REDIA, 104, 2021: 89-96 http://dx.doi.org/10.19263/REDIA-104.21.10 ERIKA BAZZATOa – MICHELA MARIGNANIa – CESARE ANCONAb – MICHELE CARIAa – DAVIDE CILLO – ELISA SERRA c FIRST RECORD OF OZOGNATHUS CORNUTUS (LECONTE, 1859) (COLEOPTERA PTINIDAE) FROM SARDINIA, ITALY a Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Via Sant’Ignazio da Laconi, 13, 09123 Cagliari (CA), Italy. b Via Mascagni 3, 09020, Ussana (CA), Italy. Email: [email protected] c IMC - International Marine Centre, Loc. Sa Mardini, Torre Grande, 09170 Oristano, Italy Corresponding Author: Elisa Serra, [email protected] Bazzato E., Marignani M., Ancona C., Caria M., Cillo D., Serra E. - First record of Ozognathus cornutus (LeConte, 1859) (Coleoptera Ptinidae) from Sardinia, Italy. Ozognathus cornutus (LeConte, 1859) is recorded on the invasive alien tree Robinia pseudocacia L. (Fabaceae) in an urban area in Italy. The species has already been reported in two other Italian regions, but this is the first record for the Sardinian fauna. Due to the great adaptability of this alien species and the increasingly cosmopolitan trend, we suggest monitoring it with caution for early detection and to plan an appropriate rapid management response. KEY WORDS: Bostrichoidea, Ernobiinae, Alien species, Robinia pseudoacacia . INTRODUCTION MATERIALS AND METHODS The genus Ozognathus LeConte, 1861 (Bostrichoidea, STUDY AREA Ptinidae, Ernobiinae) currently includes twelve Sardinia, one Mediterranean hotspot for biodiversity described species from the Nearctic and Neotropical conservation (MARIGNANI et al., 2017a, b; MÉDAIL, regions (ZAHRADNÍK & MIFSUD, 2005). 2017), located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, Among these, Ozognathus cornutus (LeConte, 1859) is the second-largest Mediterranean island, after Sicily, was described in California (USA) (LECONTE, 1859, as covering a surface area of around 24,000 km2 (PALUMBO Anobium cornutum); its type specimen is deposited in et al., 2020). Thanks to its variety of landforms, complex the California Academy of Sciences (WHITE, 1982). orographic patterns (with hilly lands, plateaus, mountain Confirmed in California (WHITE, 1982), in the areas and plains), heterogeneous geological substrata and adjacent to Mexico, in South America (e.g., in Chile; climate variability (BAZZATO et al., 2021), the island is HONOR & ROTHMANN, 2017), as well as in Réunion in characterized by high levels of biodiversity and different the Indian Ocean (LEMAGNEN, 2013), this species vegetation types (BACCHETTA et al., 2009). recently spread to Australia (Sydney, New South Wales) We collected the species during a field campaign (PLANT HEALTH AUSTRALIA, 2019), New Zealand aimed to investigate the impact of land-use matrices on (BERCEDO et al., 2005), Israel (MIŁKOWSKI, 2019), plants and arthropod communities of Small Woodlots Tunisia (ZAHRADNÍK & MIFSUD, 2005) and, recently, in Outside Forests (hereafter, SWOFs) in the Metropolitan Europe. It has been recorded in Latvia (around Ulbroka) City of Cagliari (PALUMBO et al., 2020; E.Bazzato, PhD (TELNOV et al., 2016), Great Britain (Eccles) dissertation 2021). We randomly selected 30 SWOFs (STENHOUSE, 2017), Germany (Tübingen), Switzerland (Fig. I) ranging from 0.1 to 0.5 hectares, by means of a (Zurich) (GERMANN & SCHMIDT, 2017; CHITTARO & stratified random sampling design in proportion to the SANCHEZ, 2019), southern France (Pourcieux) number of target SWOFs present in each land-use (ALLEMAND et al., 2008), Spain (Cadiz, Catalonia, stratum: 11 sites in natural and semi-natural (NAT) and Alicante, Valencia) (BERCEDO et al., 2005; VIÑOLAS & agricultural (AGR) areas, 8 in urban and artificial VERDUGO, 2012, TRÓCOLI et al., 2020), Madeira Island surfaces (URB). All sampled sites were listed following (Funchal) (ZAHRADNÍK & MIFSUD, 2005), Gibraltar the site code assigned based on the correspondent land- (GONHS, 2020), Canary Islands (Island of La Palma use stratum (Tab. 1). and Island of Tenerife) (VIÑOLAS et al., 2018), and Malta (Marsa, TalMuxar, Żejtun) (ZAHRADNÍK & DATA COLLECTION MIFSUD, 2005). The first published Italian records were In the centroid of each SWOF, we placed at 5−10 reported from Sicily (Palermo) and Campania (Portici) meters above ground a Cross-vanes Window Flight Trap regions by CUSIMANO et al. (2014) and subsequently (CWFT, Fig II) for a total of 30 traps. Traps were active reconfirmed, without further details, for Sicily by starting from July to October for the first year (2018), SIDOTI et al. (2016). and from June to December for the second year (2019). We provide the first records of Ozognatus cornutus Traps were re-triggered every 30−40 days (except for (LeConte, 1859) in Sardinia based on an intensive the last period ranging from August to December 2019) sampling conducted