Effective and easy-to-apply monitoring techniques are necessary to detect alien species at their first stage of invasion, allowing rapid removal or delimitation of the invaded range for eradication or routine control actions. Monitoring tools should be effective in detecting the target species, reduce false absences and allow an early detection. The coypu (Myocastor coypus), is a large semi-aquatic rodent native to subtropical and temperate South America, introduced all over the world for its valuable fur. We tested tracking plates in the framework of a coypu occupancy study in order to take into account false absences and define a standardized monitoring protocol for the species with a limited engagement of staff. We set 60 tracking plates in linear transects along artificial waterbodies within the rice district in northwestern Italy and checked them for six consecutive days. For the analyses we fitted single-season occupancy models to our detection history data. We detected coypu presence at least once in 29 out of the 60 investigated transects (48%). When modelling occupancy and detection probability constant in time and space, the estimate Ψ was 0.48 and detection probability p was 0.60. A minimum of four consecutive visits to the transects provided reliable detection. Coypu's probability of presence was significantly driven by the amount of surface covered by rice plantations around the investigated water courses. The proposed method may function as a tool for the rapid detection of coypu on large scale monitoring projects and in case of new colonization, and as a basis for subsequent prompt control actions.

In addition to the compilation of biodiversity inventories, checklists, especially if combined with abundance data, are important tools to understand species distribution, habitat use, and community composition over time. Their importance is even higher when ecological indicator taxa are considered, as in the case of moths. In this work, we investigated macro-moth diversity in a forest area (30 ha) in the Western Italian Alps, recently subjected to intense management activities. Indeed, an ecological corridor, which includes 10 clearings, has been shaped thanks to forest compensation related to the construction site of the Turin–Lyon High-Speed Railway. Here, we identified 17 patches (9 clearings and 8 forests), and we conducted moth surveys using UV–LED light traps. A total of 15,614 individuals belonging to 442 species were collected in 2020 and 2021. Two and fifteen species are new records for Piedmont and for Susa Valley, respectively. In addition to the faunistic interest of the data, this study—using a standardized method—provides geo-referenced occurrences, species-richness, and abundance values useful to compile a baseline dataset for future comparisons. Indeed, the replicable and easy shareable method allows us to make comparisons with other research and thus assess the impact of environmental changes.