Corticeus, Piller and Mitterpacher, 1783

Parisi, Francesco, ., . & C.,., 2024, First record of the saproxylic beetle Corticeus (= Hypophloeus) unicolor Piller & Mitterpacher, 1783 in Montenegro (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) with comments on old-growth forests conservation in the Country, Ecologica Montenegrina 71, pp. 187-192 : 188-192

Corticeus (= Hypophloeus ) unicolor Piller & Mitterpacher, 1783

Material. 1 specimen, Biogradska Gora National Park (42° 54’14.98N, 19° 35’39.50E) ( Figure 1 ), 20 October 2022, 1,000 m (F. Parisi legit) ( Figure 2 A, B ). Figure 3 shows where the specimen was captured by direct search on a standing dead tree. The specimen is deposited at the University of Molise (Unimol), F. Parisi collection .

Bark beetle hosts. Platypus cylindrus (Fabricius, 1792) , Scolytus intricatus (Ratzeburg, 1837) and Hylastes ater (Paykull, 1800) , according to Soldati (2007).

Distribution: AR, AU, BE, BU, BY, CR, CT, CZ, DE, EN, FR, GB, GE, GR, HU, IT, LA, LS, LT, MA, MC, NL, NR, PL, RO, SK, SP, ST, SV, SZ, UK ( Iwan & Löbl, 2020).

C. unicolor develops in fresh deadwood of birch, beech, and oak trees. It is probably a predator of the larvae of the beetle Hylecoetus and other wood borers. Being a saproxylic beetle with a very low dispersal capability, linked to old forests with large quantities of deadwood ( Soldati & Soldati, 2010). C. unicolor is included in Red List of Saproxylic Beetles as Least Concern (LC) in Italy ( Carpaneto et al., 2015).

Forest conservation measures. The importance of forest stands in the most advanced phases of ecological succession has been recognized by the scientific community ( Brockerhoff et al., 2017). In addition to the growing awareness of their relevance as carbon sinks and cultural elements of the landscape, old-growth forests represent a key element of biodiversity conservation strategies ( Burrascano et al., 2023). The deepening of knowledge on the evolutionary dynamics of forest systems in the relative absence of anthropic disturbance can, in fact, provide useful references for the implementation of silvicultural approaches aimed at reproducing the natural evolutionary dynamics of the forest. Furthermore, the identification and localization in the territory of forests with old age characteristics allows the implementation of concrete conservation measures, especially within protected areas ( Parisi et al., 2020). Thus, old-growth forests represent a key element in biodiversity conservation strategies ( Blasi et al., 2010; Burrascano et al., 2023): the prolonged absence of silvicultural interventions favors the formation of microhabitats, such as large trees, hollow and/or dead trees standing and on the ground in various stages of decomposition, essential for the development and survival of many species (e.g. saprophytic fungi and birds) ( Campanaro & Parisi 2021; Parisi et al., 2022).

The strategies to preserve the Dinaric Alps forests and their tree diversity must recognize the essential role of saproxylic beetles as indicators of forest health. Therefore, further research is needed, as more species can be expected to be discovered in the forests of the Dinaric Alps (Parisi, 2022), as these forests provide suitable habitats and breeding sites for saproxylic beetles due to the high diversity of plant species, abundance of ancient trees, and extensive intact sections of this unique environment ( Parisi, 2023).

Acknowledgements

I am grateful to Renzo Motta (Università degli Studi di Torino, Italy), Roberto Tognetti (Libera Università di Bolzano, Italy), Marco Marchetti (Università degli Studi di Roma “La Sapienza”), Davide Travaglini (Università degli Studi di Firenze, Italy) for technical and scientific support and to Giovanni D’Amico (Università degli Studi di Firenze, Italy) for the graphic elaborations.

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Figures

Figure 1. Location of discovery of C. unicolor in Montenegro in the Dinaric Alps (Biogradska Gora National Park) (from Parisi, 2023).

Figure 2. Corticeus unicolor: (A) side view and (B) view from above (B). Scale bar: 1 mm. Photos by F. Parisi.

Figure 3. Mixed beech–silver fir–Norway spruce old-growth forest, snag and coarse woody debrys in Biogradska gora National Park, where Corticeus unicolor was collected.