923, is revised, including the redescription of the type species C. impressa Navás, 1923, and the description of a new species Cuca racha sp. nov. from Vietnam. The two species differ in wing shape and chaetotaxy of female genitalia. The genus Cuca is, to date, only present in Vietnam.

Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) are poised to become a powerful tool for identifying regions that host unique biodiversity. With their great diversity, insects hold significant potential as indicators for global KBA mapping, even in highly specialized and narrowly distributed habitats. For instance, species adapted to fragmented ecosystems like coast...

The complete mitochondrial genome of the shining leaf chafer Mimela junii was sequenced and is herein described. The mitogenome consists of a circular molecule of 16,805 bp, with an overall AT content of 75.7%. It encodes for 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA genes (tRNAs), two ribosomal RNA genes (rRNAs) and contains a non-coding Con...

Background Myrmeleontidae are conspicuous insects with moderate species diversity, which are reasonably well studied in Europe. However, dedicated samplings in the Mediterranean region carried out in the last years suggest that the state of knowledge of the representatives of this family occurring in outhern Europe is far from ideal. Over 40 specie...

The larvae of Neuroptera are predators that feed by injecting bioactive compounds into their prey and then suctioning the fluids through modified mouthparts. We explore the evolutionary history of this feeding structure through the examination of a new fossil larva preserved in Late Cretaceous Kachin amber, which we describe as new genus and specie...

The antlion genera Gatzara and Nepsalus (Myrmeleontidae: Dendroleontinae) inhabit mountain forests and are characterised by camouflaging larvae. Both genera remain poorly known despite recent findings on systematics and distribution. We report the discovery of new specimens and the previously unknown larvae of the rare species Gatzara jubilaea Navá...

The larvae of Neuroptera are predators that feed by injecting bioactive compounds into their prey and then suctioning the fluids through modified mouthparts. We explore the evolutionary history of this feeding structure through the examination of a new fossil larva preserved in Late Cretaceous Kachin amber, which we describe as new genus and specie...

The c. 100 myr extensive fossil record of bee brood nests and cells (calichnia) in siliciclastic sedimentary deposits, or palaeosols, is virtually devoid of the presence of their producers. The absence of a more specific assignment to a producer of the different ichnogenera of the ichnofamily Celliformidae precludes their use in phylogenetic and pa...

A review of hexapod systematics in Italian language.

Raphidioptera

Megaloptera

Neuroptera

We present the state of knowledge on the family Myrmeleontidae occurring in North Macedonia based on published records, museum specimens and new samples, and provide a comprehensive species list. North Macedonia represents only 3.9% of the area of the Balkan Peninsula but harbours 19 species belonging to 14 antlion genera, i.e., 61% of the peninsul...

Dance flies and relatives (Empidoidea) are a diverse and ecologically important group of Diptera in nearly all modern terrestrial ecosystems. Their fossil record, despite being scattered, attests to a long evolutionary history dating back to the early Mesozoic. Here, we describe seven new species of Empidoidea from Cretaceous Kachin amber inclusion...

In the context of biodiversity maintenance in agricultural environments and of risk reduction related to the use of phytosanitary products, it seems essential to improve our knowledge of the beneficial insects that develop in these ecosystems. This article reviews the state of knowledge regarding insect auxiliaries and highlights the main faunal, e...

The tribe Acanthoplectrini (Myrmeleontidae: Dendroleontinae) includes a group of antlion genera widely distributed across the Australasian and Oriental regions. The intergeneric and interspecific relationships between or within the Australian and Oriental lineages of this tribe as well as their historical biogeography remain largely unexplored. Her...

Dipteran parasitoids of Embioptera (webspinners) are few and extremely rare but known from all biogeographical regions except Australasia/Oceania. All belong to the fly family Tachinidae, a hyperdiverse and widespread clade of parasitoids attacking a variety of arthropod orders. The webspinner-parasitizing Diptera are reviewed based mostly on recor...

The larvae of Italochrysa italica (Rossi, 1790) were observed in nature for the first time since the original observations by Princ ipi in the 1940s. Several larvae of this species were found in different nests of the arboreal ant Crematogaster scutellaris (Olivier, 1792) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in dead oaks in the Italian Apennines. The present...

The species of Haploglenius of French Guiana are reviewed, and an identification key to the species occurring in the arrondissement is presented. A new species of the genus, Haploglenius legnotos, tentatively inferred to be endemic, is described, figured, and compared with congeners. It is diagnosed by its relatively short antennae among species in...