in Southern-Sardinia from April with ethylene glycol as non-attractive liquid preservati- 2018 to December 2019. ve. All specimens from each site and trap were sorted - Received 7 January 2021 Accepted 29 April 2021 90 BAZZATO ET AL. REDIA, Vol. 104, 2021 Fig. I - Study area located in the Metropolitan City of Cagliari (southern Sardinia, Italy), characterized by a gradient of land-use intensification from natural and semi-natural areas to urbanised coastline zones. Fig. II − Cross-vanes Window Flight Trap (CWFT) Fig. III – Habitus of Ozognathus cornutus (LeConte, placed on Robinia pseudoacacia within the SWOF 1859) ♂ (photo by C. Ancona; scale bar 1 mm). located in Quartu Sant’Elena (Is Arenas, Via Pizzetti; site code URB 176) (photo by E. Bazzato). FIRST RECORD OF OZOGNATHUS CORNUTUS (LECONTE, 1859) (COLEOPTERA PTINIDAE) FROM SARDINIA... 91 and stored by the authors (EB, MC, CA). The families fairly represented by these records are determination is still in progress. Araucariaceae and Rosaceae, each with three species (Tab. 2). IDENTIFICATION AND NOMENCLATURE To a lesser extent, with one or two species, Specimens were examined using an Optika SZM-T Acanthanceae, Aizoaceae, Amaryllidiaceae, Arecaceae, stereomicroscope. They were morphologically Ebenaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, Lauraceae, identified by the authors (EB, CA, DC) using Lythraceae, Moraceae, Oleaceae, Passifloraceae, photographs reported by ZAHRADNÍK & MIFSUD (2005), Pinaceae, Rutaceae, Proteaceae and Simmondsiaceae as well as dichotomous key provided by FALL (1905). families are mentioned (Tab. 2). Habitus photograph was taken with a Pentax K7 digital We recorded samples from 30 cross-vanes window camera attached to a Optika SZM-T stereoscope (Fig. flight traps placed in 30 individual trees belonging to 8 III). Dry specimens were prepared and deposited in the families, for a total of 9 genera and 11 different species private collection of the first and fifth authors (EB & considered (Tab. 1). Data reported were gathered in 30 DC). randomly selected small woodlots outside forest along The species has been reported on several host plant an area with an increasing urbanization gradient: species (Tab. 2): nomenclature of host plant species notably, we found two individuals of O. cornutus only follows BARTOLUCCI et al. (2018, 2020), GALASSO et al. in one of those traps, placed on the invasive alien tree (2018, 2020), FREIBERG et al. (2020), and ROSATI et al. Robinia pseudocacia L., native to eastern North (2020). America, (WESTBROOKS, 1998; REJMÁNEK & RICHARDSON, 2013), within a SWOF located in a public garden of the urban area, at the extreme of our gradient RESULTS AND DISCUSSION of land-use intensification. Our finding, as well as being the first record from Ozognathus cornutus (LeConte, 1859) Sardinia island, reports an association with an invasive (Fig. III) alien plant species not yet reported in other studies. EXAMINED MATERIAL: Sardinia: Quartu Sant’Elena Furthermore, although O. cornutus is able to colonize (Cagliari province), Is Arenas, Via Pizzetti, site code different environmental condition and climates, finding URB 176: 19.VII–19.VIII.2019, 1 ♂ window trap on it only in an urban area suggests that its introduction Robinia pseudoacacia, E. Bazzato, M. Caria & C. could have occurred accidentally and in recent times, Ancona legerunt, det. E. Bazzato & C. Ancona; mainly due to the international trade in fruit, vegetables 19.VIII–03.XII.2019, 1 ♂ window trap on Robinia and alien plants (CUSIMANO et al., 2014). pseudoacacia, E. Bazzato, M. Caria & C. Ancona legit, Data on the presence of alien species are important since det. E. Bazzato & D. Cillo. early detection and rapid response are key components for the successful management of Invasive Alien The biology of O. cornutus is poorly known Species (COUGHLAN et al., 2020): our data suggest a (STENHOUSE, 2017; VINOLAS, 2017), although recently relatively recent introduction on the island and the its distribution range increased considerably in the hypothesis of a possible rapid expansion of this species temperate areas of the Euro-Mediterranean region, with into other areas. the possibility of a further spread in Mediterranean territories in a relatively short time (ZAHRADNÍK & MIFSUD, 2005; VIÑOLAS, 2017; MIŁKOWSKI, 2019). CONCLUSIONS This species is known as polyphagous and easily adapts to a multitude of climates and a wide variety of Monitoring of newly introduced species is of great microbiotopes (dried fruit, galls produced by insects), importance for preventing new biological invasions, herbaceous plants, as well as in the bark and wood of which can cause damage to biodiversity, economy and various deciduous and coniferous trees (STENHOUSE, human well-being (GENOVESI