Fauna of Italy - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

has one of the highest levels of fauna

Fauna

Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...

l biodiversity

Biodiversity

Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...

in Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

with over 57,000 species recorded (more than a third of all European fauna).
This is due to Italy’s

Southerly geographical position, surrounded by the Mediterranean and Aegean
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...

seas. There is 8,000 km of coastline and the Italian peninsula is in the centre of the Mediterranean Sea, forming a corridor between central Europe and North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...

. Italy also receives species from the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...

, Eurasia
Eurasia
Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...

, the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...

.
Varied geological structure.
High mountain ranges, especially the Alps and the Apennines.
Climate and habitat diversity - very broadly Alpine in the North, woodlands and river systems in Central Italy and Garigue (the Italian word is Gariga) and Maquis shrubland
Maquis shrubland
thumb|220px|Low Maquis in Corsica.220px|thumb|High macchia in Sardinia.Maquis or macchia is a shrubland biome in the Mediterranean region, typically consisting of densely growing evergreen shrubs such as holm oak, tree heath, strawberry tree, sage, juniper, buckthorn, spurge olive and myrtle...

(in Italian, Macchia mediterranea) in the South.
High plant diversity (9,000 species - almost half Europe’s total).

86% of the Italian fauna is land-based, 14% is aquatic. Insects represent about two thirds of all of Italy’s fauna.

Hotspot

Portions of Italy are included in the Mediterranean Basin

Mediterranean Basin

In biogeography, the Mediterranean Basin refers to the lands around the Mediterranean Sea that have a Mediterranean climate, with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers, which supports characteristic Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub vegetation...

biodiversity hotspot

Biodiversity hotspot

A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region with a significant reservoir of biodiversity that is under threat from humans.The concept of biodiversity hotspots was originated by Norman Myers in two articles in “The Environmentalist” , revised after thorough analysis by Myers and others in...

.
Important terrestrial ecoregions include the:
Illyrian deciduous forests

Illyrian deciduous forests

The Illyrian deciduous forests form a terrestrial ecoregion of Europe according to both the WWF and Digital Map of European Ecological Regions by the European Environment Agency...

, the Italian sclerophyllous and semi-deciduous forests

Italian sclerophyllous and semi-deciduous forests

The term Italian Sclerophyllous and deciduous forests ecoregion, in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub Biome, is in Italy. The region extends from the Po Basin to the Apennine Mountains of Basilicata and Calabria...

, the South Apennine mixed montane forests

South Apennine mixed montane forests

The South Apennine mixed montane forests is an Ecoregion, in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub Biome, located in southern Italy and Sicily....

, the Tyrrhenian-Adriatic sclerophyllous and mixed forests

Tyrrhenian-Adriatic sclerophyllous and mixed forests

The Thyrrenian-Adriatic Sclerophyllous and Mixed Forests Ecoregion, in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub Biome, is in southern Italy, Sicily, Corsica, and the Dalmatian Islands.-Major forest zones:...

, Appenine deciduous montane forests

Appenine deciduous montane forests

The term Appenine deciduous montane forests Ecoregion, in the Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests Biome, are in the mountain ranges of northern and central Italy, including the Apennine Mountains.-Vegetation zones:...

, the Dinaric Mountains mixed forests

Dinaric Mountains mixed forests

The Dinaric Mountains mixed forests form a terrestrial ecoregion of Europe according to both the WWF and Digital Map of European Ecological Regions by the European Environment Agency. It belongs to the Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests Biome, and to the Palearctic ecozone.-Distribution:The...

(Trieste) and the Po Basin mixed forests

Po Basin mixed forests

Po Basin mixed forests is a term used to describe an ecoregion and biome composed of trees and other vegetation characteristically found in the temperate broadleaf and mixed forests surrounding the Po River in Northern Italy, and its watershed from the Cisalpine, or Italian side, of the...

.
There are also many cave systems significant for Biodiversity.

Endemic Species

The Checklist of the Species of the Italian Fauna includes 4777 endemic animal species.

Unique Mammals include the Corsican Hare

Corsican Hare

The Corsican Hare , also known as the Apennine Hare or Italian Hare, is a species of hare found in southern and central Italy and Corsica.-Taxonomy:...

, Sardinian Long-eared Bat

Sardinian Long-eared Bat

The Sardinian Long-eared Bat is a species of bat endemic to Sardinia.This species was discovered in 2002 in the caves of central Sardinia. Is currently the only endemic bat discovered in Italy...

, the Apennine Shrew

Apennine Shrew

The Apennine Shrew is a species of mammal in the Soricidae family. It is endemic to Italy.-References:* Insectivore Specialist Group 1996. . Downloaded on 30 July 2007....

, the Udine Shrew

Udine Shrew

The Udine Shrew is a species of mammal in the Soricidae family. It is found in the Udine province of north-east Italy and in western Slovenia.-References:...

the Calabria Pine Vole

Calabria Pine Vole

The Calabria Pine Vole is a vole found in southern and central Italy initially described by Lehmann as a subspecies of M. savii. Genetic tests in the Calabrian region found that, although similar, the X chromosome is larger than that of samples of M...

and the Sardinian Deer.

Endemic amphibians and reptiles include the Spectacled Salamander

Spectacled Salamander

The Spectacled Salamander is a species of salamander in the Salamandridae family.It is found only in Italy.Its natural habitats are temperate forests, rivers, and freshwater marshes.It is threatened by habitat loss....

, the Sardinian Cave Salamander, Italian Cave Salamander

Italian Cave Salamander

The Italian Cave Salamander is a species of salamander in the Plethodontidae family. It is endemic to Italy....

Monte Albo Cave Salamander

The Monte Albo Cave Salamander or Stefani's Salamander is a species of salamander in the Plethodontidae family.It is endemic to Sardinia....

, the, the Sardinian Brook Newt

Sardinian Brook Salamander

The Sardinian Brook Salamander or Sardinian Mountain Newt is a species of salamander in the Salamandridae family.It is found only in Sardinia, Italy....

