Biogeographia – The Journal of Integrative Biogeography

The Lichenotheca Veneta is a collection of lichen exiccata published in 1869 and preserved in its original form at the Museum of Natural History “Giancarlo Ligabue” of Venice. The collection, which contains 268 specimens belonging to 188 species, 123 genera, 45 families, 22 orders and 7 classes, was recently digitized and published online in the form of a web portal. The dataset, which contains a record for each specimen along with one or more digital images of each specimen, is available through the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).

Biodiversity data is essential for eco-evolutionary research. However, data is often scarce for difficult-to-study ecosystems, such as caves and other subterranean environments. Here, we present a taxonomically and geographically consistent database of subterranean spiders from the Italian Western Alps, a coherent biogeographical region with a long history of subterranean fauna diversification. The database (https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.28524383.v1) comprises 370 geo-referenced subterranean sites (caves, mines, and other artificial subterranean systems). For each site, we provide information on the composition of the spider community (with species richness ranging from 1 to 8 species per site), along with local geomorphological and site features. Collectively, these communities account for 31 unique species and 945 unique geo-referenced occurrence records, which are made available via the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF: https://www.gbif.org/dataset/72eef995-01bd-44f2-937a-23dbfe66283d). In addition to the database, we provide a phylogeny for all species based on the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene fragment. This, combined with the interoperability of the European subterranean spider trait database (doi: 10.6084/m9.figshare.16574255.v2), enables the estimation of taxonomic, functional, and genetic diversity within these subterranean communities. We illustrate the utility of this database by estimating and mapping taxonomic, functional, and genetic richness across the Western Italian Alps, providing a comprehensive multi-dimensional view of subterranean spider biodiversity. Although restricted in geographical scope, we envision this database as a promising open resource for eco-evolutionary research and hope the broader scientific community will widely use it. Indeed, the joint availability of distribution data, traits, and phylogenetic information allows quantifying ecologically relevant differences among species, identifying functionally unique taxa, and assessing patterns of adaptation and specialization in subterranean environments, among many other questions.

The Sicily Channel islands are known as biogeographic crossroads between European and African fauna. In this context, Lampedusa hosts a mainly Maghrebian herpetofauna, among which a Moorish gecko (sensu lato) belonging to a North African species-rank clade, provisionally named "Tarentola fascicularis/deserti" (sensu Rato et al., 2017). Here, we investigated the distribution of Tarentola spp. using the 16S mitochondrial DNA fragment on individuals from Lampedusa and verified the possible occurrence of T. mauritanica. This is a widely introduced species, hardly distinguishable based on morphological traits from T. fascicularis/deserti. Our molecular results support the hypothesis that both T. fascicularis/deserti and T. mauritanica occur in Lampedusa. Furthermore, nine out of eleven sequences are lumped together with T. fascicularis/deserti clade, suggesting the natural biogeographic connection between Tunisia and Lampedusa. Conversely, the detection of T. mauritanica haplotypes, exclusively within the Lampedusa port area, strongly point out a recent human-mediated introduction of the species. The finding of these two distinct mitochondrial lineages suggests the co-occurrence of African and European dispersion routes in the extant Lampedusa herpetofauna. In light of this, it is necessary to increase sampling efforts to other islands across Sicily Channel to better assess the origin and phylogenetic relationships of gecko populations.

Dark colour aberrations in reptiles are rarely mapped and poorly understood. We document the first axanthism-like Aesculapian snake (Zamenis longissimus) from Lombardy, Italy, and merge this record with 44 earlier reports from the literature and iNaturalist. An ensemble ecological niche model calibrated with three uncorrelated WorldClim variables (i.e., mean annual temperature, mean diurnal temperature range and annual precipitation) achieved good performance (AUC = 0.84 ± 0.04; TSS = 0.58 ± 0.08). Mean diurnal temperature range emerged as the strongest predictor, with suitability increasing in warmer regions that experience smaller day–night thermal amplitudes. Predicted hotspots for the dark morph include the Atlantic coasts of Spain and France, the Tyrrhenian margin from Liguria into Piedmont, the eastern Adriatic littoral, and Black Sea coastlines of Russia, Georgia and Turkish Thrace. These areas largely coincide with published and citizen-science records, lending confidence to model outputs despite the sparse dataset. Anyway, the genetic basis and fitness effects of this colour remain untested; directed surveys and molecular work in the predicted zones are now needed. Our map offers a concise guide for future sampling.

