Natural History Sciences. Atti Soc. it. Sci. nat. Museo civ. Stor. nat. Milano, 9 (2): 55-58, 2022 DOI: 10.4081/nhs.2022.609 Short Communication Contribution to the knowledge of Ypsolophidae from forested habitats of Southern Italy with an update of the Italian checklist of the genus Ypsolopha Latreille 1796 (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutoidea) Stefano Scalercio Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l’analisi dell’economia agraria, Centro di Ricerca Foreste e Legno, Via Settimio Severo 83, I-87036 Rende (Cosenza), Italia. E-mail: stefano.scalercio@crea.gov.it © 2022 Stefano Scalercio Received for publication: 20 January 2022 Accepted for publication: 24 March 2022 Online publication: 20 October 2022 Abstract - The Italian fauna of the family Ypsolophidae consists of 19 species. In recent years, knowledge for peninsular Italy has increased, but especially for central Italy. Actually, only few records are available for the southern regions. During the surveys dedicated to the study of macrolepidoptera, several microlepidoptera were also collected. In this paper, the results of the collections for the genus Ypsolopha Latreille 1796 in the Calabria region are reported, updating the Italian checklist of this genus 27 years after its publication. Nine species are listed among which Y. persicella (Fabricius 1787) is new to the fauna of Peninsu- lar Italy, while six other species are new to the fauna of Southern Italy. Key words: biodiversity, Calabria, checklist, microlepidoptera. Riassunto: Contributo alla conoscenza degli Ypsolophidae degli habitat forestali dell’Italia meridionale con un aggiornamento della checklist italiana del genere Ypsolopha Latreille 1796 (Lepidoptera Yponomeutoidea). La fauna italiana della famiglia Ypsolophidae consiste di 19 specie. Negli ultimi anni, le conoscenze per l’Italia peninsulare sono aumentate, ma soprattutto per l’Italia centrale. Attualmente, solo pochi record sono disponibili per le regioni meridionali. Durante le indagini dedicate allo studio dei macrolepidotteri, sono stati raccolti anche diversi microlepi- dotteri. In questo lavoro vengono riportati i risultati delle raccolte per il genere Ypsolopha Latreille 1796 nella regione Calabria, aggiornando la checklist italiana di questo genere a 27 anni dalla sua pubblicazione. Sono elencate nove specie tra cui Y. persicella (Fabricius 1787) è nuova per la fauna dell’Italia peninsulare, mentre altre sei specie sono nuove per la fauna dell’Italia meridionale. Parole chiave: biodiversità, Calabria, checklist, microlepidoptera. IntRoduCtIon The Italian fauna of the family Ypsolophidae (Lepi- doptera: Yponomeutoidea) is composed of 19 species (Baraniak et al., 1995), 16 of which belong to the ge- nus Ypsolopha Latreille 1796 (subfamily Ypsolophinae). When the Italian checklist was compiled (Baraniak et al., 1995), 14 species were known from the Northern con- tinental part of Italy, and nine from its central and sou- thern peninsular part. In recent years, Ypsolopha alpella (Denis & Schiffermüller 1775) was added to the fauna of continental Italy (Baldizzone et al., 2013), whilst five species were added to the fauna of Central Italy, namely Y. lucella (Fabricius 1775), Y. sylvella (Linnaeus 1767), Y. ustella (Clerck 1759) (Pinzari et al., 2010), Y. horri- della (Treitschke 1835) (Pinzari et al., 2013), and Y. mu- cronella (Scopoli 1763) (Pinzari et al., 2015). Knowledge for the southern regions of peninsular Italy is poor and fragmented, lacking faunal surveys in a large part of the territory. Apart from species generically recorded for pe- ninsular Italy (Baraniak et al., 1995), only a few records are available for the Calabria region. Ypsolopha ustella was recorded in the Sila (Scalercio et al., 2015) and in the Aspromonte (Baldizzone & Scalercio, 2018) massifs, and Y. parenthesella (Linnaeus 1761) in the Aspromonte massif (Baldizzone & Scalercio, 2018). During recent