Fossils sometimes show unusual morphological features absent in living organisms, making it difficult to reconstruct both their affinity and their function. We describe here a new lacewing larva, Ankyloleon caudatus gen. et sp.n. (Neuroptera) from the Cretaceous amber of Myanmar, characterized by an abdomen unique among insects, with ‘tail-like’ te...

Antlion larvae (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae) are among the most iconic of all insect larvae, thanks to their ferocious appearance and their sophisticated hunting technique, i.e. building a funnel-shaped pit trap in the sand to catch other insects. This remarkable behaviour attracted the attention of early naturalists and allowed to these insects to...

Dilaridae are an ancient relict lineage of lacewings, whose life history is poorly known. We investigated the external morphology of the first and second instar larvae of Dilar duelli Aspöck U. and Aspöck H., 1995, based on reared and collected specimens by means of scanning electron microscopy. Larvae of Dilar are characterized by straight mandibu...

Phoroid flies are an ancient lineage of Diptera, which includes megadiverse, widespread groups like the scuttle flies, as well as species-poor, sometimes relict, groups like flatfooted and ironic flies. The earliest fossils of phoroid flies are from Early Cretaceous. In this paper we describe a second species of the enigmatic phoroid fly genus Leba...

The larvae of Ascalaphus dicax are redescribed based on specimens reared under laboratory conditions. The third instar larva of this species resembles in overall morphology the congener A. festivus, though differing in body pattern and arrangement of thoracic and abdominal setiferous processes.

Background Meligethes are pollen-beetles associated with flowers of Rosaceae as larvae. This genus currently consists of 63 known species in two subgenera, Meligethes and Odonthogethes, predominantly occurring in the eastern Palaearctic. We analyzed 74 morphological and ecological characters (169 states) of all species, as well as of 11 outgroup sp...

Two new species of Coniopterygidae, Coniopteryx (Coniopteryx) tenuisetosa sp. nov. , and Coniopteryx (Coniopteryx) serrata sp. nov. , are described from China. Both species differ from congeners in characters of the male genitalia. Coniopteryx (Coniopteryx) alticola Sziráki, 2002, is recorded from China for the first time. A key to species of the g...

A key to the world genera and a checklist of the world species for the family Polleniidae, including distributions, are provided. The following taxonomic and nomenclatural changes are proposed: Nitellia hermoniella Lehrer, 2007 = Pollenia mediterranea Grunin, 1966, syn. nov., Pollenia bentalia Lehrer, 2007 = Pollenia semicinerea Villeneuve, 1911, s...

Nine species of Cymothales, one of the most characteristic African antlion genera, are known from the Guineo-Congolian rainforests. A new species, Cymothales massaronei sp. nov. is described here from Gabon. Cymothales massaronei sp. nov. is characterized by the fifth tarsomere equal in length to the first tarsomere, but differs from all of the con...

Background: Meligethes are pollen-beetles associated with flowers of Rosaceae as larvae. This genus, in its present-day concept, consists of 63 known species in two subgenera, Meligethes and Odonthogethes, predominantly occurring in the eastern Palaearctic. We analyzed 61 morphological and ecological characters (128 states) of all species, as well...

Meligethes are pollen-beetles associated with flowers of Rosaceae as larvae. This genus, in its present-day concept, consists of 63 known species in two subgenera, Meligethes and Odonthogethes, predominantly occurring in the eastern Palaearctic. We analyzed 74 morphological and ecological characters (169 states) of all species, as well as of 11 out...

Background: Meligethes are pollen-beetles associated with flowers of Rosaceae as larvae. This genus currently consists of 63 known species in two subgenera, Meligethes and Odonthogethes, predominantly occurring in the eastern Palaearctic. We analyzed 74 morphological and ecological characters (169 states) of all species, as well as of 11 outgroup s...

Historically, biological collections had a promi - nent role in disclosing the diversity of life across the globe, developing into natural history museums, which became not only the repository of type specimens but also the fundamental basis for any comparative study, the prerequisite of taxonomy. From the second half of the nineteenth and in the t...

Cyprus is rich in endemics; however, all but two lacewing species are shared with the mainland. Thus, the discovery of a new morphologically distinct species of chrysopid belonging to the extensively studied genus Chrysopa, Chrysopa niki n. sp., appears remarkable. While most Chrysopa species differ in relatively subtle morphological characters, th...