We provide an inventory of the spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) inhabiting the Val Grande National Park (NW - Italy) based on literature data, reliable iNaturalist observations and an original survey conducted between 2018 and 2019 in the frame of the “Biodiversity Monitoring Project” (BMP). In total, we report 157 species belonging to 92 genera and 25 families, including 11 new records for Piemonte and 103 new records for the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola. Linyphiidae and Gnaphosidae were the most represented families, consistently with other protected areas across the Alps. Most species exhibited a Palearctic or European distribution, with a small proportion of endemics. Based on the original data gathered with standardized transects of pitfall traps we analysed species richness and abundance along the altitudinal gradient, revealing a general increasing trend with elevation. We also analyse the relationship between species composition and environmental variables using Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) and revealed that species composition was significantly influenced by elevation and habitat type, highlighting clear ecological structuring along the altitudinal gradient. Beyond the faunistic contribution, we highlight the importance of faunal inventories for biodiversity conservation, particularly for lesser-known taxa like spiders, whose protection depends on accurate occurrence data within protected areas.

The Nuratau Mountains located in the central part of Uzbekistan, in the transitional zone between the Mountain Central Asian and Turan phytogeographical provinces, are recognized as one of Key Biodiversity Areas within the Mountains of Central Asia Global Biodiversity Hotspot. These medium-altitude semiarid mountains are identified as one of centers of endemism and priority areas for conservation of plant diversity. This article provides a retrospective review of a 150-year history of scientific exploration of unique flora of this region, highlighting key publications and findings, herbarium collections and collectors. Overall, 1% of herbarium specimens from the Nuratau Mountains were gathered in the 19th century; 69% of all records were made during the 20th century, and 30% of the data were collected since 2000. An essential source of information on the flora of the Nuratau Mountains and the spatial distribution of species is the National Herbarium of Uzbekistan (TASH), which contains over 6,600 specimens from this region or 59% of all occurrence records. According to the most recent assessment, the flora of the Nuratau Mountains includes 1,283 species of vascular plants belonging to 474 genera and 86 families. Of these, 1,180 species from 444 genera and 81 families are native, 32 species are endemic, and 103 species are alien (occasional or introduced). Nevertheless, the flora of Nuratau Mountains is still insufficiently documented, and an actual checklist remains unpublished to date. Comprehensive botanical studies in this region are crucial because of rapidly increasing rates of biodiversity loss and degradation of ecosystems caused by anthropogenic impact.

Springtails (Collembola) are among the most abundant subterranean invertebrates, yet knowledge of their diversity in Italian caves remains incomplete. This study serves to update the Italian cave springtail checklist, which has been previously documented as containing 106 species. The updated checklist, which incorporates data from literature up to the year 2025, as well as the results of new field surveys conducted in northern Italy and DNA barcoding analyses, now lists 134 species. Among the recorded taxa, 38 are obligate cave-dwellers and 28 are endemic, with Onychiuridae being the most represented family. The following three new species are described: Onychiuroides alpinus n. sp., Deuteraphorura venetiana n. sp., and Protaphorura baldanii n. sp. These species are from Veneto and Lombardy. The analysis of data from ice caves has led to the conclusion that these environments serve as refugia for cold-adapted species. Furthermore, the data suggest the presence of a previously unrecognized shared Alpine–Pyrenean lineage. These findings underscore the rich and understudied subterranean biodiversity in Italy and highlight the importance of continued taxonomic and ecological research to inform conservation strategies for vulnerable cave ecosystems.

The new Checklist of the Italian Fauna provides an updated inventory of Cladocera species in Italy, encompassing the orders Ctenopoda, Anomopoda, Onychopoda, and Haplopoda. The checklist contains 121 species belonging to 13 families, with Chydoridae and Daphniidae being the most abundant. Seven freshwater species have been added since the previous checklist, while the number of marine species remains unchanged at six. Following recent taxonomic revisions, changes in the nomenclature have been introduced, primarily within the subfamily Aloninae. None of the species is endemic to Italy, but six are considered alien. The presence of species in each macroregion and administrative region is reported, with the number of species per region ranging from 10 in Molise to 77 in Lombardy administrative regions. A total of 165 new regional citations are recorded, with southern regions showing increases exceeding 40% of their total records respect to the previously reported ones in the CKmap database published in 2005. Although the total number of Italian cladoceran species is well known, their taxonomy is still evolving, particularly within Aloninae and Daphniinae. Molecular studies are expected to reveal cryptic species and refine biogeographic patterns.