Apulia Region Research Articles

Health, Transport and the Environment: The Impacts of the COVID-19 Lockdown on Air Pollution.

Lockdown measures were initiated in Italy on March 9th after the start of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic to flatten the epidemic curve. The aim of the present study was to assess the impact of restrictive measures in the Apulia Region, southern Italy, on air quality from March to April 2020. We applied a dual-track approach. We assessed citizen mobility and vehicle traffic with mobility network data and information obtained from satellite tracking, and we evaluated and compared pollutant concentration data as measured by monitoring stations maintained by the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection and Prevention of Apulia (ARPA). The results showed a decrease in the weekly mean NO2 concentration recorded by urban traffic stations during the lockdown period. In particular, in the city of Bari, the average NO2 concentration decreased from 62.2 μg/m3 in March 2019 to 48.2 μg/m3 in March 2020. Regarding PM10 levels, the average concentrations at the individual traffic stations showed no particular variation compared to those in the same months of the previous year, except for Bari-Caldarola Station in March 2019/2020 (p-value < 0.001) and in April 2019/2020 (p-value = 0.04). In particular the average in March 2019 was ~26.9 μg/m3, while that in March 2020 was ~22.9 μg/m3. For April, the average concentration of PM10 in 2019 was 27.9 μg/m3, while in 2020, the average was ~22.4 μg/m3. This can be explained by the fact that PM10 levels are influenced by multiple variables such as weather and climate conditions and desert dust advections.

Analysis of Extra Virgin Olive Oils from Two Italian Regions by Means of Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Relaxation and Relaxometry Measurements.

The interest in development of new non-destructive methods for characterization of extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs) has been increasing in the recent years. Among different experimental techniques, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxation measurements are very promising in the field of food characterization and authentication. In this study, we focused on relaxation times T1 and T2 measured at different magnetic field strengths (namely, 2, 100, and 400 MHz) and 1H NMR T1 relaxometry dispersions directly on olive oil samples without any chemical/physical treatments. A large set of EVOO samples produced in two regions of Italy, Tuscany and Apulia, were investigated by means of 1H NMR relaxation techniques. The relaxation studies reported here show several common features between the two sets of EVOO samples, thus indicating that relaxation properties, namely, the ranges of values of T1 and T2 at 2 and 100 MHz, are characteristic of EVOOs, independently from the cultivars, climate, and geographic origin. This is a promising result in view of quality control and monitoring.

Water-Yield Relationship and Vegetative Growth of Wonderful Young Pomegranate Trees under Deficit Irrigation Conditions in Southeastern Italy

This investigation was carried out through three successive seasons (2017, 2018, and 2019) on young pomegranate trees of the Wonderful cultivar to study the effect of four different irrigation treatments (100%, 75%, 50%, and 25% of crop evapotranspiration—ETc) on vegetative growth and the water–yield relationship. The study was conducted in Foggia (Apulia region, Southern Italy), an agricultural area characterized by strong wind speeds and scarce water resources. The results showed the effects of the different irrigation levels and seasons on the vegetative growth and fruit yield characteristics. The cumulative trunk diameter, the annual shoot growth, the number of fruits per tree, and the yield decreased from the full water restitution (100% ETc) to the severe water restriction (25% ETc). The weight and the size of fruits decreased significantly with the restriction of water volumes applied to the crop. A linear relationship between water consumption and yield (R = 1.00 in 2018 and 1.21 in 2019; n = 12) was found. The water use efficiency (WUE) gave no statistical differences among irrigation treatments. The yield response factors (Ky: 1.06 in 2018 and 0.99 in 2019) showed the sensitivity of pomegranates to water deficits.

Assessment of the Hyperspectral Data Analysis as a Tool to Diagnose Xylella fastidiosa in the Asymptomatic Leaves of Olive Plants.

