Checklists of Italian Neuropterida (Insecta) through the last three decades

Abstract

ABSTRACT Italy was likely the first country in the world to have a complete list of all the species of animals known for its territory, thanks to the project ‘Checklist delle Specie della Fauna d'Italia’. The project on the ‘Updated Checklist of the Italian Fauna’ started in 2020 and the process is now complete for the data on the superorder Neuropterida. In the period between the first and the most recent version of the checklist, the evolution of knowledge relating to the Italian territory was constantly updated every semester into the online repertoire edited by the author. Moreover an online English version within the “World Neuropterida Faunas” project was created and subsequently updated. This report discusses the thirty-year development of the overall and local knowledge of this group of insects in Italy, analyzing the strengths and shortcomings, together with the repercussions of the studies finalized for the protection and conservation of a territory within the Mediterranean area, a hotspot of world organic biodiversity.

Keywords

• Snakeflies
• Alderflies
• Lacewings
• Checklist
• Citizen Science