years, several surveys on nocturnal Lepidoptera were carried out in forest habitats of the Calabria region, significantly increasing the faunal and taxonomic knowledge for this region (Scalercio, 2016; Infusino et al., 2016; Greco et al., 2018; Scalercio et al., 2019). During these surveys several microlepidoptera we- re collected and voucher specimens were preserved in the Lepidoptera Research collection of the Research Centre for Forestry and Wood of Rende (CREA-FL), Italy, for further studies. In this paper, we report our findings about the genus Ypsolopha from Calabria, and update the Italian checklist of the genus Ypsolopha 27 years after its first publication. MAteRIALS And MethodS Surveys were carried out using UV LED light traps (Infusino et al., 2017). Identification was performed using available iconography (Parenti, 2000; Bělín, 2003), inclu- ding World Wide Web sites (mothdissection.co.uk; lepi- forum.org). Preparation of genitalia for the identification 56 Tab. 1 - Updated Italian checklist of the genus Ypsolopha in alphabetical order. Additions of the last 27 years are in bold and underlined. North (N), corresponding to the continental part of Italy; peninsular Italy (S), corresponding to the central and southern regions south of Emilia- Romagna; Sicily (Si); Sardinia (Sa). Question marks highlight uncertain records. / Checklist italiana aggiornata del genere Ypsolopha in ordine alfabetico. Le aggiunte degli ultimi 27 anni sono in grassetto e sottolineate. Nord (N), corrispondente alla parte continentale dell’Italia; Italia peninsulare (S), corrispondente alle regioni centrali e meridionali a sud dell’Emilia-Romagna; Sicilia (Si); Sardegna (Sa). I punti interrogativi evidenziano i record incerti. Ypsolopha albiramella (Mann 1861) S? Ypsolopha alpella ([Denis & Schiffermuller] 1775) n S Si Sa Ypsolopha asperella (Linnaeus 1761) N S Ypsolopha dentella (Fabricius 1775) N S Si Ypsolopha falcella (Hübner 1796) N Ypsolopha horridella (Treitschke 1835) N S Ypsolopha lucella (Fabricius 1775) N S Si? Ypsolopha mucronella (Scopoli 1763) N S Si Sa Ypsolopha nemorella (Linnaeus 1758) N S Si Ypsolopha parenthesella (Linnaeus 1761) N S Ypsolopha persicella (Fabricius 1787) N S Ypsolopha scabrella (Linnaeus 1761) N S Ypsolopha sequella (Clerck 1759) N S Ypsolopha sylvella (Linnaeus 1767) N S Ypsolopha ustella (Clerck 1759) N S Si Ypsolopha vittella (Linnaeus 1758) N S of difficult taxa followed Parenti (2000). For each species we reported the following data: collecting site, municipa- lity, province, altitude above the sea level, geographical coordinates of the collecting site, date of collection, num- ber of specimens in the CREA-FL collection, name/s of collector/s, microscope slide number (when applicable), hostplants known from literature, species distribution ac- cording to Karsholt & Nieukerken (2013), and habitat of collection. ReSuLtS And dISCuSSIon The Italian checklist of the genus Ypsolopha was pu- blished 27 years ago (Baraniak et al., 1995) and required updating. The recent findings (Tab. 1), thanks to an in- creased research effort, strongly improved the knowled- ge of the Ypsolopha fauna for Italy, mainly for the South (Baldizzone et al., 2013; Pinzari et al., 2010, 2013, 2015; present study). We collected nine species belonging to the genus Ypsolopha, among which Y. persicella (Fabricius 1787) is new to the fauna of peninsular Italy, whereas six more species are new to the fauna of Southern Italy. No substantial difference in the species composition of the Ypsolopha fauna exists between continental and peninsu- lar Italy, each area having only one exclusive species. No additions were made for Sicily and Sardinia.Below, the complete list of the newly added species in alphabetical order: Ypsolopha alpella (Denis & Schiffermüller 1775) (Fig. 1a) Records: Campanella, Sellia, Catanzaro, 506 m, 38.9859°N - 16.6198°E, 1.X.2019 (1 ex.), S. Scalercio leg.; Malagieca, Sellia, Catanzaro, 