Paolo AUDISIO, Herve BRUSTEL, Giuseppe Maria CARPANETO, Giorgia COLETTI, Emiliano MANCINI, Emanuele PIATTELLA, Marco TRIZZINO, Moreno DUTTO, Gloria ANTONINI and Alessio DE BIASE UPDATING THE TAXONOMY AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE EUROPEAN OSMODERMA, AND STRATEGIES FOR THEIR CONSERVATION (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Cetoniinae) Fragmenta entomologica, Roma, 39 (2): 273-290 (2007) Introduction Hermit beetles are a group of flower chafers (Scarabaeidae: subfamily Cetoniinae: tribe Trichiini) of the genus Osmoderma LePeletier de Saint-Fargeau & Serville, 1828. They are large scarab beetles (more than 30 mm long) that live in old hollow trees. This genus includes a dozen of species widespread throughout the Palaearctic and the Nearctic Regions (see below for a world checklist of the genus). The geographic distribution and the ecological traits of the European species, jointed together under the name Osmoderma eremita sensu lato, have been recently summarized by Ranius & Nillson (1997), Schaffrath (2003a, 2003b), Ranius (2000, 2001), Ranius & Hedin (2001, 2004), and Ranius et al. (2005). These studies, supported by many other surveys conducted at local level, evidenced a strong decline suffered by this taxonomic group throughout its distribution range, and reported the extinction from some countries due to habitat loss and intensive forest management. For this reason, Osmoderma eremita s.l. was listed as prioritary species in Annex IV of the EUÒs Habitat Directive (Luce 1995, 1996, 2001; Galante & Verdu 2000; Audisio et al. 2003; Ranius et al. 2005). As discussed in a series of recent contributions (Sparacio 1994, 2000; Tauzin 1994a, b, 1996, 2000, 2002; Krell 1997; Gusakov 2002; Audisio et al. 2003; Dutto 2003; Ranius et al. 2004, 2005), under the name O. eremita are probably included at least two or more distinct species or semi-species, whose taxonomic rank has been matter for strongly controversial interpretations. In fact, some studies (Nussler 1986; Sparacio 1994, 2000; Tauzin 1994b, 2006; Gusakov 2002; Audisio et al. 2003; Ranius et al. 2004) suggested a morphological distinction of at least two up to five substantially allopatric semi-species, whose actual taxonomic position is difficult to ascertain: O. eremita Scopoli, 1763 widespread in W Europe, eastwards to Germany and W Slovenia; O. cristinae Sparacio, 1994 confined to Sicily; O. italicum Sparacio, 2000 occurring in S Italy; O. lassallei Baraud & Tauzin, 1991 distributed in Greece and European Turkey; O. coriarius De Geer, 1774 sensu Gusakov (2002) from E Europe (this taxon hereafter treated under the combination O. barnabita Motschulsky, 1845; see below the Commented World Checklist). However, until very recently, O. eremita s.l. was provisionally treated as one species with clear geographic morphological variation and three recognized distinct subspecies (O. eremita eremita, O. eremita lassallei, and O. eremita cristinae (Krell 1997, 2004; Shokhin & Bozadjiev 2003). The aim of this paper is mainly to update the available information towards a reasonable and objectively supported taxonomic arrangement for the whole complex, mainly based on results of a companion molecular paper (Audisio et al. in press), and on recently checked distributional data. We also provide below a complete summary of both previous and current taxonomic and nomenclatorial interpretations, starting from the present-day official arrangement of the complex (O. eremita eremita, O. eremita lassallei, and O. eremita cristinae: Krell 2004), along with the rationale for the newly introduced taxonomic proposals, partly as a consequence of the molecular results of the above mentioned companion paper. Finally, we discuss how genetic and distributional data available so far could contribute in evaluating more correct strategies for the conservation of these rare and endangered species at European level. Hermit beetles, in fact, represent, especially in lowlands, one of the most important "flagship-species" and "umbrella-species" for the protection of the local saproxylic communities (Ranius 2002a, 2002b, 2002c; Audisio et al. 2003). References AA.VV., 1994. The IUCN Red List of Threatened species: 1994 Categories and Criteria. http://www.iucnredlist.org/info/categories_criteria1994. Adam, L. 1994. A check-list of the Hungarian Scarabaeoidea with the description of ten new taxa (Coleoptera). Folia Entomologica Hungarica, 55, 5-17. Adam, L. 2003. Faunisztikai adatok a Karpat-medencebo.l (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea). Folia Historico Naturalia Musei Matraensis, 27, 101-136. Audisio, P., A. Ballerio, G.C. Carpaneto, G. Antonini, E. Mancini, G. Coletti, E. Piattella, & A. De Biase. 2003. 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