, the Italian Newt

Italian Newt

The Italian Newt is a species of salamander in the Salamandridae family. It is found only in Italy. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, temperate shrubland, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, freshwater lakes, intermittent freshwater lakes, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater...

, the Italian Frog, the Apennine Yellow-bellied Toad

Apennine Yellow-bellied Toad

The Apennine Yellow-bellied Toad is a species of toad in the Bombinatoridae family. It is endemic to Italy. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, temperate grassland, swamps, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marches, arable land, pastureland, ponds, open excavations, irrigated...

the Sicilian Green Toad

Sicilian Green Toad

The Sicilian Green Toad is a green toad found only in Sicily.This toad previously attributed to the Bufo viridis is now recognized as a separate species . Recent studies on the Mediterranean populations of Bufo spp...

, the Aeolian Wall Lizard

Aeolian Wall Lizard

The Aeolian Wall Lizard is a species of lizard in the Lacertidae family.It is endemic to Italy.Its natural habitats are Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation and rocky shores.-Source:...

, the Sicilian Wall Lizard

Sicilian Wall Lizard

The Sicilian Wall Lizard, Podarcis waglerianus, is a species of lizard in the Lacertidae family.It is endemic to Italy, where it occurs in Sicily and the Aegadian Islands. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, temperate shrubland, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, temperate grassland,...

, the Italian Aesculapian Snake

Italian Aesculapian Snake

The Italian Aesculapian Snake is a species of snake in the Colubridae family.-Geographic range:It is endemic to southern Italy and Sicily. The northern limit of its geographical range is the Province of Caserta in the west and the Province of Foggia in the east...

and the Sicilian Pond Turtle

Emys

Emys is a small genus of turtles. Its members are:* Emys orbicularis - European pond turtle* Emys trinacris - Sicilian pond turtle * Emys blandingii - Blanding's turtle * Emys marmorata - Western pond turtle- Sub-species :...

.

Endemic fish include the Bergatino Loach

Italian Loach

The Italian Loach is a species of ray-finned fish in the Cobitidae family. It is found only in Italy. It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:* Crivelli, A.J. 2005. . Downloaded on 19 July 2007....

, the Italian Barbel

Italian Barbel

The Italian Barbel is a species of ray-finned fish in the Cyprinidae family. It is found in Croatia, Italy, Slovenia and Switzerland....

the Brook Chub

Squalius lucumonis

Squalius lucumonis is a species of freshwater fish in the Cyprinidae family. It is found only in Italy.Its natural habitat is rivers.-References:* Crivelli, A.J. 2005. . Downloaded on 19 July 2007....

Arno Goby

Arno goby

The Arno goby is a species of fish in the Gobiidae family. It is endemic to Italy. Its natural habitat is rivers. It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:* Crivelli, A.J. 2005. . Downloaded on 4 August 2007....

, the Garda Carp

Salmo carpio

Salmo carpio, also known as the carpione is a salmonid fish endemic to Lake Garda in Italy. It has been introduced to a number of other lakes in Italy and elsewhere but unsuccessfully in all cases...

, the Carpione del Fibreno

Salmo fibreni

Salmo fibreni, or the Fibreno trout, is a freshwater salmonid fish, endemic to Lago di Posta Fibreno in central Italy.The size of Lago di Posta Fibreno is only 0.29 km². It is a narrow lake 1.1 km long, 100–300 m wide, situated 289 m above sea level. The lake is in a karstic terrain and...

and the Timavo Sculpin

Timavo Sculpin

The Timavo sculpin, Cottus scaturigo, is a freshwater species of fish that is found only in Timavo Spring in Italy. It is relatd to the European bullhead, and was described as a distinct species in 2005....

.

Endemic Lepidoptera are listed here :it:Farfalle e falene endemiche dell'Italia.A notable species is the European Owl Moth

Acanthobrahmaea europaea

The European Owl Moth is a lepidopteran from the family Brahmaeidae, the Brahmin moths.-Overview:The wingspan of the moth ranges from 65 to 80 millimeter....

found only in Southern Italy.

Mammals

There are 102 mammal species in Italy. Some of the species are Alpine Marmot

Alpine Marmot

The Alpine Marmot is a species of marmot found in mountainous areas of central and southern Europe. Alpine marmots live at heights between 800 and 3,200 metres in the Alps, Carpathians, Tatras, the Pyrenees and Northern Apennines in Italy...

, Forest Dormouse

Forest dormouse

Dryomys is a genus of dormouse found throughout much of Eurasia, known collectively as the forest dormice. They generally occur in forests or thickets.Head and body is , and tail length is . The animals weigh .- Natural history :...

, Etruscan Shrew (the smallest mammal in the world) , European Snow Vole

European Snow Vole

The European Snow Vole or Snow Vole is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae.-Description:...

, Schreiber's Long-Fingered Bat and .
Notable large mammals are the Eurasian Lynx

Eurasian Lynx

The Eurasian lynx is a medium-sized cat native to European and Siberian forests, South Asia and East Asia. It is also known as the European lynx, common lynx, the northern lynx, and the Siberian or Russian lynx...

, Italian Wolf, Marsican Brown Bear

Marsican Brown Bear

The Marsican Brown Bear , also known as Apennine brown bear, is a highly threatened, unrecognized subspecies of the Brown bear, with a range restricted to Abruzzo National Park and perhaps the Montagne del Morrone in Italy...

, Pyrenean Chamois

Pyrenean Chamois

The Pyrenean Chamois , Rupicapra pyrenaica, is a goat antelope that lives in the Pyrenees, Cantabrian Mountains and Apennine Mountains...

, Alpine Ibex

Alpine Ibex

The Alpine ibex, , is a species of wild goat that lives in the mountains of the European Alps. In its habitat region, the species is known as bouquetin , steinbock , and stambecco ....