Xylella fastidiosa is a bacterial pathogen affecting many plant species worldwide. Recently, the subspecies pauca (Xfp) has been reported as the causal agent of a devastating disease on olive trees in the Salento area (Apulia region, southeastern Italy), where centenarian and millenarian plants constitute a great agronomic, economic, and landscape trait, as well as an important cultural heritage. It is, therefore, important to develop diagnostic tools able to detect the disease early, even when infected plants are still asymptomatic, to reduce the infection risk for the surrounding plants. The reference analysis is the quantitative real time-Polymerase-Chain-Reaction (qPCR) of the bacterial DNA. The aim of this work was to assess whether the analysis of hyperspectral data, using different statistical methods, was able to select with sufficient accuracy, which plants to analyze with PCR, to save time and economic resources. The study area was selected in the Municipality of Oria (Brindisi). Partial Least Square Regression (PLSR) and Canonical Discriminant Analysis (CDA) indicated that the most important bands were those related to the chlorophyll function, water, lignin content, as can also be seen from the wilting symptoms in Xfp-infected plants. The confusion matrix of CDA showed an overall accuracy of 0.67, but with a better capability to discriminate the infected plants. Finally, an unsupervised classification, using only spectral data, was able to discriminate the infected plants at a very early stage of infection. Then, in phase of testing qPCR should be performed only on the plants predicted as infected from hyperspectral data, thus, saving time and financial resources.

Assessing Natural Background Levels in the Groundwater Bodies of the Apulia Region (Southern Italy)

Defining natural background levels (NBL) of geochemical parameters in groundwater is a key element for establishing threshold values and assessing the environmental state of groundwater bodies (GWBs). In the Apulia region (Italy), carbonate sequences and clastic sediments host the 29 regional GWBs. In this study, we applied the Italian guidelines for the assessment of the NBLs, implementing the EU Water Framework Directive, in a south-European region characterized by the typical Mediterranean climatic and hydrologic features. Inorganic compounds were analyzed at GWB scale using groundwater quality data measured half-yearly from 1995 to 2018 in the regional groundwater monitoring network (341 wells and 20 springs). Nitrates, chloride, sulfate, boron, iron, manganese and sporadically fluorides, boron, selenium, arsenic, exceed the national standards, likely due to salt contamination along the coast, agricultural practices or natural reasons. Monitoring sites impacted by evident anthropic activities were excluded from the dataset prior to NBL calculation using a web-based software tool implemented to automate the procedure. The NBLs resulted larger than the law limits for iron, manganese, chlorides, and sulfates. This methodology is suitable to be applied in Mediterranean coastal areas with high anthropic impact and overexploitation of groundwater for agricultural needs. The NBL definition can be considered one of the pillars for sustainable and long-term groundwater management by tracing a clear boundary between natural and anthropic impacts.

Legumes: staple foods used in rituals and festive events of Apulia region (southern Italy)

ABSTRACT Apulia, the most southeastern region of Italy, has a long-lasting tradition of legume cultivation. These species, together with cereals, two milestones of the Mediterranean diet, have been cultivated in the region uninterruptedly since the Neolithic age. For a long time, legume species have had a pivotal role in the traditional agro-techniques and as staple foods for local people. This has generated original rituals, traditions, beliefs, and sayings concerning the legumes, mainly broad beans and chickpeas. Generally, one or some traditions have been perpetuated in some Apulian villages, which result from the regional social complexity due to intense exchanges with the eastern side of the Mediterranean Sea and succeeding migrations of populations with different cultures and religions. The deep transformation of Apulian agriculture that occurred in the second half of the twentieth century has produced the progressive loss of a much of the cultural, religious, and social significance associated with vegetal species. This paper describes the utilization of certain local legume varieties in Apulian rituals, banquets, religious and social events, which still enjoy relevant popularity in the region. In these celebrations, legumes become cultural symbols for the individuals or communities promoting them, though the original meaning has been partially modified or completely changed over time.

Households’ Food Waste Behavior at Local Scale: A Cluster Analysis after the COVID-19 Lockdown

The reduction of food waste, especially in households where more than half of its global quantity is generated, has become an increasing economic, social and environmental concern, and represents one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals within the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development. In this context, the COVID-19 lockdown has significantly changed life, work and food consumption habits all over the world, highlighting food waste as a multi-sectorial issue. This paper explores current attitudes, perception and behavioral patterns related to food waste reduction at domestic consumption at the local scale (Apulia region, Italy), with the aim of identifying different types of “food wasters”. Through an online questionnaire and the application of a k-means clustering model, the authors focus on four emerging constructs in terms of food consumption and food waste habits after the COVID-19 lockdown at household level. Among three theoretical clusters, results have highlighted: (i) the paradox of the “green wasters”, which declared a high level of awareness of the food waste issue but also generates huge amounts of thrown away food; (ii) the “positive unawareness” of the “red wasters”, which have a slight notion of environment and sustainability but waste low quantities of food; (iii) the consistency of the “blue wasters”, which know of the food waste issue and convert theory into practice.