193 m, 38.9859°N - 16.6198°E, 25.VI.2019 (1 ex.), S. Scalercio leg. Host plants: Quercus (Parenti, 2000). Distribution: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Great Brit- ain Island, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Poland, Roma- nia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands. Habitat: It has been found at low and medium altitude in xerothermic woodlands of Quercus suber L. and Q. pu- bescens Willd. Ypsolopha mucronella (Scopoli 1763) (Fig. 1b) Records: Il Palmento, Serra San Bruno, Vibo Valentia, 830 m, 38.7547°N - 16.0864°E, 10.V.2016 (1 ex.), S. Sca- lercio & M. Infusino leg.; Contrada Licari, Marcellina- ra, Catanzaro, 195 m, 38.9180°N - 16.4961°E, 2.IV.2019 (1 ex.), S. Scalercio leg.; Cappiglione, Sellia, Catanzaro, 533m, 38.9732°N - 16.6244°E, 27.I.2020 (1 ex.), S. Sca- lercio leg. Host plants: Euonymus (Bělín, 2003). Distribution: Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Great Britain, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Ger- many, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands. Habitat: Records refer to different habitats, from mixed woodlands of Abies alba Mill. and Fagus sylvatica L. to riparian and Quercus suber forests. Ypsolopha nemorella (Linnaeus 1758) (Fig. 1c) Records: Fosso Cucolo, Donnici Inferiore, Cosenza, 550 m, 39.2369°N - 16.2972°E, 7.VIII.2013 (2 exx.), S. Scalercio leg.; Santa Maria, Serra San Bruno, Vibo Valen- tia, 860 m, 38.5550°N - 16.3109°E, 3.VIII.2016 (1 ex.), S. Scalercio & M. Infusino leg. Host plants: Salix spp., Lonicera spp. (Parenti, 2000). Distribution: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Great Britain, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Lu- xembourg, Russia, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands. Habitat: It was found at the margin of a Quercus pube- scens woodland and in a mature forest of Abies alba. Ypsolopha parenthesella (Linnaeus 1761) (Fig. 1d) Records: Piano del Minatore, Saracena, Cosenza, 1431 m, 39.7804°N - 16.0675°E, 31.VIII.2016 (2 exx.), S. Scalercio & M. Infusino leg.; Piano del Faggio, Ac- quaformosa, Cosenza, 1357 m, 39.7587°N - 16.0736°E, 31.VIII.2016 (1 ex.), S. Scalercio & M. Infusino leg.; Colle Roncino, Taverna, Catanzaro, 1449 m, 39.0831°N - 16.6104°E, 25.IX.2019 (1 ex.), S. Scalercio & C. Di Marco leg. SHORT COMMUNICATION 57 Host plants: Several broadleaved trees such as Fa- gus sylvatica, Populus nigra L., P. tremula L., Fraxinus excelsior L., Ulmus campestris L (Burmann, 1985), but also plants of the genera Myrica, Alnus, Betula, Carpinus, Corylus, Quercus, Malus (Parenti, 2000), and Crataegus (Bělín, 2003). Distribution: Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Great Britain, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Ita- ly, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Swe- den, Switzerland, The Netherlands. Habitat: Found at high altitude in Fagus sylvatica for- ests and their margins, and in a mixed Pinus nigra subsp. calabrica (Loud.) Cesca & Peruzzi and F. sylvatica fo- rest. Ypsolopha persicella (Fabricius 1787) (Fig. 1e) Records: Glicarello, Montalto Uffugo, Cosenza, 550 m, 39.4072°N - 16.1256°E, 9.XI.2015 (1 male), S. Scaler- cio & M. Infusino leg. (microscope slide: CREA-0235). Host plants: Prunus (Parenti, 2000). Distribution: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hun- gary, Italy, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland. Habitat: The specimen was collected in a Castanea sativa Mill. woodland for fruit production. Ypsolopha scabrella (Linnaeus 1761) (Fig. 1f) Records: Sciortaglie, Alessandria del Carretto, Cosen- za, 1246 m, 39.9313°N - 16.3508°E, 17.VIII.2017 (1 ex.), 18.IX.2017 (1 ex.), S. Scalercio & M. Infusino leg. Host plants: It prefers Amelanchier ovalis Medik., but also on Pyrus malus L. (Burmann, 1985), Malus sylvestris Mill., Pyrus communis L., Prunus domestica L., Cratae- gus (Bělín, 2003), and Cotoneaster