, Common Genet

Common Genet

The Common Genet , also known as the Small-spotted Genet or European Genet, is a mammal from the order Carnivora, related to civets and linsangs. The most far-ranging of all the fourteen species of genet, it can be found throughout Africa, parts of the Middle East, and in Europe in Spain, Portugal,...

, Axis Deer, Mouflon

Mouflon

The mouflon is a subspecies group of the wild sheep Ovis aries. Populations of Ovis aries can be partitioned into the mouflons and urials or arkars...

, Rough-toothed Dolphin

Rough-toothed Dolphin

The Rough-toothed dolphin is species of dolphin that can be found in deep warm and tropical waters around the world.The species was first described by Georges Cuvier in 1823...

and Mediterranean Monk Seal

Mediterranean Monk Seal

The Mediterranean monk seal is a pinniped belonging to the Phocidae family. At some 450-510 remaining individuals, it is believed to be the world's second-rarest pinniped , and one of the most endangered mammals in the world.It is present in parts of the Mediterranean Sea and the eastern Atlantic...

Birds

Italy has recorded 516 bird species. This is too great a number to discuss here but notable birds are Hoopoe

Hoopoe

The Hoopoe is a colourful bird that is found across Afro-Eurasia, notable for its distinctive 'crown' of feathers. It is the only extant species in the family Upupidae. One insular species, the Giant Hoopoe of Saint Helena, is extinct, and the Madagascar subspecies of the Hoopoe is sometimes...

, Roller

European Roller

The European Roller, Coracias garrulus, is the only member of the roller family of birds to breed in Europe. Its overall range extends into the Middle East and Central Asia and Morocco....

, White-backed Woodpecker

White-backed Woodpecker

The White-backed Woodpecker is a Eurasian woodpecker belonging to the genus Dendrocopos.It is the largest of the spotted woodpeckers in the western Palearctic, 24–26 cm long with wing-span 38–40 cm and has plumage similar to the Great Spotted Woodpecker, but with white bars across the...

, Black Woodpecker

Black Woodpecker

The Black Woodpecker, Dryocopus martius, is a large woodpecker, 45–50 cm long with a 64–84 cm wingspan. Body weight is approximately 300-400 grams on average. It is easily the largest woodpecker in its range...

, European Green Woodpecker, Alpine Chough

Alpine Chough

The Alpine Chough , or Yellow-billed Chough, is a bird in the crow family, one of only two species in the genus Pyrrhocorax. Its two subspecies breed in high mountains from Spain east through southern Europe and North Africa to Central Asia, India and China, and it may nest at a higher altitude...

, Snow Finch, Rock Partridge

Rock Partridge

The Rock Partridge, Alectoris graeca, is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds.This partridge has its main range in southwestern Asia and southeastern Europe, and is closely related and very similar to its eastern equivalent, the Chukar...

, Bonelli's Eagle

Bonelli's Eagle

The Bonelli's Eagle is a large bird of prey. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae.It breeds in southern Europe, Africa both north and south of the Sahara Desert and across southern Asia to Indonesia...

, Goshawk, Eagle Owl, Lammergeier

Lammergeier

The Lammergeier, Lammergeyer, or Bearded Vulture, Gypaetus barbatus , is the only member of the genus Gypaetus. Traditionally considered an Old World vulture, it actually forms a minor lineage of Accipitridae together with the Egyptian Vulture , its closest living relative...

, Egyptian Vulture

Egyptian Vulture

The Egyptian Vulture is a small Old World vulture, found widely distributed from southwestern Europe and northern Africa to southern Asia. It is the only living member of the genus Neophron. It has sometimes also been known as the White Scavenger Vulture or Pharaoh's Chicken...

, Griffon Vulture, Collared Pratincole

Collared Pratincole

The Collared Pratincole or Common Pratincole, Glareola pratincola, is a wader in the pratincole family, Glareolidae.Pratincoles are unusual among waders in that they typically hunt their insect prey on the wing like swallows, although they can also feed on the ground.The Collared Pratincole is a...

, Glossy Ibis

Glossy Ibis

The Glossy Ibis is a wading bird in the ibis family Threskiornithidae.This is the most widespread ibis species, breeding in scattered sites in warm regions of Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Atlantic and Caribbean region of the Americas...

, Spoonbill, Allen's Gallinule

Allen's Gallinule

The Allen's Gallinule , formerly known as the Lesser Gallinule is a small waterbird of the family Rallidae. Its former binomial name is Porphyrula alleni....

, Great Bustard

Great Bustard

The Great Bustard is in the bustard family, the only member of the genus Otis. It breeds in southern and central Europe, where it is the largest species of bird, and across temperate Asia...

, Trumpeter Finch

Trumpeter Finch

The Trumpeter Finch is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae.This bird breeds in the Canary Islands, across north Africa, and in the Middle East and into central Asia. There is a small European population in southern Spain...

, Rosy Starling

Rosy Starling

The Rosy Starling or Rose-coloured Starling is a passerine bird in the starling family Sturnidae. It is sometimes given its own, monotypic genus Pastor...

, Great Spotted Cuckoo

Great Spotted Cuckoo

The Great Spotted Cuckoo is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes, which also includes the roadrunners, the anis and the coucals....

, Woodchat Shrike

Woodchat Shrike

The Woodchat Shrike is a member of the shrike family Laniidae.The Woodchat breeds in southern Europe, the Middle East and northwest Africa, and winters in tropical Africa. It breeds in open cultivated country, preferably with orchard trees and some bare or sandy ground.This migratory medium-sized...

, Bluethroat

Bluethroat

The Bluethroat is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae...

and Eurasian Nightjar.

Migration

Italy is an important route for trans-Saharan bird migrants

Bird migration

Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...

because it is a natural bridge connecting continental Europe to Africa across the Mediterranean.

Raptor and Stork Migration

Migratory birds with a low wing loading such as Stork

White Stork

The White Stork is a large bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. Its plumage is mainly white, with black on its wings. Adults have long red legs and long pointed red beaks, and measure on average from beak tip to end of tail, with a wingspan...

