A zoogeographical analysis of the Italian scale insect fauna

Abstract

The paper presents the results of a zoogeographical analysis of the
Italian scale insect fauna comprehending, to date, 365 species. Eleven species
have not been inserted in the present zoogeographical analysis: these species were
poorly described in the past, are of doubtful identification and are no more
recorded since their description. The Italian scale insect species ha ve been grouped
into the following fundamental groups according to the distributional pattems
currently used in faunistic studies of the West Palearctic Regi on : A) Fundamental
elements of the West-Palearctic Region (226 species); B) Cosmopolitan elements
or Cultura! Immigrants (111 species); C) Endemie elements (17 species). The first
group comprehends the following sub-groups: 1) Elements widely distributed in
the Holarctic region (115 species); 2) Elements widely distributed in Europe (52
species); 3) Elements widely distributed in the Mediterranean Basin (57 species);
4) Afrotropical or Orienta! elements present also in the Mediterranean area (2
species). Each fundamental group or sub-group comprehends severa! different
elements having a more restricted distributional pattern. The analysis reveals that
the Italian scale insect fauna (with the exclusion of the Cosmopolitan elements,
that have no zoogeographical interest), is represented mainly by Elements widely
distributed in the Holarctic region (31.51 % of the total scale insect fauna). The
Elements widely distributed in the Mediterranean Basin constitute 15.62%, very
similar to those widely distributed in Europe 14.25%. The Afrotropical or Orienta!
elements represent less than 1 % (0.51 % ) of the total scale insects fauna. A brtef
comment on each group is given.