Silvia Ghidotti

Alien species introduction is a global phenomenon involving different invasion patterns and is characterized by niche conservatism or shift. We describe the spatial distribution of Cacyreus marshalli Butler, [1898] (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) in its native (southern Africa) and invaded (Europe) ranges. C. marshalli is the only alien butterfly in Euro...

Use fodder trees is a traditional method to provide an additional feed ration for bred herbivores in Europe and in the Mediterranean basin. Tree species like ashes (Fraxinus excelsior), maples (Acer spp), elms (Ulmus spp), mulberries (Morus spp), but also oaks and other broadleaved trees are specially pruned to foster this practices since Neolithic...

Table S1: Summary of the explanatory variables used for MaxEnt and Nmixture analysis, Table S2: Details on the occurrence data used for Maxent analysis, Table S3: Model selection of the selected N-mixture model with different distributions for the � parameter, Figure S1: Cacyreus Marshalli presence points, Figure S2: Model residual diagnostics for...

Simple Summary Cacyreus marshalli is strictly dependent on its host plant (Pelargonium spp.), which is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant in mountain areas. An experiment demonstrated that the butterfly is able to develop on some wild geraniums, too, making mountain areas highly at risk for a potential expansion to natural habitats. We theref...

Land-use changes, both in terms of land abandonment and intensification, have led to fragmentation and loss of traditional agricultural habitats. Extensive grazing is among the forms of land use that have undergone the greatest changes. This represents one of the main threats to biodiversity; consequently, a comprehensive overview about the impacts...

Cacyreus marshalli (Butler, 1898) is the only alien butterfly species in Italy, introduced from Southern Africa via the trade of ornamental Pelargonium plants (family Geraniaceae). In 2008, Quacchia and colleagues demonstrated that if Pelargonium plants are not available, females can lay eggs on Geranium spp., developing fertile offspring. C. marsh...

Cacyreus marshalli (Butler, 1898) is the only alien butterfly species in Italy, introduced from Southern Africa via the trade of ornamental Pelargonium plants (family Geraniaceae). In 2008, Quacchia and colleagues demonstrated that if Pelargonium plants are not available, females can lay eggs on Geranium spp., developing fertile offspring. C. marsh...

The original publication of this article unfortunately contained an error. The surnames and forenames of the author group were swapped. The correct author group is given in this correction. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10841-019-00138-w

Butterflies of the European Euphydryas aurinia complex include a series of taxa, showing morphological and eco-ethological differences. All of them are threatened by changes in land use affecting both the structural and functional connectivity of habitat patches, as well as habitat quality. In this framework, we analysed the use of resources by two...

Originally from Southern Africa, Geranium Bronze (Cacyreus marshalli) is an invasive species in Europe, where its larvae pest Pelargonium spp. Because of the potential threat for native Geranium-consuming lycaenids (Quacchia et al. 2008) to evaluate the risk of naturalisation, we investigate in Gran Paradiso National Park: i) C. marshalli current p...

Across its European range, the Euphydryas aurinia complex (Annex II of the Habitats Directive) includes a series of taxa, each showing some morphological differences and distinct eco-ethological features. At least 3 of these occur in Italy and all of them occupy habitats protected at European level (Habitat 6410, Molinia meadows; Habitat 6210, semi...

Across its European range, the Euphydryas aurinia complex (Annex II of the Habitats Directive) includes a series of distinct populations. At least 3 taxa occur in Italy, each showing slight morphological differences and distinct eco-ethological features. For the first time, we compared metapopulation dynamics of E. (a.) glaciegenita inhabiting a si...

In 2013, the Gran Paradiso National Park (Western Alps, Italy) begun a restoration project in a transition peat bog (Dres peat bog, 2100 m a.s.l.) impacted by grazing and drainage, by excluding grazing and positioning small mobile dams to control water level. The results of the project were tested using aquatic beetles (Coleoptera Dytiscidae and Hy...