, Honey Buzzard

Honey Buzzard

The European Honey Buzzard , is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, eagles and harriers....

, Black Kite

Black Kite

The Black Kite is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors. Unlike others of the group, they are opportunistic hunters and are more likely to scavenge. They spend a lot of time soaring and gliding in thermals in search of food. Their...

, Marsh Harrier, Kestrel

Kestrel

The name kestrel, is given to several different members of the falcon genus, Falco. Kestrels are most easily distinguished by their typical hunting behaviour which is to hover at a height of around over open country and swoop down on prey, usually small mammals, lizards or large insects...

and Hobby

Eurasian Hobby

The Eurasian Hobby , or just simply Hobby, is a small slim falcon. It belongs to a rather close-knit group of similar falcons often considered a subgenus Hypotriorchis.-Description:...

depend on thermals and updrafts for soaring to cross the Mediterranean in Spring. Although the majority of these birds enter Europe via the Bosphorus or Straits of Gibraltar large numbers leave at Cap Bon

Cap Bon

Cap Bon , also Watan el-kibli, is a peninsula in far northeastern Tunisia. It is located at around . It is surrounded by the Gulf of Tunis in the north. Towns located on the peninsula include Nabeul, Kelibia and Menzel Temime. The ruins of the Punic town Kerkouane are located here....

in Tunisia and enter Europe via the Aeolian Islands

Aeolian Islands

The Aeolian Islands or Lipari Islands are a volcanic archipelago in the Tyrrhenian Sea north of Sicily, named after the demigod of the winds Aeolus. The locals residing on the islands are known as Eolians . The Aeolian Islands are a popular tourist destination in the summer, and attract up to...

and the Straits of Messina to Calabria

Calabria

Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....

. Most of these birds breed in central and northern Europe. The birds return to Africa in Autumn by the same route.

Invertebrate Fauna

The Italian fauna includes 56213 species of invertebrates. This is 97.8% of the total species richness (the vertebrates are 2.2%).Of these 37303 species (approximately 65%) are insects. The (recorded) species richness of the Italian fauna is certainly one of the highest in a European country. For insects (the best known in other countries as well and therefore allowing comparison) the species richness is the absolute highest (Minelli A., 1996).
Northern Italy Northern Italy ( Friuli Venezia Giulia, Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige, Lombardia, Val d'Aosta, Piemonte, Liguria, Emilia-Romagna) has 33414 invertebrate species. Peninsular Italy (Toscana, Marche, Umbria, Lazio, Abruzzi, Molise, Campania, Puglia, Basilicata) has 24297. This may be a faunistic gradient but less complete data are available for southern Italy and the biotope

Biotope

Biotope is an area of uniform environmental conditions providing a living place for a specific assemblage of plants and animals. Biotope is almost synonymous with the term habitat, but while the subject of a habitat is a species or a population, the subject of a biotope is a biological community.It...

s are very different. ( Stoch F., 2004).

Commonly seen insects in Italy are the Sail Swallowtail

Scarce Swallowtail

The Scarce Swallowtail is a Palearctic swallowtail butterfly found in gardens, fields and open woodlands. First described by Linnaeus in 1758, it is found in places with sloe thickets and particularly orchards. It is also called Sail Swallowtail or Pear-tree Swallowtail...

, the Scarlet Dragonfly

Scarlet Dragonfly

The Crocothemis erythraea is a member of the dragonfly genus Crocothemis. Its common names include Broad Scarlet, Common Scarlet-darter, Scarlet Darter and Scarlet Dragonfly.-Description:...

, Cleopatra Butterfly

Gonepteryx cleopatra

Gonepteryx cleopatra is a medium sized butterfly of the family Pieridae that is native to the Mediterranean region ....

, European Praying Mantis

European mantis

Mantis religiosa, referred to as the European Mantis outside of Europe and known simply as the Praying Mantis in Europe and elsewhere, is one of the most well-known and widespread species of the order Mantodea.-Overview:...

, Cicada

Cicada

A cicada is an insect of the order Hemiptera, suborder Auchenorrhyncha , in the superfamily Cicadoidea, with large eyes wide apart on the head and usually transparent, well-veined wings. There are about 2,500 species of cicada around the world, and many of them remain unclassified...

, Glow-worm

Lampyris noctiluca

Lampyris noctiluca, the common glow-worm of Europe , is a firefly species of the genus Lampyris. These are beetles, as evidenced by the hard cases which close over the wings when they are not in use....

, Hummingbird Hawk-moth, Italian Stinkbug

Graphosoma lineatum

Graphosoma lineatum is a species of shield bug in the family Pentatomidae. It is also known as the Italian Striped-Bug and Minstrel Bug. It is often found on the flowers of the Greater Pignut, Bunium bulbocastanum, as shown in the photograph. The bold red and black warning colours indicate that...

, Firebug

Firebug

The firebug, Pyrrhocoris apterus, is a common insect of the family Pyrrhocoridae. Easily recognizable due to its striking red and black colouration, it is distributed throughout the Palaearctic from the Atlantic coast of Europe to northwest China. It has also been reported from the USA, Central...

, Field Cricket

Gryllus campestris

Gryllus campestris is one of many crickets known as the Field cricket. These insects are dark colored and slightly less than one inch in length. The males range from 19 to 23 mm and the females from 17 to 22 mm....

, European Hornet

European hornet

The European hornet Vespa crabro, commonly known simply as the "hornet", is the largest European eusocial wasp. The queen measures 25 to 50 mm long; males and workers are smaller...

, Cuckoo Wasp

Cuckoo wasp

Commonly known as cuckoo wasps, the Hymenopteran family Chrysididae is a very large cosmopolitan group of parasitoid or cleptoparasitic wasps, often highly sculptured, with brilliantly colored metallic-like bodies...

, Carpenter Bee

Xylocopa violacea

Xylocopa violacea, the violet carpenter bee, is the common European species of carpenter bee, and one of the largest bees in Europe. Like most members of the genus Xylocopa, it makes its nests in dead wood....

and the Rose Chafer.

