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Effects of trap baits and height on stag beetle and flower chafer monitoring: ecological and conservation implications

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Abstract

The implementation of conservation actions requires a reliable assessment of presence and/or abundance of targeted species. This is particularly difficult for rare and elusive species. In this study the use of bottle traps and the effects of two potential baits in relation to height in the trees were tested to detect presence and assess abundance of stag beetles (Lucanidae) and flower chafers (Scarabaeidae, Cetoniinae), an important component of forest biodiversity. The study was carried out in a flood-plain forest of northern Italy. Forty-eight handcrafted traps were assigned to two height categories (1.5–2 m and 10–20 m) and three kinds of bait: (i) red wine, white wine and sugar, (ii) red wine, beer and mashed banana, (iii) no bait, as control. Fieldwork lasted 8 weeks, with 32 surveys, from May to July. Overall, we recorded 399 captures of the following species: Dorcus parallelipipedus, Lucanus cervus, Cetonia aurata, Protaetia speciosissima, P.affinis, P. morio and P. cuprea. Traps baited with red wine, white wine and sugar showed the highest detection probabilities for all the species. A clear preference for the canopy layer (traps between 10 and 20 m high) was shown by all species except for D. parallelipipedus which was mostly captured between 1.5 and 2 m of height. The study period was long enough to improve ecological knowledge on species phenology, but not enough to include the whole phenology for all of them. The method allowed the assessment of population size only for flower chafers as the number of stag beetles captures was too low.

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Acknowledgements

The present work was developed within the EU project LIFE 11 NAT/IT/000252 “MIPP” (Monitoring of Insects with Public Participation), with the contribution of the Life financial instrument of the European Union. We are thankful to Marco Bologna, coordinator of research activities of MIPP Life in Roma Tre University, and to Marcos Méndez and Alan Gange who gave precious advice for the improvement of the manuscript. We thank J. W. Dover who has implemented very much the quality of our article. The authors thank Laura Spada (CNBFVR “Bosco Fontana”, Mantua), Davide Sogliani (Mantua) for fieldwork assistance, Sönke Hardersen (CNBFVR “Bosco Fontana”, Mantua), Pierpaolo Rapuzzi (Udine), Lara Redolfi De Zan (CREA, Florence), Federico Romiti (Roma Tre University, Rome), Sarah Rossi de Gasperis (Roma Tre University, Rome) and Agnese Zauli (CREA, Florence), for useful discussion and suggestion.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro Nazionale per lo Studio e la Conservazione della Biodiversità Forestale Carabinieri ‘Bosco Fontana’, Via Carlo Ederle 16/a, 37126, Verona, Italy

    Marco Bardiani, Alessandro Campanaro, Franco Mason & Ilaria Toni

  2. Department of Science, Roma Tre University, Viale G. Marconi 446, 00146, Rome, Italy

    Massimiliano Tini, Giuseppe M. Carpaneto, Emanuela Maurizi & Stefano Chiari

  3. Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l’analisi dell’economia agraria - Centro di ricerca per l’agrobiologia e la pedologia, via di Lanciola 12/a, 50125, Firenze, Italy

    Marco Bardiani, Alessandro Campanaro, Emanuela Maurizi, Giuseppino Sabbatini Peverieri, Pio Federico Roversi & Stefano Chiari

  4. Department of Biology and Biotechnologies ‘Charles Darwin’, Sapienza University of Rome, Via A. Borelli 50, 00161, Rome, Italy

    Paolo Audisio

  5. Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy

    Elisabetta Bussola

  6. Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano 6, 50019, Florence, Italy

    Alessandro Cini

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  1. Marco Bardiani
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  2. Massimiliano Tini
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Correspondence to Massimiliano Tini.

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10841_2017_9965_MOESM1_ESM.docx

Online Resource 1First capture, last capture and time interval between them for stag beetles and flower chafers. Capture data were recorded at the “Bosco della Fontana” Natural State Reserve (northern Italy) between 27th May and 18th July 2014. (DOCX 20 KB)

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Bardiani, M., Tini, M., Carpaneto, G.M. et al. Effects of trap baits and height on stag beetle and flower chafer monitoring: ecological and conservation implications. J Insect Conserv 21, 157–168 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-017-9965-3

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