The authors report the first record in Italy and the third in the World of Neofusicoccum buxi. This fungus was found as an agent of leaf spots on Buxus sempervirens plants infested by the invasive insect Cydalima perspectalis in a habitat 5110 (EU 92/43 Directive).

In this paper is reported for the first time with certainty the presence in Italy of the genus Xanthochroina, exhibiting a Holarctic discontinuous distribution. The Mediterranean species X. auberti is recorded from western Liguria and information on the range of the species is updated.

The world Rhinophoridae are catalogued, recognising 33 genera and 177 species. Nomenclatural information is provided for all genus-group and species-group names, including lists of synonyms and name-bearing type data. Species distributions are recorded by country. A key to the world genera is presented. Four new genera are erected to accommodate fi...

Neuroptera, commonly known as lacewings due to their intricately veined wings, are ranked among the minor lineages of holometabolous insects, with ca. 6000 described species. The better known representatives of the group are undoubtedly Chrysopidae, or green lacewings, which are highly valued in biological control since their larvae are efficient p...

Agroecological research was carried out in northern Cameroon from 2008 to 2014 to develop a strategy aiming to encourage the action of natural enemies against lepidopteran pests in cotton crops and in surrounding landscapes. Tachinidae is one of the most diverse families of Diptera in the Afrotropics and represents an important group of endoparasit...

The 24 members of the Euro‐Asiatic genus Thymogethes are highly specialized pollen beetles associated as larvae with flowers of Lamiaceae Nepetoideae. All members of the genus were analysed in within the framework of an integrative taxonomy approach, which was aimed to reconstruct the phylogenetic relationships, as well as the possible pattern of e...

A phylogenetic analysis of selected oestroid taxa based on 66 morphological traits and sequences from three nuclear protein‐coding genes ( CAD , MAC , MCS ) resolved the composition and phylogenetic position of the former subfamily Polleniinae of the Calliphoridae – here resurrected at family rank as Polleniidae Brauer & Bergenstamm, 1889 stat. rev...

The remarkable diversity of antlions in the Afrotropical region is counterbalanced by the scarce knowledge of their biology and ecology. In particular, their larval stages are largely unknown and the morphology of African pit-building species was never investigated in detail. The larvae of three pit-building species attaining a wide distribution ac...

La mariposa del boj, Cydalima perspectalis (Walker, 1859), es una especie invasora de origen asiático asociada al boj, ha despertado enseguida la atención en Europa a causa del daño provocado a las plantas ornamentales y a su rápida difusión. Sin embargo, sus efectos sobre las formaciones naturales de boj, ha quedado escasamente estudiada, especial...

The box tree moth, Cydalima perspectalis (Walker, 1859), an invasive alien species of Asian origin associated with box trees, gained immediate attention in Europe due to the damage caused to ornamental stands and its rapid spread. However, its effects on natural box tree formations remained poorly investigated, especially in Southern Europe. In Lig...

The antlions (Myrmeleontidae) of Cyprus have been poorly studied and only 13 species were known from this biogeographically interesting island. In light of new field research, we provide an updated checklist to the Cypriot antlions, including seven species reported for the first time from the island. Of these, the findings of the Middle Eastern spe...

Myrmeleontiformia are an ancient group of lacewing insects characterized by predatory larvae with unusual morphologies and behaviours. Mostly soil dwellers with a soft cuticle, their larvae fossilize only as amber inclusions, and thus their fossil record is remarkably sparse. Here, we document a disparate assemblage of myrmeleontiform larvae from t...

DNA barcoding aims at providing an efficient method for species level separation using a partial sequence of the mitochondrial COI gene. But DNA barcode represent just one important descriptor in the framework of the multidimensional species approach. A huge effort of morphological and faunal studies has been realized for the Neuropterida of Italy:...

Abstract. New records of lacewings of Montecristo Island (Insecta: Neuroptera). We report the results of entomological surveys done in 2011 and 2012. We identified 14 Neuroptera species, 7 of which are new records for the island and, among them, 4 are new for the Tuscan archipelago as a whole: Coniopteryx sp. (Coniopterygidae); Wesmaelius subnebulo...

Forest-dwelling myrmeleontids are often inadequately known and poorly represented in collections, impeding the study of their affinities and ecology. An exceptional example is the Neotropical species Ripalda insignis (Rambur, 1842), described on a single specimen and never observed again for more than 170 years. The recent rediscovery of this speci...