Marine Fauna

Characteristic habitat types of the Italian Mediterranean coastal zone, are the
Cystoseira

Cystoseira

Cystoseira is a genus of brown algae in the order Fucales.-Description:Cystoseira is characterized by highly differentiated basal and apical regions and the presence of catenate pneumatocysts ....

biocenosis

Biocoenosis

A biocoenosis , coined by Karl Möbius in 1877, describes the interacting organisms living together in a habitat . This term is rarely used in English, as this concept has not been popularized in Anglophone countries...

and the Posidonia oceanica

Posidonia oceanica

Posidonia oceanica is a seagrass species that is endemic to the Mediterranean Sea. It forms large underwater meadows that are an important part of the ecosystem. The fruit is free floating and known in Italy as 'the olive of the sea'...

seagrass beds, Lithophyllum lichenoides

Coralline algae

Coralline algae are red algae in the order Corallinales. They are characterized by a thallus that is hard because of calcareous deposits contained within the cell walls...

communities form coralligenous reefs which are a spectacular sight the coralline alga is covered with large gorgonian fans, coral, and a diverse array of often colourful invertebrate organisms and hundreds of species of fish.
These communities host sponges (Porifera) , Sea anemone s, Jellyfishes (Cnidaria), Sea mats and hornwrack (Bryozoa) segmented worms (Annelida) Snails, Bivalves, Squids and Octopuses (Mollusca), Starfishes and Sea urchins (Echinodermata) , Crabs, Lobsters and Shrimps (Arthropoda) and little known groups such as, Echiura

Echiura

The Echiura, or spoon worms, are a small group of marine animals. They are often considered to be a group of annelids, although they lack the segmented structure found in other members of that group, and so may also be treated as a separate phylum...

, Priapulida

Priapulida

Priapulida is a phylum of marine worms. They are named for their extensible spiny proboscis, which, in some species, may have a shape like that of a human penis...

, Sipuncula

Sipuncula

The Sipuncula or Sipunculida is a group containing 144-320 species of bilaterally symmetrical, unsegmented marine worms...

, Brachiopoda , Pogonophora

Pogonophora

There are two taxa with the name Pogonophora:*Pogonophora - an obsolete animal phylum, now treated as part of the family Siboglinidae*Pogonophora - a genus in the Euphorbiaceae...

, Phoronida and Hemichordata.
Amongst the thousand or so species of invertebrates found in the Italian marine envrironment are Mantis Shrimps

Squilla mantis

Squilla mantis is a species of mantis shrimp chiefly found and fished in the Mediterranean Sea. It grows up to long, and is of the spearer type. It is generally dull brown in colouration, but has two brown eye spots, circled in white, at the base of the telson...

,
Mediterranean Slipper Lobsters

Scyllarides latus

Scyllarides latus, the Mediterranean slipper lobster, is a species of slipper lobster found in the Mediterranean Sea and in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. It is edible and highly regarded as food, but is now rare over much of its range due to overfishing. Adults may grow to long, are camouflaged, and...

, Octopus

Common Octopus

The Common Octopus is the most studied of all octopus species. Its natural range extends from the Mediterranean Sea and the southern coast of England to at least Senegal in Africa. It also occurs off the Azores, Canary Islands, and Cape Verde Islands.- Characteristics :O. vulgaris grows to 25 cm...

, Cuttlefish

Common Cuttlefish

The Common Cuttlefish or European Common Cuttlefish is one of the largest and best known cuttlefish species. It grows to 49 cm in mantle length and 4 kg in weight...

, Scribbled nudibranch

Scribbled nudibranch

The scribbled nudibranch, Doriopsilla miniata, is a species of sea slug, a dorid nudibranch. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Dendrodorididae.-Distribution:This species is known from the Mediterranean, and the Indo-Pacific...

, Hypselodoris picta

Hypselodoris picta

Hypselodoris picta is a species of colorful sea slug or dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Chromodorididae.- Subspecies :Subspecies of Hypselodoris picta include:...

, Tasselled nudibranch

Tasselled nudibranch

The tasselled nudibranch, Kaloplocamus ramosus, is a species of dorid nudibranch. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Polyceridae.-Distribution:...

, Precious coral, Zigzag Coral

Madrepora oculata

Madrepora oculata, also called zigzag coral, is a Scleractinia that is found worldwide outside of the polar regions, growing in deep water at depths of 80–1500 meters. It was first described by Linnaeus in 1758. It is one of only 12 species of coral that are found worldwide, including in...

, Purple Sail

Velella

Velella is a genus of free-floating hydrozoans that lives on the surface of the open ocean, worldwide, and is commonly known by the names by-the-wind sailor, purple sail, little sail, or simply Velella...

, Mediterranean Jellyfish

Cotylorhiza tuberculata

Cotylorhiza tuberculata is a species of jellyfish, also known as the Mediterranean jelly or fried egg jellyfish. It is commonly found in the Mediterranean Sea, Aegean Sea and Adriatic Sea. It can reach 35 cm in diameter. It seems that this jellyfish's sting has very little or no effect on...

, Spiny Spider Crab

Maja squinado

Maja squinado is a species of migratory crab found in the north-east Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea.-Diet:M...

, Circular Crab

Circular crab

Atelecyclus rotundatus is a medium-sized crab found on the west coast of Europe and Africa as well as almost all the Mediterranean Sea and on the Cape Verde and Canary islands. It has many common names, including circular crab, round crab and old man's face crab...

, Broad-clawed Porcelain Crab

Porcellana platycheles

Porcellana platycheles, sometimes called the broad-clawed porcelain crab, is a species of porcelain crab. It may reach a size of , and is found in the Eastern North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, where it feeds on carrion and other organic debris....

, Noble Pen Shell

Pinna nobilis

Pinna nobilis, common name the "noble pen shell" is a species of pen shell, a large marine bivalve mollusc in the family Pinnidae, the 'pen shells'....

