Although CO₂-baited BG-Sentinel traps are widely used for mosquito surveillance, their non-target bycatch can yield valuable faunistic information. We present the first assessment of Dolichopodidae (Diptera) collected inci-dentally using CO₂ traps across Slovakia in 2025. Of 290 weekly trap samples obtained at 16 localities, 45 (16%) contained dolichopodid specimens, representing a total of 400 specimens belonging to 13 species in five genera. Two species (Sybistroma impar (Rondani, 1843) and Systenus bipartitus (Loew, 1850)) are reported here for the first time in Slovakia. The most frequently recorded species were Systenus leucurus Loew, 1859, Medetera truncorum Meigen, 1824, and Sciapus platypterus (Fabricius, 1805), although their occurrence varied considerably among sites. The assemblage was dominated by species associated with arboreal and humid microhabitats, suggesting that CO₂-baited traps selectively capture only a subset of the local dolichopodid fauna. In addition, only male specimens were identified to species level, and therefore the reported species composition should be interpreted with caution. Our findings demonstrate that mosquito surveillance networks can provide valuable complementary faunistic infor-mation on non-target Diptera, including rarely recorded species. However, CO₂-baited traps do not yield a represen-tative sample of the dolichopodid fauna and should be considered as supplementary to targeted sampling methods. Integrating the analysis of bycatch into vector surveillance programs represents a low-effort approach to enhancing faunistic knowledge on Diptera in human-modified environments. Key words: biodiversity monitoring, bycatch, CO₂ trap, Diptera, Dolichopodidae, new records, Slovakia
Microchilo Błeszyński is for the first time reported from the Afrotropical region. Three new species are de-scribed and illustrated: Microchilo bidentatus sp. nov. from Tanzania, Microchilo monoceros sp. nov and Microchi-lo turgidus sp. nov., both from Democratic Republic of the Congo. Key Words: Crambinae, Diptychophorini, Ethiopian region, new species.
The article lists the 34 known species of Corticarinae Curtis, 1829 (Coleoptera, Latridiidae) from the Andean hostpost. Data on the distribution of the species are given. Corticarina cavicollis (Mannerheim, 1844) and Melanophthalma rispini Rucker and Johnson, 2007 are cited for the first time for the southern hemisphere and the neotropical kingdom, respectively.
Subterranean termites of the genus Reticulitermes were recently found in a garden in the historical centre of Venice (Veneto, northern Italy). Mitochondrial DNA analysis (COII gene) revealed that they belong to the species R. aegeus, a recently described taxon native to northeastern Mediterranean regions, including northeastern Greece, Crete and Cyprus. This is the first record of R. aegeus in Italy. Given the distance from the natural distribution range, the presence of R. aegeus in Venice is most probably the result of human-mediated introduction. Termites in the genus Reticulitermes can cause important damage to buildings and wooden structures, and some introduction events can result in heavy infestations. Although termite activity confined to a garden may not be a cause for concern, surrounding areas should be surveyed for signs of infestation in order to prevent damage to buildings and protect cultural heritage sites.
The Collembola community plays an important role in soil ecosystem services. The aim of this study is to provide the first data on the soil Collembola communities occurring in three different olive orchards located in Sicily (Italy), one traditional and two super-high density systems. While the same fertilization management and phytosanitary measures were applied, soil management in the two super-high density systems consisted of green manure, and conventional tillage was adopted in the traditionally managed olive orchard. Nine soil samples per orchard were collected in the first week of October 2019, and the arthropod fauna was extracted using a modified Berlese-Tullgren funnel. Collembola were counted and identified at morpho-species level, and at least one specimen for each morpho-species was slide mounted for species identification. Soil Collembola communities were evaluated using the abundances of identified species and eco-morphological life forms. Besides, soil biological quality was investigated using the QBS-ar index. Overall, 22 species belonging to nine families were identified. The mean number of springtails per soil sample was lowest in the two super-high density orchards, while the total number of species does not show a noticeable variation among the three olive orchards. An average similarity at the species level of 59.95 % was found between the two super high intensive orchards, that showed a lower average similarity with the traditional olive orchard (44.39 % and 50.23 %). Regarding the eco-morphological life form groups of Collembola, the Atmobionts were present only in the traditional olive orchard, Hemiedaphic and Epedaphic life forms were most abundant in the traditional olive orchard, while Euedaphobionts were the most represented in all olive orchards. Moreover, the exclusive Collembola species in the two super high intensive orchards were Euedaphic and Epedaphic life forms, while the exclusive species recorded in the traditional olive orchard belonged to all life forms, with a prevalence of Euedaphic springtail species. The sharing of the only Epedaphic and Euedaphic life forms between the two SHD olive orchards confirms that the intensive management system negatively affects the Collembola of the Atmobiotic life forms. Hemiedaphic life forms were affected to a lesser extent, since they are influenced mainly by microhabitat diversity in the upper soil layer. Furthermore, the negative effects of the more intensive management system influenced the QBS-ar index values, indicating that intensive management influences mainly soil surface taxa, like the predators Chilopoda and Pseudoscorpiones. However, our preliminary study suggests that conservative and sustainable soil management can maintain or improve the arthropods and Collembola community's soil functionality, although further studies are needed to assess the role of the other agroecological factors.
