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In August 2018, a firefly (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) of American origin was observed in several localities in Girona (Catalonia, Spain) and was described as Photinus immigrans by Zaragoza-Caballero and Vinolas, 2018. Here, we show that this species dispersed very quickly throughout northeastern Spain and was, in 2020, observed in the French Pyrenees. The animal’s quick progress is documented, and part of its biology is described (dispersion speed, land use, phenology, identification of all life stages). An additional population was localized in Extremadura, and its special status is discussed. We were able to determine its Argentinian–Uruguayan origin and propose, therefore, to consider Photinus immigrans as a synonym of Photinus signaticollis (Blanchard, 1846) (=Photinus immigrans Zaragoza-Caballero and Viñolas, 2018, syn. nov.). Our data clearly show that at least the Catalan and French populations are spreading very quickly and are able to settle permanently if adequate ecosystems are found. The species is highly expansive and may well be invasive; our citizen science platforms are ideally suited to monitor their progress throughout Spain and France. This is important for avoiding future ecological problems with diverse native faunas, such as glow-worms, fireflies and earthworms. If no ways are found to stop the species’ progression, the animals will quite probably invade substantial areas of France, Spain and the rest of Europe in the years to come.

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Changes in forest diversity and the transforma- tion of coniferous plantations into more natural woodlands are of special interest in the Medi- terranean. The aim of this study was to investi- gate changes in land use patterns and vegeta- tion cover from 1956 to 1999 in Pinus halepensis Miller plantations in Montes de Málaga State Park in southern Spain. At the landscape level, a FRAGSTAT analysis was performed using aerial photographs. At the community level, a total of 47 sample plots were analyzed. Field measure- ments indicated the presence of a total of 70 species in the different vegetation types sam- pled. Shannon-Wiener (H), and Simpson’s (D) diversity indices showed the greatest species richness in Aleppo pine plantations (H = 1.54 ± 0.2; D = 3.88 ± 0.6), while Holm oak stands in the forested areas (H = 1.37 ± 0.1; D = 3.35 ± 0.6) and agricultural land (H = 1.33 ± 0.01; D = 2.80 ± 0.03) had lower values. FRAGSTATS analyses at land- scape and community levels indicated increases in patch richness, patch number, and percent of landscape mainly for pine plantations, Holm oak forests and shrub habitats. Replacement of agri- culture by conifer plantations led to the homo- genization of landscape structure. This change has modified the landscape by facilitating the recovery of indigenous tree species including Holm oak, which will likely lead to the future establishment of native forests in this area. Our findings suggest that pine plantations could fa- vour woody species diversity by increasing abundance and species richness in contrast to the situation in non-forested agricultural land