, Pilgrim’s Scallop

Pecten jacobaeus

Pecten jacobaeus is a species of scallop, an edible saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Pectinidae, the scallops.This species appears to be endemic to the Mediterranean Sea, but it may in fact be conspecific with Pecten maximus, the great scallop, which has a larger distribution...

, Ragged Sea Hare, Violet Sea Hare

Notarchus

Notarchus is a genus of sea slugs or sea hares, marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusks in the family Aplysiidae, the sea hares.-Description:...

, Portuguese Man o' War

Portuguese Man o' War

The Portuguese Man o' War , also known as the Portuguese man-of-war, man-of-war, or bluebottle, is a jelly-like marine invertebrate of the family Physaliidae...

, Black Sea-Urchin

Arbacia lixula

The Black Sea Urchin, Arbacia lixula is a Sea Urchin found on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and Macaronesian Islands , and less commonly, on the Atlantic coast of Western Africa and the Brazilian coast....

, Mediterranean Starfish

Hacelia attenuata

Hacelia is a genus of sea star. The type species of the genus Hacelia attenuata was described by John Edward Gray, in 1840. It is found in the Mediterranean Sea....

, Sea mouse

Sea mouse

The sea mouse, Aphrodita aculeata is a marine polychaete worm found in the North Atlantic, the North Sea, the Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean. The sea mouse normally lies buried head-first in the sand. It can live in muddy sea floors down to around 1000m.Its body is covered in a dense mat of...

, and Parazoanthus axinellae

Parazoanthus axinellae

Parazoanthus axinellae, the Yellow Cluster Anemone is a zoanthid coral found on the southern Atlantic coasts of Europe and in the Mediterranean Sea...

The Straits of Messina

The Tyrrhenian

Tyrrhenian Sea

The Tyrrhenian Sea is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy.-Geography:The sea is bounded by Corsica and Sardinia , Tuscany, Lazio, Campania, Basilicata and Calabria and Sicily ....

and Ionian

Ionian Sea

The Ionian Sea , is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea, south of the Adriatic Sea. It is bounded by southern Italy including Calabria, Sicily and the Salento peninsula to the west, southern Albania to the north, and a large number of Greek islands, including Corfu, Zante, Kephalonia, Ithaka, and...

meet in Straits of Messina generating powerful currents and strong turbulence, aggravated by the abrupt changes of sea bottom topography in the vicinity of the town of Messina. As a consequence many species, known as rare in the Mediterranean are found in large numbers in the straits. It is common to find deep species at the surface and vice versa, or open-sea species along the coast. The upwelling water drags abyssal species to the surface and sometimes strands them on the shore. Made famous in the nineteth ceturyby the zoologists Nicholas Miklouho-Maclay and Anton Dohrn

Anton Dohrn

Felix Anton Dohrn was a prominent German Darwinist and the founder and first director of the Stazione Zoologica, Naples, Italy.-Family history:...

the straits have an extraordinary abundance and structure of plankton

Plankton

Plankton are any drifting organisms that inhabit the pelagic zone of oceans, seas, or bodies of fresh water. That is, plankton are defined by their ecological niche rather than phylogenetic or taxonomic classification...

ic, benthic

Benthic zone

The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean or a lake, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. Organisms living in this zone are called benthos. They generally live in close relationship with the substrate bottom; many such...

and nektonic

Neritic zone

The neritic zone, also called coastal waters, the coastal ocean or the sublittoral zone, is the part of the ocean extending from the low tide mark to the edge of the continental shelf, with a relatively shallow depth extending to about 200 meters...

communities.

Lessepsian migration

Since the construction of the Suez Canal

Suez Canal

The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...

in 1869 invasive species originated from the Red Sea have become a major component of the Mediterranean ecosystem, and have serious impacts on the Mediterranean ecology, endangering many local and endemic Mediterranean species. About 300 species native to the Red Sea have already been identified in the Mediterranean Sea, and there are probably others yet unidentified. This is called Lessepsian migration.

Introduced and Alien Species

.

The Italian fauna is rich in introduced species. Many introductions date from the time of the Roman Empire

Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....

, for instance the Carp

Common carp

The Common carp is a widespread freshwater fish of eutrophic waters in lakes and large rivers in Europe and Asia. The wild populations are considered vulnerable to extinction, but the species has also been domesticated and introduced into environments worldwide, and is often considered an invasive...

and the Crested Porcupine

Crested Porcupine

The crested porcupine is a species of rodent in the Hystricidae family.It is extant in mainland Italy, Sicily, North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa.-Physical Attributes:...

Examples of more recent and sometimes unwelcome arrivals are the Asian tiger mosquito

Asian tiger mosquito

The Asian tiger mosquito or forest day mosquito, Aedes albopictus , from the mosquito family, is characterized by its black and white striped legs, and small black and white striped body...

a feared invader from Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...

, the Citrus long-horned beetle

Citrus long-horned beetle

The Citrus Long-horned Beetle is a long-horned beetle native to Japan, China and Korea, where it is considered a serious pest....

a pest species from China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

, the Cottony Cushion Scale

Icerya purchasi

Icerya purchasi is a scale insect that feeds on several species of woody plants, most notably on Citrus and Pittosporum. Originally identified in 1878 as a New Zealand located pest of kangaroo acacia, it is now found worldwide where citrus crops are grown.-Life cycle:This scale infests twigs and...

which is a pest of Citrus

Citrus

Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...

, the Pumpkinseed Fish

Pumpkinseed

The pumpkinseed sunfish is a freshwater fish of the sunfish family of order Perciformes. It is also referred to as "pond perch", "common sunfish", "punkys", and "sunny".-Range and distribution:...

, the Mosquitofish

Mosquitofish

The mosquitofish is a species of freshwater fish, also commonly, if ambiguously, known by its generic name, gambusia. It is sometimes called the western mosquitofish, to distinguish it from the eastern mosquitofish . It is a member of the family Poeciliidae of order Cyprinodontiformes...