Lower risk of death and cardiovascular events in patients with diabetes initiating glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists or sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors: A real-world study in two Italian cohorts.

To examine the efficacy and safety of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors compared with other antihyperglycaemic agents (AHAs) in large and unselected populations of the Lombardy and Apulia regions in Italy. An observational cohort study of first-time users of GLP-1RAs, SGLT2 inhibitors or other AHAs was conducted from 2010 to 2018. Death and cardiovascular (CV) events were evaluated using conditional Cox models in propensity-score-matched populations. Adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for each region and in a meta-analysis for pooled risks. After propensity-score matching, the Lombardy cohort included 18 716 and 11 683 patients and the Apulia cohort 9772 and 6046 patients for the GLP-1RA and SGLT2 inhibitor groups, respectively. Use of GLP-1RAs was associated with lower rates of death (HR 0.61, CI 0.56-0.65, Lombardy; HR 0.63, CI 0.55-0.71, Apulia), cerebrovascular disease and ischaemic stroke (HR 0.70, CI 0.63-0.79; HR 0.72, CI 0.60-0.87, Lombardy), peripheral vascular disease (HR 0.72, CI 0.64-0.82, Lombardy; HR 0.80, CI 0.67-0.98, Apulia), and lower limb complications (HR 0.67, CI 0.56-0.81, Lombardy; HR 0.69, CI 0.51-0.93, Apulia). Compared with other AHAs, SGLT2 inhibitor use decreased the risk of death (HR 0.47, CI 0.40-0.54, Lombardy; HR 0.43, CI 0.32-0.57, Apulia), cerebrovascular disease (HR 0.75, CI 0.61-0.91, Lombardy; HR 0.72, CI 0.54-0.96, Apulia), and heart failure (HR 0.56, CI 0.46-0.70, Lombardy; HR 0.57, CI 0.42-0.77, Apulia). In the pooled cohorts, a reduction in heart failure was also observed with GLP-1RAs (HR 0.89, 95% CI 0.82-0.97). Serious adverse events were quite low in frequency. Our findings from real-world practice confirm the favourable effect of GLP-1RAs and SGLT2 inhibitors on death and CV outcomes across both regions consistently. Thus, these drug classes should be preferentially considered in a broad type 2 diabetes population beyond those with CV disease.

A Thermal Analysis-Based Approach to Identify Different Waste Macroplastics in Beach Litter: The Case Study of Aquatina di Frigole NATURA 2000 Site (IT9150003, Italy)

The dispersion of commercial plastics in the marine environments is a major threat to biodiversity and ecosystem services of the last decades. The lower density of the plastics with respect to marine water density determines their floating, transferring, and accumulation in sandy beaches. Sandy beaches represent a natural sink ecosystem for marine plastics, where the latter are fragmented and photo-degraded in relation to the kind of polymer. Here, we propose an accurate and cost-effective method, the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), to identify different polymers from plastic samples collected on the Aquatina di Frigole beach (Apulia Region, Southeast of Italy), included in the NATURA 2000 Site coded as IT9150003. Our results reveal the exclusive presence of thermoplastic polymers in the beach plastic samples, mostly belonging to the polyolefin family. They appear to be remnants of larger plastic fragments, which could impact biodiversity and ecosystem services such as beach recreation activities and tourism.

