Collecting Buprestids in Italy

Italy is not as rich in Buprestidae as tropical countries; however, its Buprestid fauna includes a good number of species, if compared with other European countries. Its number is comparable with those of Spain and Greece. Despite this relative richness of species, it is not so easy to search for Buprestids in Italy. Some species are quite common in most of the country, but many others are relegated in small places. This is mainly caused by the deep antropization of most of the Italian territory. Especially lowlands are extensively cultivated and urbanized, while mountains are usually in better conditions. However, many woods and forests, especially in Central and Southern Italy, appear much better than they really are for Buprestidae and other xylophagous insects, because many of them grew in the last 60 years, after the end of the Second World War, in lands previously turned to pasture or cultivated (generally olive-groves), of with frequently cut woods. So, two apparently similar places could have a very different Buprestid fauna, depending from their "history". In this section, I simply show some of the most interesting places where I have looked for Buprestids in the last 40 years. Living in Rome, most of the places I know better are around my town, in Latium and Central Italy.

Latium Other Italian regions