Assessing the Diversity of Ant-Associated Silverfish (Insecta: Zygentoma) in Mediterranean Countries: The Most Important Hotspot for Lepismatidae in Western Palaearctic

Abstract

The Mediterranean Basin is considered one of the most important hotspots of biodiversity in the European region. Many taxa exhibit high levels of speciation and endemicity in this area. This is the case of the myrmecophilous insects of the families Lepismatidae and Nicoletiidae (Insecta: Zygentoma) that are further assessed in this study using unpublished and bibliographic data. A complete checklist of all ant-associated silverfish occurring in the Mediterranean Basin is presented, together with an updated identification key and interesting new records for several countries. Considering all described Zygentoma species, the myrmecophilous silverfish of the Mediterranean area represent 28% of all ant-associated species of the world and about 35% of the studied area. Even with the scarce knowledge of Zygentoma in other biogeographic areas and with insufficient sampling in other continents, we conclude that the Mediterranean region, and neighbouring areas of the Western Palaearctic, represent the most important biodiversity hotspot of ant-associated Lepismatidae (about 30% of the myrmecophilous species of this family described in the world so far), while the highest diversity of myrmecophilous Atelurinae is linked to tropical regions.

Worldwide revision of synanthropic silverfish (Insecta: Zygentoma: Lepismatidae) combining morphological and molecular data

“…Actually, neither Lepisma saccharinum nor other Lepisma species have been found in natural habitats in America, but they do occur in southern and central Europe. Robla et al (2023) show a map with records of the natural habitats of this species in the Mediterranean region. This suggests that Lepisma saccharinum is native to this area.…”

“…Most Lepismatidae are free-living species that can be found in both natural and seminatural habitats ( Smith 2017 , Mendes 2018 ). Some species live in ant or termite nests as parasites or commensals ( Robla et al 2023 ), and several species can be considered synanthropic, living as human commensals in buildings ( Molero-Baltanás et al 1997 , Mendes 2002 , Hage et al 2020 , Kulma et al 2021 ).…”

Oochrotus unicolor Lucas, 1852, in France: updated distribution, faunistics and ecology (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae, Diaperinae)

“…Among silverfish, Messor antassociated specialists are mainly Neoasterolepisma Mendes, 1988, spp. andTricholepisma aureum (Dufour, 1831) in the Mediterranean countries (ParMentIer et al, 2022;robla et al, 2023). However, some generalist silverfish (genera Proatelurina Paclt, 1963, Lepisma Linnaeus, 1758, and Ctenolepisma Escherich, 1905 can also be associated with Messor barbarus (ParMentIer et al, 2022).…”