Gap analysis for DNA barcodes of aquatic macroinvertebrate species in the Southeast of Italy

DNA metabarcoding for the identification of species and ecosystem biomonitoring is a promising innovative approach. The applicability of this tool is at first dependent on the coverage of the DNA sequence reference libraries. We performed a gap analysis of available DNA barcodes in the international databases using the aquatic macroinvertebrate species checklist of the Apulia region in southeast Italy. Our analyses show that 42% of the 1546 examined species do not have representative DNA barcodes in the reference libraries, indicating the importance of working toward their completeness and addressing this effort toward specific taxonomic groups in particular at local/regional level. The DNA-barcode coverage also varies among different taxonomic groups and aquatic ecosystem types in which a large number of species are rare. We also analyzed the DNA barcode reference libraries for the primer set used to barcode species. Only for 52% of the examined barcoded species were the primers reported, indicating the importance of uploading this information in the databases for a more extensive use of the DNA metabarcoding. We also highlighted the opportunity to develop combinations of primers useful at the regional level. We tested the application of the DNA barcoding single species to a lagoon ecosystem (the lagoon named “Aquatina di Frigole” in the Apulia region) which are richer in humic substances than other aquatic environments and in which DNA metabarcoding remains under explored.

The effect of quarantine due to Covid-19 pandemic on seizure frequency in 102 adult people with epilepsy from Apulia and Basilicata regions, Southern Italy

Objectivefollowing the COVID-19 pandemic, a quarantine was imposed to all of regions Italy by 9th March until 3rd May 2020. We investigated the effect of COVID-19 infection and quarantine on seizure frequency in adult people with epilepsy (PwE) of Apulia and Basilicata regions, Southern Italy. MethodsThis is an observational, retrospective study based on prospective data collection of 102 successive PWE. The frequency of seizures was evaluated during pre-quarantine (January- February), quarantine (March–April), and post–quarantine period (May-June), while PwE were divided into A) cases responding to treatment with ≤ 1 seizure per year; B) cases responding to treatment with 2–5 seizure per year; C) cases with drug-resistant epilepsy with ≤ 4 seizures per month; D) cases with drug-resistant epilepsy with 5–10 seizures per month. PwE underwent several self-report questionnaires regarding therapeutic compliance, mood, stress and sleep during quarantine period. ResultsApproximately 50 % of PwE showed seizure frequency changes (22.55 % an increase and 27.45 % a reduction) during quarantine. Seizure frequency significantly (p < 0.05) increased in PwE responding to treatment with ≤ 1 seizure per year, while significantly (p < 0.05) reduced in PwE with drug-resistant epilepsy with 5–10 seizures per month. The data was not influenced by therapeutic adherence, sleep and depression. The analysis of anxiety showed a moderate level of anxiety in PwE responding to treatment with < 1 seizure per year, while moderate stress was perceived by all PwE. Seizure frequency changes were related to quarantine, but not to COVID-19 infection. In fact, unlike other regions of Italy, particularly Northern Italy, Apulia and Basilicata regions were less affected by COVID-19 infection, and almost all PwE recognized the quarantine as a stressful event. Emotional distress and anxiety due to social isolation, but also the relative reduction of triggers for epileptic seizures were the most important factors for changes in seizure frequency. ConclusionsOur study adds to the growing concern that the indirect effects of COVID-19 pandemic will far outstrip the direct consequences of the infection.

Combining Chemical Composition Data and Numerical Modelling for the Assessment of Air Quality in a Mediterranean Port City

The aim of this study is to characterize the air quality in a Mediterranean port city. The impact of ship emissions on both gaseous and particulate pollutants has been investigated through an integrated methodology which includes atmospheric flow and dispersion numerical modelling as well as chemical composition and statistical analyses. Specifically, chemical compositional data (ionic fraction, carbonaceous compounds, and metals) of PM2.5 were acquired during an experimental field campaign carried out in the port city of Brindisi (Apulia Region, Southern Italy). The sampling site was located on the roof of a building (ASI) within the port area. Given the complexity of the site in which both domestic buildings and a large industrial area are present, analyses were done by selecting different wind sectors to test different techniques to discriminate between sources. Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) were applied to evaluate statistical differences in the composition of PM2.5 sampled within the area when the sampling site was downwind to the port or to the urban-industrial area. Only LDA allowed to discriminate the separation between urban-industrial and port macroareas. Those results were further confirmed in terms of PM2.5 concentrations directly associated to ship emissions using a coupled modelling approach. The mesoscale model BOLCHEM was used to investigate the contribution of ship emissions both on primary and secondary PM2.5 concentration in the area surrounding the port, as well as on PM10, NOX and O3 concentrations. Then, the model was coupled offline with the local dispersion model ADMS-Urban. The adopted approach was crucial to evaluate the spatial distribution of the impact of ship emissions. BOLCHEM results showed that in the cell of the port the average impact of ship emissions on NOX was 37.6%, and −11.7% on O3. The average impact on PM2.5 was 6.1%, distributed between primary (2.7%) and secondary fraction (3.4%). At local scale, the analysis of high-resolution modelling results obtained from ADMS-Urban highlighted that, at ASI position, the impact of ship emissions on PM2.5 was 6.8% when the sampling site was positioned downwind to the port area and reduced to lower than 3.0% at about 2 km from the sources.

