The diversity of terrestrial isopods in the natural reserve “Saline di Trapani e Paceco” (Crustacea, Isopoda, Oniscidea) in northwestern Sicily

Bianca Maria Lombardo,Domenico Caruso,Giuseppe Montesanto,Giuseppina Messina,Elisa Pezzino

doi:10.3897/zookeys.176.2367

Abstract

Ecosystems comprising coastal lakes and ponds are important areas for preserving biodiversity. The natural reserve “Saline di Trapani e Paceco” is an interesting natural area in Sicily, formed by the remaining strips of land among salt pans near the coastline. From January 2008 to January 2010, pitfall trapping was conducted in five sampling sites inside the study area. The community of terrestrial isopods was assessed using the main diversity indices. Twenty-four species were collected, only one of them endemic to western Sicily: Porcellio siculoccidentalis Viglianisi, Lombardo & Caruso, 1992. Two species are new to Sicily: Armadilloniscus candidus Budde-Lund, 1885 and Armadilloniscus ellipticus (Harger, 1878). This is high species richness for a single reserve in Sicily. The extended sampling period also allowed us to study species phenology. Most of the species exhibited higher activity in spring than in autumn while some species also exhibited lower activity in the summer. The species richness revealed that the study area is in an acceptable conservation status; Shannon and Pielou indices also confirmed a more or less even distribution of individuals belonging to different species.

Highlights

Protected areas have restrictions on human activities aimed at preserving biotic and abiotic components of the landscape
Except for Armadilloniscus candidus BuddeLund, 1885 and A. ellipticus (Harger, 1878), which were new to the fauna of Sicily, all species collected were already known from the area
We found 27% of the total number of species known in Sicily (90)

Summary

Introduction

Protected areas have restrictions on human activities aimed at preserving biotic and abiotic components of the landscape. Among the natural protected areas, coastal wetlands are important ecosystems for preserving biodiversity (Adam 1990, Allen and Pye 1992). The natural reserve “Saline di Trapani e Paceco” is one of the most important coastal wetlands in Sicily and an acknowledged Site of Community Importance (SIC), Special Protection Area (ZPS), and “Important Bird Area”; it is among the protected wetlands according to Ramsar Convention. The remaining strips of land are interesting and often very small, acting as banks to the salt pans. Much research has been carried out on bird fauna, vegetation, and fauna in salt pans, but little research has investigated the fauna of the remaining strips of land in between the salt pans (Troia 2008)

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Conclusion