, the Louisiana Crayfish

Procambarus clarkii

Procambarus clarkii is a freshwater crayfish species, native to the Southeastern United States, but found also on other continents, where it is often an invasive pest. It is known variously as the red swamp crawfish, red swamp crayfish, Louisiana crawfish, Louisiana crayfish or mudbug.-Range and...

, the Zebra Mussel

Zebra mussel

The zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, is a small freshwater mussel. This species was originally native to the lakes of southeast Russia being first described in 1769 by a German zoologist Peter Simon Pallas in the Ural, Volga and Dnieper rivers. They are still found nearby, as Pontic and Caspian...

, the Strawberry Finch

Red Munia

The Red Munia, Red Avadavat or Strawberry Finch is a sparrow-sized bird of the Munia family. It is found in the open fields and grasslands of tropical Asia and is popular as a cage bird due to the colourful plumage of the males in their breeding season. It breeds in South Asia during the Monsoon...

and the Coypu

Coypu

The coypu , , also known as the river rat, and nutria, is a large, herbivorous, semiaquatic rodent and the only member of the family Myocastoridae. Originally native to subtropical and temperate South America, it has since been introduced to North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, primarily by...

. Two introduced parrot species , the Monk Parakeet

Monk Parakeet

The Monk Parakeet, also known as the Quaker Parrot, is a species of parrot, in most treatments the only member of the genus Myiopsitta. It originates from the temperate to subtropical areas of Argentina and the surrounding countries in South America...

and the Rose-ringed Parakeet

Rose-ringed Parakeet

The Rose-ringed Parakeet , also known as the Ringnecked Parakeet, is a gregarious tropical parakeet species that has an extremely large range. Since the trend of the population appears to be increasing, the species has been evaluated as Least Concern by IUCN in 2009.Rose-ringed parakeets are...

are found in city parks.

Zoological Societies in Italy

Lega Italiana Protezione Uccelli (LIPU)
Unione Zoologica Italiana
Unione Zoologica Italiana
Unione Zoologica Italiana is an Italian scientific society devoted to Zoology especially that of Italy.The Society was founded in 1900.Publications include The Italian Journal of Zoology previously , published under the name of Il Bollettino di Zoologia.Archivio zoologico italiano : pubblicato...

http://dipbau.bio.uniroma1.it/web/UZI/index.htm
La Società Entomologica Italiana
La Società Entomologica Italiana
La Società Entomologica Italiana, the Italian Entomological Society, is Italy’s foremost society devoted to the study of insects. The society is famous for promoting applied entomology and many of its past members have saved millions from deadly diseases such as malaria.The society was founded on...

Zoology Museums

Museums which contain important collections of the fauna of Italy and which have public galleries devoted to the Italian fauna are:

Civico Museo di Storia Naturale di Trieste
Civico Museo di Storia Naturale di Trieste
Civico Museo di Storia Naturale di Trieste is a natural history museum in Trieste, northern Italy.-External links:**...

, Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
La Specola
La Specola
Museum of Zoology and Natural History, best known as La Specola, is a museum in Florence, central Italy, located next to the Pitti Palace. The name "Specola" means observatory, a reference to the astronomical observatory founded there in 1790...

, the Museum of Zoology and Natural History of Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Ferrara, Ferrara
Ferrara
Ferrara is a city and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. It is situated 50 km north-northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream of the Po River, located 5 km north...
Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova
Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova
The Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova is a natural history museum in Genoa, northern Italy.-External links:*...

, Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
Museo Civico di Storia Naturale de Milan, Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
Museo Civico di Zoologia
Museo Civico di Zoologia
The Museo Civico di Zoologia is a natural history museum in Rome, central Italy. It is situated next to the Bioparc and can be entered by the Zoo or through the entrance on via Ulisse Aldrovandi...

di Roma, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
Museo Civico Rovereto, Rovereto
Rovereto
Rovereto is a city and comune in Trentino in northern Italy, located in the Vallagarina valley of the Adige River.-History:Rovereto was an ancient fortress town standing at the frontier between the bishopric of Trento - an independent state until 1797 - and the republic of Venice, and later...
Museo di Scienze Naturali Enrico Caffi
Museo di Scienze Naturali Enrico Caffi
The Museo di Scienze Naturali Enrico Caffi is a natural history museum in Bergamo, Italy.-External links:*-Gallery:...

, Bergamo
Bergamo
Bergamo is a town and comune in Lombardy, Italy, about 40 km northeast of Milan. The comune is home to over 120,000 inhabitants. It is served by the Orio al Serio Airport, which also serves the Province of Bergamo, and to a lesser extent the metropolitan area of Milan...
Museo di Storia Naturale di Firenze
Museo di Storia Naturale di Firenze
The Museo di Storia Naturale di Firenze is a natural history museum in 6 major collections, located in Florence, Italy. It is part of the University of Florence...

, University of Florence
University of Florence
The University of Florence is a higher study institute in Florence, central Italy. One of the largest and oldest universities in the country, it consists of 12 faculties...

, Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali Regione Piemonte
Museo storia naturale di Pisa
Museo storia naturale di Pisa
Museo storia naturale di Pisa is an Italian natural history museum at Pisa. It is part of the University of Pisa and is now located in Pisa Charterhouse 10 km from the city of Pisa in the comune of Calci....

, Pisa
Pisa
Pisa is a city in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the River Arno on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa...
Museo Tridentino di Scienze Naturali, Trento
Trento
Trento is an Italian city located in the Adige River valley in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. It is the capital of Trentino...
Natural History Museum of Giacomo Doria
Natural History Museum of Giacomo Doria
Natural History Museum of Giacomo Doria, in Italian, Museo di storia naturale Giacomo Doria is a natural history museum in Genoa, Italy. It is named for the naturalist Giacomo Doria....

, Museo di storia naturale Giacomo Doria, Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
Turin Museum of Natural History
Turin Museum of Natural History
The Turin Museum of Natural History was established in 1978 to house the natural history collections of the University of Turin and other collections of naturali history, originated from specific research campaigns and donations...

, Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
Zoological Museum of Naples
Zoological Museum of Naples
The Zoological Museum of Naples, located in Naples, Italy, was founded by Gioacchino Murat in 1811. The first curator was Luigi Petagna. The founding collections were those of the Royal Bourbon Museum and the private collection of Giuseppe Saverio Poli...

, Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
Museo paleontologico di Montevarchi http://it.wikipedia.orgwikiwiki/Museo_paleontologico_di_Montevarchi

Pleistocene Fauna

The Pleistocene

Pleistocene

The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....

large mammals of Italy were primarily Eurasian immigrants fleeing
Extreme cold further North. Typical species are:

Cave Bear
Cave Bear
The cave bear was a species of bear that lived in Europe during the Pleistocene and became extinct at the beginning of the Last Glacial Maximum about 27,500 years ago....

, Ursus spelaeus'l '
European cave lion
Cave lion
Panthera leo spelaea also known as the European or Eurasian cave lion, is an extinct subspecies of lion known from fossils and many examples of prehistoric art.-Physical characteristics:This subspecies was one of the largest lions...

, Panthera leo spelaea
European Hippopotamus
European Hippopotamus
Hippopotamus antiquus, sometimes called the European Hippopotamus, was a species of hippopotamus that ranged across Europe, becoming extinct some time before the last ice age at the end of the Pleistocene epoch. H. antiquus ranged from the Iberian Peninsula to the British Isles to the Rhine River...

, Hippopotamus antiquus
Neanderthal
Neanderthal
The Neanderthal is an extinct member of the Homo genus known from Pleistocene specimens found in Europe and parts of western and central Asia...

, Homo neanderthalensis
Woolly Mammoth
Mammoth
A mammoth is any species of the extinct genus Mammuthus. These proboscideans are members of Elephantidae, the family of elephants and mammoths, and close relatives of modern elephants. They were often equipped with long curved tusks and, in northern species, a covering of long hair...

, Mammuthus primigenius
Mammuthus meridionalis
Mammuthus meridionalis
Mammuthus meridionalis is an extinct species of mammoth endemic to Europe and central Asia from the Pleistocene, living from 2.5–0.126 mya existing for approximately ....
Straight-tusked Elephant
Straight-tusked Elephant
The Straight-tusked Elephant is an extinct species of elephant closely related to the living Asian Elephant. It inhabited Europe during the Middle and Late Pleistocene . Some experts regard the smaller Asian species E...

, Elephas (Palaeoloxodon) antiquus
Woolly Rhinoceros
Woolly Rhinoceros
The woolly rhinoceros is an extinct species of rhinoceros that was common throughout Europe and Asia during the Pleistocene epoch and survived the last glacial period. The genus name Coelodonta means "cavity tooth"...

, Coelodonta antiquitatis

Dwarf Elephants

Pleistocene Dwarf Elephants developed

Insular dwarfism

Insular dwarfism, a form of phyletic dwarfism, is the process and condition of the reduction in size of large animals – typically mammals – when their population's range is limited to a small environment, primarily islands. This natural process is distinct from the intentional creation of dwarf...

as a result of isolation on the island of Sardinia:

Mammuthus lamarmorae(Major, 1883)
Elephas antiquus (Acconci, 1881)
Elephas melitensi (Caria, 1965))

and on Sicily and Malta

Elephas (Palaeoloxodon) antiquus leonardii (Aguirre, 1969)
Elephas (Palaeoloxodon) mnaidriensis (Adams, 1874)
Elephas (Palaeoloxodon) melitensis (Falconer, 1868)
Elephas (Palaeoloxodon) falconeri (Busk, 1867))

Other Pleostocene animals found on these islands are

Sardinian Dhole
Sardinian Dhole
The Sardinian Dhole Cynotherium sardous was an endemic insular canid, that occurred on the Italian island of Sardinia and the French island of Corsica . It became extinct when humans began to settle on the island.When this canid became confined to the island, it faced a menu consisting of small and...

, Cynotherium sardous (Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...

)
Sicilian Hippopotamus
Sicilian Hippopotamus
Hippopotamus pentlandi is an extinct hippopotamus. It arrived after the Messinian salinity crisis and lived during the Pleistocene on Sicily...

, Hippopotamus pentlandi
Sardinian Dwarf Mammoth
Dwarf elephant
Dwarf elephants are prehistoric members of the order Proboscidea, that, through the process of allopatric speciation, evolved to a fraction of the size of their immediate ancestors...

, Mammuthus lamarmorae

Conservation

Italy has 20 National Parks and more than 130 Regional. In addition, there are National Reserve areas (some 150 territories protected by state laws), Regional Reserves (a total of 270 areas protected by regional laws), and 16 Marine Reserves.

External links

http://www.faunaitalia.it/ FaunaItalia
Fauna Europaea
Wild Wonders of Europe Photo gallery
biodiversityhotspots
http://amphibiaweb.org/cgi-bin/amphib_query?query_src=aw_maps_geo-euro&rel-isocc=like&orderbyaw=Order&where-isocc=Italyhttp://amphibiaweb.org/cgi-bin/amphib_query?query_src=aw_maps_geo-euro&rel-isocc=like&orderbyaw=Order&where-isocc=Italy Amphibia Web 48 Species returned for Italy
Fishbase Returns 585 species (incomplete)
Living Treasures Italy
entomologiitaliani Entomology Forum. Many images. In Italian
naturamediterraneo Forum. Many images In Italian
European Marine Life
Marine Research in Medina
EBN Where to watch birds in Rome
Biographies of famous Italian Zoologists
Mondo Marino Photogallery Marine life 375 photos from the Mediterranean
Scricciolo Alberto Masi Ornithology Website
WWF
Federazione Nazionale Pro Natura In English and Italian
Conchiglie del Mediterraneo
AIAM Faunal index page (Major taxa)

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