Using multilevel models to evaluate the attitude of separate waste collection in young people

Separate waste collection represents one of the necessary conditions to guarantee an efficient protection of the environment. In particular, raising awareness of young people towards eco-sustainable behaviors, such as waste sorting and waste recycling, is an essential target that institutions should pursue in order to contribute to the reduction of the environmental impact of waste. Thus, an appropriate assessment of the determinants which influence environmentally responsible practices is of wide interest, not only for its implications in environmental science, but also in other scientific fields, such as Sociology, Chemistry and Engineering. This paper is focused on an innovative analysis based on the use of multilevel models suitable to evaluate the young people’s attitudes towards waste sorting in three different daily life contexts, i.e. school, family and spare time. A data set regarding a survey on a sample of students attending upper secondary schools, in the Province of Brindisi (Apulia Region), is used.

Packaging Innovations to Reduce Food Loss and Waste: Are Italian Manufacturers Willing to Invest?

The target 12.3 of the 2030 Agenda by the United Nations (UN) calls for halving per capita global food loss and waste. In this regard, the Food &amp; Drink industry (F&amp;D) could play a crucial role in reducing food waste and improving food safety by adopting healthy and eco-innovation packaging. Thus, this paper aims to investigate the F&amp;D manufacturers’ willingness to invest in packaging innovations, such as active, intelligent, and compostable ones to achieve the UN target. In order to reach the stated objective, a multiple case study methodology was developed and administered to a sample of Italian micro and small-medium entrepreneurs located in the Apulia region. Results show that many firms were aware of their need for packaging innovation and of the available technological opportunity. However, only the F&amp;D manufacturers who showed a Real demand, according to a taxonomy approach which also considers the Potential and Latent demand for the innovation, were effectively prompt to invest. Finally, most of the interviewed manufacturers were willing to invest in at least one packaging innovation, choosing mainly between the active packaging and the compostable one.

VOC 202012/01 Variant Is Effectively Neutralized by Antibodies Produced by Patients Infected before Its Diffusion in Italy.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and presents a global health emergency that needs urgent intervention. Viruses constantly change through mutation, and new variants of a virus are expected to occur over time. In the United Kingdom (UK), a new variant called B.1.1.7 has emerged with an unusually large number of mutations. The aim of this study is to evaluate the level of protection of sera from 12 patients infected and later healed in Apulia Region (Italy) with Covid-19 between March and November 2020, when the English variant was not circulating in this territory yet, against the new VOC 202012/01 variant by seroneutralization assay. The sera of patients had already been tested before, using a virus belonging to the lineage B.1 and showed an antibody neutralizing titer ranging between 1:160 and 1:320. All the 12 sera donors confirmed the same titers of neutralizing antibodies obtained with a strain belonging to the lineage B.1.1.7 (VOC 202012/01). These data indicate that antibodies produced in subjects infected with variants of Sars-CoV-2 strain before the appearance of the English one, seem to have a neutralizing power also against this variant.

The healthcare professionals' support towards organ donation. An analysis of current practices, predictors, and consent rates in Apulian hospitals.

The paper investigates the critical care staff's support towards organ donation by analysing how their attitude, knowledge, confidence, engagement, and training can act as predictors of donation consent rates. Our study focused on hospitals in the Apulia Region, Italy. The study employs a quantitative methodology based on a survey of healthcare professionals. The rate of consent to organ and tissue donation at the hospital level, given as a ratio of the permissions received to the proposals performed, was extracted from GEDON software related to the year 2019 report. For each Apulian participating hospital, we calculated a median score for each of the five predictors (namely, attitude, knowledge, confidence, engagement, and training) and investigated the association with hospital consent rates. The results highlight that the engagement of the intensive care units' healthcare personnel stands as the only influential predictor of the consent rate. In Italy's Apulia Region, efforts are needed to increase consent rates for organ donation. Strategies should concentrate on continuous support, as well as specific training of hospital staff involved in the donation process.

