Silvia Ghesini

Mitochondrial and nuclear markers highlight the biodiversity of Kalotermes flavicollis (Fabricius, 1793) (Insecta, Isoptera, Kalotermitidae) in the Mediterranean area.

The biodiversity of the European termite Kalotermes flavicollis is here studied through the analysis of mitochondrial (303 bp of control region and 912 bp of COI/tRNA(Leu)/COII) and nuclear (five microsatellite and 20 Inter-SINE loci) markers on 18 colonies collected in Southern France, Corsica, Sardinia, peninsular Italy, the Balkans and Greece. Different statistical analyses (Bayesian phylogenetic analysis,parsimony network, F-statistics, PCA) were performed. Mitochondrial sequences produced an unresolved polytomy including samples from peninsular Italy, Balkans and Greece, and three main clades: southern France, Corsica-Sardinia and Portoscuso(SW Sardinia). Nuclear markers confirm these data, further highlighting a more significant divergence at the regional scale. The results obtained for the peri-Tyrrhenian area agree with major paleogeographic and paleoclimatic events that shaped the biodiversity of the local fauna. K. flavicollis biodiversity and its phylogeographic pattern are also evaluated in the light of the data available for the other native European termite taxon (genus Reticulitermes), in order to produce a more complete scenario of the Mediterranean. In the area comprised between southern France and Italy, the degree of diversity is similar; however, in the eastern area, while K. flavicollis is differentiated only at the population level, the genus Reticulitermes comprises at least six entities of specific and/or subspecific level. This discrepancy may be explained by taking into account the different evolutionary histories of the two taxa.

Kalotermes sinaicus Kemner (Isoptera, Kalotermitidae): new morphological and genetic evidence, and assignment to the new genus Longicaputermes gen. nov

The drywood termite Kalotermes sinaicus Kemner was described in 1932, based on the observation of five soldiers collected in the north-east of Sinai (Egypt). No description of the alate exists in literature. The species is known to occur also in Israel. We analyze from the morphological and the genetic point of view (partial COII, 16S, and 18S sequences) nine K. sinaicus samples collected from five Israeli localities, to provide data for a better definition of the species. Important morphological differences exist between K. sinaicus and other Kalotermes species. In particular, the wing venation of K. sinaicus alates is not compatible with that of Kalotermes and is similar to that of a group of genera including Paraneotermes, Comatermes, and Ceratokalotermes. From the genetic point of view, K. sinaicus is quite different from the species in the genus Kalotermes, with distances comparable to inter-genera distances. These morphological and genetic characters indicate that K. sinaicus should be excluded from the genus Kalotermes. Because these characters do not correspond to those of any existing genus, we describe it as a new genus: Longicaputermes gen. nov.

A Dark-Necked Drywood Termite (Isoptera: Kalotermitidae) in Italy: Description of Kalotermes italicus sp. nov.

ABSTRACT The yellow-necked drywood termite, Kalotermes flavicollis (F.), so called due to the yellow pronotum of its alates, is the only species in the genus Kalotermes known for Europe. In some Italian localities, K. flavicollis swarms can contain a small proportion of alates with a dark pronotum, but otherwise not different from the normally colored K. flavicollis. This color variation was described by G. Becker in 1955 as Kalotermes flavicollis var. fuscicollis. During collecting trips in central Italy, we found in Grosseto Marina (Tuscany) a Kalotermes population whose alates all have a very dark pronotum. Compared with K. flavicollis alates, Grosseto alates also have paler wings and smaller arolia. Grosseto soldiers have eyes smaller than those of K. flavicollis soldiers. Kalotermes sp. form Grosseto also differs morphologically from the other Kalotermes species known for the circum-Mediterranean lands. The population from Grosseto has mitochondrial DNA sequences (a partial sequence of the control region and a fragment including a portion of COI, tRNA-Leu and a portion of COII) quite different from K flavicollis (p-distance: 5.6–7.3%). Some Kalotermes populations from Tuscany and Marche, morphologically classifiable as K flavicollis, have sequences similar to those of Grosseto Kalotermes (p-distance: 0.1–1.0%). These populations are possibly hybrids between K. flavicollis and Kalotermes sp. from Grosseto. Because of its morphologic and genetic distinctive features, we describe Kalotermes sp. from Grosseto as Kalotermes italicus sp. nov.

