The Embioptera from the Strait of Sicily Islands: first records from Pantelleria and Lampedusa and new data from Lampione (Sicily, Italy)

Abstract

The occurrence of Embioptera in the Strait of Sicily islands was up to date known only from Lampione (the smallest of the Pelagie islands), where the only species reported was provisionally assigned to Embia ramburi Rimski-Korsakow, 1905. Based on material recently collected by the authors, the presence of Embioptera is here reported for the first time in the Islands of Pantelleria (Sicily, Trapani) and Lampedusa (Sicily, Agrigento). In the Island of Pantelleria the occurrence of the typical small silky tunnels produced by Embioptera has been verified in many sites, from sea level to Montagna Grande (836 m). In many of these sites, several juveniles and some adult or subadult specimens were collected and reared, obtaining an adult male belonging to Cleomia guareschii Stefani, 1953. Moreover, a single adult male of E. ramburi was collected in Lampedusa, the largest of the Pelagian Islands. Finally, the fauna of Embioptera from Lampione remains still poorly known, as it was possible to examine only two females recently collected in the island, and identified as Embia sp.