Standardized tools are needed to identify and prioritize the most harmful non-native species (NNS). A plethora of assessment protocols have been developed to evaluate the current and potential impacts of non-native species, but consistency among them has received limited attention. To estimate the consistency across impact assessment protocols, 89 specialists in biological invasions used 11 protocols to screen 57 NNS (2614 assessments). We tested if the consistency in the impact scoring across assessors, quantified as the coefficient of variation (CV), was dependent on the characteristics of the protocol, the taxonomic group and the expertise of the assessor. Mean CV across assessors was 40%, with a maximum of 223%. CV was lower for protocols with a low number of score levels, which demanded high levels of expertise, and when the assessors had greater expertise on the assessed species. The similarity among protocols with respect to the final scores was higher when the protocols considered the same impact types. We conclude that all protocols led to considerable inconsistency among assessors. In order to improve consistency, we highlight the importance of selecting assessors with high expertise, providing clear guidelines and adequate training but also deriving final decisions collaboratively by consensus.

Knowledge of patterns of genetic diversity in populations of threatened species is vital for their effective conservation. Rosalia longicorn (Rosalia alpina) is an endangered and strictly protected beetle. Despite a marked decline in part of its range, the beetle has recently expanded to the lowlands of Central Europe. To facilitate a better understanding of the species' biology, recent expansion and more effective conservation measures, we investigated patterns of genetic structure among 32 populations across Central and South‐east Europe. Eight microsatellite loci and a partial mitochondrial gene (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I) were used as markers. Both markers showed a significant decline in genetic diversity with latitude, suggesting a glacial refugium in north‐western Greece. The cluster analysis of the nuclear marker indicated the existence of two genetically distinct lineages meeting near the border between the Western and Eastern Carpathians. By contrast, one widespread mtDNA haplotype was dominant in most populations, leading to the assumption that a rapid expansion of a single lineage occurred across the study area. The genetic differentiation among populations from the north‐western part of the study area was, however, surprisingly low. They lacked any substructure and isolation‐by‐distance on a scale of up to 600 km. This result suggests a strong dispersal capacity of the species, as well as a lack of migration barriers throughout the study area. That the lowland populations are closely related to those from the nearby mountains indicates repeated colonization of the lowlands. Our results further suggest that R. alpina mostly lives in large, open populations. Large‐scale conservation measures need to be applied to allow for its continued existence.

Species of the genus Drusus usually inhabit cold springs and spring areas of mountain streams. Isolation of populations and a patchy distribution are reasons for high diversity and endemism in this genus. Nine taxa from the bosnicus group (genus Drusus) live in the Balkan Peninsula (Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia). This study has two main objectives. First, morphological, ecological, and genetic features (mitochondrial COI and 16S genes) of the final larval instar of Drusus radovanovici radovanovici from Bosnia and Herzegovina are analysed. Association of larvae and adults of D. radovanovici radovanovici is carried out according to genetic data (mitochondrial DNA) of adults and larvae, and supported by their distribution in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Second, phylogeny, taxonomy and distribution of taxa of the bosnicus group in the Balkan Peninsula are discussed. The analysis includes morphological and genetic data for the known larvae of the genus Drusus distributed in the Balkans. As a consequence, both subspecies of Drusus radovanovici are ranked as species (D. radovanovici and D. septentrionis stat. n.), and the status of other taxa from the bosnicus group is discussed. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

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In this study, we compared the composition and abundance of carabid species according to their habitat affi nity, wing form and mean body size between continuous and isolated forest areas. Investigated plots were located in temperate forests of Mt. Medvednica that represent an island of forest embedded in a lowland matrix of urban ecosystems, agricultural fi elds and meadows and in similar forest types in large, continuous montane forests in the Gorski kotar area. Data for the proportions of species traits and habitat affi nities of 10 plots were compared using principal component analysis (PCA) and nested ANOVA followed by post Hoc tests. We found signifi cant differences between the proportions of forest specialist and generalist carabids and in the morphological characteristics of carabid communities between isolated and continuous forest areas. Isolated area had less forest specialists and more generalist species than large, continuous forest. More macropterous species were present in isolated habitat and more brachypterous in continuous forest area, especially medium-sized brachypterous beetles. Higher proportions of small-sized carabids were present in isolated area and large species were more common in continuous forest areas. Our results suggest that the power of dispersal is an important factor that can be used in analyses of isolation effects on carabid assemblages, not only at small scales, but at larger scales as well, showing the uniqueness of large, continuous forest areas. Résumé. Comparaison de la taille du corps et de la forme des ailes chez des carabides (Coleoptera : Carabidae) entre des habitats continues et isolés. Dans cette étude, on a comparé la composition et l'abondance des espèces de carabides en fonction de leurs préférences d'habitats, de leur forme d'aile et de leur taille corporelle, entre des forêts continues ou isolées. Les stations d'étude était localisées dans des forêts tempérées du mont Medvednica. Celui-ci représente une île de forêt incluse dans une matrice de terrains de plaine qui comprend des zones urbaines, des champs, des pâturages. Elles comprenaient aussi de grandes forêts montagnardes dans l'aire de Gorski kotar. Les données sur les espèces et leurs habitats dans les 10 stations investiguées ont été comparées en utilisant l'analyse en composantes principales (ACP) et l'ANOVA hiérarchisée, suivies par des tests post-Hoc. Nous avons trouvé des différences signifi catives entre les proportions de carabides généralistes et spécialistes de forêts, et entre leurs caractéristiques morphologiques selon qu'ils provenaient de forêts continues ou isolées. Les zones isolées ont moins de spécialistes de forêts et plus d'espèces généralistes que les grandes forêts continues. Plus d'espèces macroptères sont présentes dans les habitats isolés et plus de brachyptères dans les forêts continues, surtout des espèces brachyptèrs de moyenne taille. De plus grandes proportions de carabides de petite taille étaient présents dans les milieux isolés tandis que les grandes espèces étaient plus...