Morphology and phylogeny of Reticulitermes sp. (Isoptera, Rhinotermitidae) from Cyprus

Taxonomy and phylogeny of termites of the genus Reticulitermes in central and eastern Mediterranean lands are poorly understood, partly due to insufficient sampling. This study aims to contribute to the knowledge of east Mediterranean termites by presenting morphological and molecular data on Reticulitermes from Cyprus. Samples from 15 colonies were collected throughout the island. Qualitative and quantitative morphological characters were analyzed for alate and soldier castes. Partial sequences of the mitochondrial genes COII and 16S were used to evaluate genetic diversity of Cypriot colonies and to determine their phylogenetic relationships with taxa from central and eastern Mediterranean areas. Cypriot alates have some morphological features in common with the Israeli R. clypeatus: an enlarged postclypeus and a wide unpigmented margin of the eye. They are larger than R. clypeatus but smaller than western European species, such as R. banyulensis, R. lucifugus corsicus and R. grassei. For Cypriot soldiers, two size groups were identified, possibly in relation with the age of their mother colonies. Phylogenetic analysis shows that, contrary to what might be expected, the samples with the highest affinity with Cypriot samples are not those from the nearby mainland (south Turkey, Israel), but from north-eastern Greece. Comprehensive sampling in the nearby mainland is lacking, so the possibility that populations exist it that region with an affinity towards Cypriot Reticulitermes sp. cannot be ruled out. Together with samples from the Halkidiki peninsula, north-eastern Greece, northern Turkey and Crete, Cypriot Reticulitermes form a well-supported north-eastern Mediterranean clade.

Molecular characterization and phylogeny of Kalotermes populations from the Levant, and description of Kalotermes phoeniciae sp. nov.

The presence of the yellow-necked drywood termite, Kalotermes flavicollis Fabr., has been reported along most of the Mediterranean coasts of Europe, Africa and Asia. While morphological and genetic data exist on European K. flavicollis populations from western and central Mediterranean regions, data on eastern Mediterranean Kalotermes are scarce, and no genetic data exist to date. In this study, we analyzed 17 Kalotermes sp. colonies from 11 localities in the Levant (Cyprus, Lebanon, and Israel), in order to characterize genetically (mitochondrial DNA: COII, 16S, and control region) these populations. We found that samples from the Levant are genetically different from K. flavicollis, with distance values falling in the range of interspecific distances. In the phylogeny of European Kalotermes populations, samples from the Levant form a clade of their own, sister to a clade including K. flavicollis and Kalotermes italicus. Inside the eastern Mediterranean clade, all the samples from Cyprus are included in a well-supported subclade, suggesting that the colonization of the island might have occurred in a single event. These findings show that the populations we examined do not belong to the species K. flavicollis, but to a new species peculiar to the Levant, that we describe as Kalotermes phoeniciae sp. nov. It is possible that previous reports of K. flavicollis in this region can be attributed to K. phoeniciae.

Biology and conservation of Zerynthia cassandra (Lepidoptera, Papilionidae) in semi-natural environments and agricultural landscapes

The Southern festoon, Zerynthia polyxena, is a south-European butterfly listed in Annex IV of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC). Populations from most of the Italian territory have been recently recognized as belonging to a separate species, endemic to Italy: Zerynthia cassandra. In the province of Bologna (northern Italy), Z. cassandra is quite common. The territory of the province is densely inhabited and modified by man. Semi-natural environments are found almost exclusively in the hills, while the plain is almost entirely built-upon or cultivated. This study was based on data collected in the field in the province of Bologna, and aimed to investigate some biological and ecological aspects of Z. cassandra, with the purpose of identifying the factors that favour its presence and the most relevant issues for its conservation. In the area of study, the hostplant of Z. cassandra is Aristolochia rotunda, which is common in the plain, along the edges of drainage canals, where it supports a large Z. cassandra population. In the hills, A. rotunda is scarcer, and Z. cassandra is present in small separated nodes. Human activities such as mowing and canal maintenance are potentially damaging to Z. cassandra, particularly if carried out when eggs and larvae are present. However, if correctly timed and executed, such maintenance can preserve grassy areas that would otherwise be colonized by bushes and trees, and in which A. rotunda finds a suitable environment. Some level of disturbance can be beneficial for Z. cassandra habitats, favouring the species’ survival in the long term.