spp. Distribution: Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Great Brit- ain, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Esto- nia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Nor- way, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands. Habitat: It was collected at the margin between a mixed broadleaved forest and a pasture with sparse bushes of Pyrus at montane altitude. Fig. 1 - Species of the genus Ypsolopha found in Calabria. / Specie del genere Ypsolopha trovate in Calabria. a) Y. alpella, 01.X.2019, Campanella, Sellia, Catanzaro. b) Y. mucronella, 10.V.2016, Il Palmento, Serra San Bruno, Vibo Valentia. c) Y. nemorella, 7.VIII.2013, Fosso Cucolo, Donnici, Cosenza. d) Y. parenthesella, 31.VIII.2016, Piano del minatore, Saracena, Cosenza. e) Y. persicella, 9.XI.2015, Glicarello, Montalto Uffugo, Cosenza. f) Y. scabrella, 17.VIII.2017, Sciortaglie, Alessandria del Carretto, Cosenza. g) Y. sequella, 19.VII.2017, Sciortaglie, Alessandria del Carretto, Cosenza. h) Y. ustella, 25.IX.2019, Coturelle, Albi, Catan- zaro. i) Y. vittella, 5.VIII.2013, Pianette, Dipignano, Cosenza. NATURAL HISTORY SCIENCES. ATTI SOC. IT. SCI. NAT. MUSEO CIV. STOR. NAT. MILANO, 9 (2): 55-58, 2022 58 Ypsolopha sequella (Clerck 1759) (Fig. 1g) Records: Vallone Lupara, Alessandria del Carretto, Cosenza, 1346 m, 39.9245°N - 16.3609°E, 18.IX.2017 (1 ex.), S. Scalercio & M. Infusino leg.; Sciortaglie, Alessandria del Carretto, Cosenza, 1246 m, 39.9313°N - 16.3508°E, 19.VII.2017 (1 ex.), S. Scalercio & M. In- fusino leg.; Serra Ambruna, Saracena, Cosenza, 1035 m, 39.8234°N - 16.0768°E, 14.X.2015 (1 ex.), S. Scalercio & M. Infusino leg. Host plants: Acer pseudoplatanus L. (Burmann, 1985), and Acer campestre L. (Baldizzone et al, 2013). Also reported Salix caprea L. and Tilia cordata Mill. (Bělín, 2003), Distribution: Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia, Great Britain, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Fin- land, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands. Habitat: Specimens were found in Acer forests and in a mixed broadleaved forest at montane altitude. Ypsolopha ustella (Clerck 1759) (Fig. 1h) Records: Vallone Argentino, Montalto Uffugo, Co- senza, 545 m, 39.4096°N - 16.1250°E, 1.VI.2016 (1 ex.), S. Scalercio & M. Infusino leg.; Serra Cannile, Spezza- no della Sila, Cosenza, 1433 m, 39.3465°N - 16.4091°E, 7.VI.2018 (1 ex.), 12.VI.2018 (1 ex.), 16.VII.2018 (1 ex.), S. Scalercio leg.; Vallone Tasso, Spezzano della Sila, Cosenza, 1402 m, 39.3328°N - 16.4143°E, 7.VI.2018 (1 ex.), S. Scalercio leg.; Coturelle, Albi, Catanzaro, 1259 m, 39.0735°N - 16.5891°E, 25.IX.2019 (1 ex.), S. Scalercio & C. Di Marco leg.; Vaccaro, Sellia, Catanzaro, 391 m, 38.9664°N - 16.6249°E, 27.I.2020 (1 ex.), S. Scalercio leg.; Campanella, Sellia, Catanzaro, 506 m, 38.9859°N - 16.6198°E, 17.II.2020 (1 ex.), S. Scalercio leg.; Col- le Roncino, Taverna, Catanzaro, 1375 m, 39.0853°N - 16.5989°E, 25.IX.2019 (1 ex.), S. Scalercio & C. Di Mar- co leg. Host plants: Quercus, Tilia (Parenti, 2000). Distribution: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Great Britain, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Nor- way, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slova- kia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands. Habitat: Widespread in several habitat types at very different altitude. Found in chestnut, mixed, pine, cork oak, and other forest types. Note: It is a very variable species. Several forms of this species were found in Calabria. Ypsolopha vittella (Linnaeus 1758) (Fig. 1i) Records: Pianette, Dipignano, Cosenza, 765 m, 39.2447°N – 16.2358°E, 5.VIII.2013 (1 ex.), S. Scalercio leg.; Serra Cannile, Spezzano della Sila, Cosenza, 1435 m, 39.3468°N - 16.4093°E, 13.VIII.2018 (1 ex.), S. Sca- lercio leg. 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SHILAP Revista de lepidop- terologia, 47 (186): 197-208. SHORT COMMUNICATION