Genome Sequence of a SARS-CoV-2 VUI 202012/01 Strain Identified from a Patient Returning from London, England, to the Apulia Region of Italy.

The coding-complete sequence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was obtained from a sample from a 25-year-old female returning to the Apulia region of Italy from England. The characterized strain showed all of the spike protein mutations defining SARS-CoV-2 VUI 202012/01, as well as other mutations in the spike protein and in other genomic regions.

The Olive Quick Decline Syndrome: A Syndemic Outbreak in the Apulia Region, Southern Italy

Since a decade in Apulia, south-east of Italy, an increasing number of olive trees developed the quick decline syndrome (OQDS) leading to partial or total dessication of the canopy and subsequent death. Currently six million of olive trees show the symptoms of the decline, despite the mitigation measures which were undertaken to contrast the progression of the dessication. Associated with the syndrome, several phytopathogenic fungi were detected in the rhizosphere, endosphere and phyllosphere of the trees, along with the phytopathogenic bacterium Xylellafastidiosasubsp. pauca. Alongside, other pathogenic events were clearly identified, mostly defeating soil resilience: salinization, pollution, erosion, decline of biodiversity. Further events include delays in the adoption of appropriate mitigation measures not directed to challenge solely a bacterial pathogen, misuse of the territory, erratic agronomic management practices. The OQDS impacted also societal aspects. All the above concurrent causes strongly suggest that (1) the olive quick decline in Apulia is not a too symplistic epidemic outbreak due to a bacterium, but rather a syndemic outbreak formed by several diverse biotic and abiotic pathologies and (2) only a more holistic approach can help coping with the uncertainties and difficulties of an enduring co- existance with this syndemic events.

On farm survival of Apulian legume and cereal landraces in relation to land cover/land use changes. A case study

Apulia (southeast of Italy) has always been an agricultural region in the Italian landscape. Nowadays, the countryside is a mix of natural environments and artificial landscapes. From 2014 to 2016, the region has been the object of a project aimed to collect information about geographic position and surface devoted to legume and/or cereal landrace cultivation. The collection missions carried out allowed the acquisition of 352 samples belonging to eight legumes and six cereal species. Chickpeas predominated among legumes, while durum and common wheat landraces prevailed among cereals. The cultivation of these landraces was mainly located in the marginal areas of central and southern Apulia region. The geographical information system technology, used in order to geo-reference the collection sites, allowed investigating the changes in land cover/land use (LCLU) occurred over the last three decades at each collecting site. In addition to the evidences collected at field level, the comparison of old ortho-photos and recent satellite images, available on Copernicus Land Monitoring Service of European Environment Agency, shown that very limited changes of LCLU have occurred. Near the collection sites, the agrarian landscape is remained highly fragmented as it was three decades ago. The cultivation side by side of irregular patches with legumes, cereals, olive trees, and grapevine characterise the agricultural landscape. Based on these evidences it can be infer that the absence of significant changes in LCLU has play a positive role in the safeguard of on farm conservation of Apulian landraces.&#x0D; Highlights - Analysis of present distribution of Apulian legume and cereal landraces. - Short description of the landscape of collection sites. - Comparison of present and past diffusion of landrace cultivation. - Changes in land cover/land use that occurred over the last three decades.

Using citizen science to monitor non-native species: the case of Lethocerus patruelis (Stål, 1855) (Hemiptera: Belostomatidae) in Italy

Findings of Lethocerus patruelis (Stål, 1855) in Southern Italy have become frequent in the last decades. We collected records of Lethocerus patruelis observations in Italy using scientific literature, citizen science programs, and social networks as data sources to create a complete and up-to-date dataset. This dataset is made of 59 Lethocerus patruelis observations from the Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria, and Abruzzi regions, 32 of which were previously unpublished, spanning from 1997 to 2020. Half of these records comes from biodiversity dedicated Facebook groups, citizen science programs and online forums, underlining the usefulness of unconventional data sources to gather data on species with poorly known distributions. The existence of Lethocerus patruelis viable populations in Italy remains unclear.&nbsp