The systematic position of the antlion Pseudimares Kimmins has been disputed since description of the genus. Pseudimares is one of the most enigmatic and unusual members of Myrmeleontidae and probably of all Neuroptera. The taxon has been usually tied to the antlion subfamily Palparinae, although its phylogenetic affinities have never been thorough...

Analysis of anchored hybrid enrichment (AHE) data under a variety of analytical parameters for a broadly representative sample of taxa (136 species representing all extant families) recovered a well-resolved and strongly supported tree for the higher phylogeny of Neuropterida that is highly concordant with previous estimates based on DNA sequence d...

New species of lance lacewings, Spilosmylus spilopteryx sp. n. and Spilosmylus tephrodestigma sp. n., are described from the Philippines and compared with congeners. Both species are characterised by a distinctive wing pattern, which in the case of Spilosmylus spilopteryx sp. n. is relatively spectacular among lacewings. An identification key to th...

Tuberonotha campioni (Navás, 1914) is newly recorded from Vietnam.

The delineation of antlion genera has often been based on morphological characters not tested in a phylogenetic context, thus seriously impairing the study of systematics of the family Myrmeleontidae. Nebulous generic limits also impede the taxonomy and study of the affinities of closely related species. As a case study, the generic placement of Me...

A new antlion (Neuroptera Myrmeleontidae Myrmeleontini), Myrmeleon almohadarum sp. nov., is described from southern Spain and Tunisia. The new taxon is closely related to the mostly sympatric M. inconspicuus Rambur and M. mariaemathildae Pantaleoni, Cesaroni & Nicoli Aldini but differing in body pattern, wing venation and larval chaetotaxy. The val...

The suborder Myrmeleontiformia is a derived lineage of lacewings (Insecta: Neuroptera) including the families Psychopsidae, Nemopteridae, Nymphidae, Ascalaphidae and Myrmeleontidae. In particular, Myrmeleontidae (antlions) are the most diverse neuropteran family, representing a conspicuous component of the insect fauna of xeric environments. We pre...

Dinoderus (Dinoderastes) japonicus, a species native of the Eastern Palaearctic, is reported for the first time from Italy on the basis of a female specimen collected in a beech forest (Veneto Region, Treviso Province, Foresta del Cansiglio). The possible establishment of this alien species in Italy is briefly discussed.

The larva of Tricholeon relictus, a Spanish endemic antlion of Afrotropical affinities, is described and illustrated for the first time also providing a comparison with the only other European member of the tribe Dendroleontini, Dendroleon pantherinus. The larva of this species is synanthropic but probably originally lived in cave-like habitats.

The larvae of all the European genera of Ascalaphidae are compared for the first time, highlighting the differential characters for identification purposes. The larva of the genus Ascalaphus is described for the first time while those of Puer, Bubopsis and Deleproctophylla are deeply revised. Actually, the larvae of Ascalaphus festivus (Rambur), Pu...

The third instar larvae of Gepus invisus and Solter liber are comparatively described and illustrated for the first time with a particular emphasis on genus level characters. Larval morphology confirms a close relationship between these genera as they differ only in minor characters.

The males of the ascalaphid genus Haploglenius are equipped with a movable pronotal flap, covering a white thoracic membrane, whose function remains poorly known. Few recent original observations, conducted on undisturbed specimens in their natural environment, suggest that this structure is part of a complex visual communication system based on in...

The larvae of the European Myrmeleontidae are reviewed with the aim to ease their identification, covering 15 genera and 28 species. Diagnostic characters and illustrations are given for each taxon. Larvae of the genera Nemoleon and Macronemurus are described for the first time while Megistopus, Neuroleon and Myrmeleon are revised. The larvae of De...

Nuevos datos de ascaláfidos para la Península Ibérica, con una nueva especie para la fauna europea; Via Salaria km 29,3000; I-0015 Monterotondo Scalo RM; Italy 3 Centro Nazionale per lo Studio e la Conservazione della Biodiversità Forestale «Bosco Fontana»; Strada Mantova 29; I-46045 Marmirolo (MN); Italy 4 Resumen Tras una nueva revisión de los ej...

Naturdata (http://naturdata.com) is a Portuguese biodiversity project established in 2009 to develop a database concerning all Portuguese biodiversity with the aim of collecting information about the taxonomy, ecology, morphology and distribution of species in Portugal. Collaboration among neuropterologists and local naturalists has led to a signif...