I Chilopodi (Chilopoda) dell'Appennino siculo (Monti Peloritani, Monti Nebrodi, Madonie): aspetti faunistici, zoogeografici ed ecologici

Biogeographia vol. X)O( - 2011 (Pubblicato il 23 dicembre 2011) La Biogeografia della Sicilia I Chilopodi (Chilopoda) dell’Appennino siculo (Monti Peloritani, Monti Nebrodi, Madonie): aspetti faunistici, zoogeografici ed ecologici ALESSANDRO MINELLI*, MARZIO ZAPPAROLI** * Dzpartimento all Biologicz, Universitci degli Studi di Pczolowz, via Ugo Bassi 58B, 3513] Padoz/4 (Italy) ** Dzpartimento di Protezione della Picmte, Universita‘ degli Studi della Tuscia, via San Camilla De Lelli: s.n.c., 01100 Viterbo (Italy) Key words: centipedes, Sicily, zoogeography, animal communities. SUMMARY The centipedes of Sicilian Apennines, that is Peloritani Mts, Nebrodi Mts and Madonie Mts, are listed and dis- cussed from a faunistic and zoogeographic point ofview in the frame of the centipede fauna of the Sicilian faunis- tic province (Sicily and adjacent small islands). Thirtynine species have been registered in all (1 Scutigerornorpha, 8 Lithobiomorpha, 6 Scolopendromorpha, 24 Geophilomorpha), about 81% and 86% of the species in the Sicil- ian faunistic province (48 species ascertained) and in Sicily s.str. (45 species ascertained) respectively. A chorologi- cal analysis shows in all the three mountain ranges a high percentage of species widely spread in the Mediterranean basin (Peloritani Mrs: 57%; Nebrodi Mrs: 48%; Madonie Mrs: 57%), mostly W-Mediterranean; significant is the percentage of species widely spread in Europe (Peloritani: 23%; Nebrodi: 32%; Madonic: 33%), whereas low is the component of the species widely spread in the I-Ioloarctic Region (Peloritaniz 13%; Nebrodi: 16%; Madonic: 5%). Endemic elements of the Italian fauna (Italian, Tyrrhenian, Sicilian) are Few, no more than 7% of the fauna (Pelori— tani: 7%; Nebrodi: 4%; Madonic: 5%). Preliminary considerations are also given on the qualitative composition ofcentipede assemblages in montane and submonrane habitats of the study area (Frtgu: 5)/lurztica dominated woods; Quercus cerri: dominated woods; shrubs, grasslands and other open habitats). 1. INTRODUZIONE I Chilopodi costituiscono una classe di Artropodi del suolo rappresentata a livello mondiale da circa 3.300 specie (Minelli, 2006); circa 160 specie sono ptesenti in Italia (Zapparoli e Minelli, 2005), su oltre 480 in Europa (Enghoff, 2004). La classe viene tradizionalmente distinta in sei ordini, Geophilomorpha, Sco- lopendromorpha, Lithobiomotpha, Scutigeromorpha, diffusi praticamente in tutto il rnondo ma con il maggior numero di specie nelle aree tropicali, sub- tropicali e temperate, Craterostigmomorpha, presente solo in Nuova Zelanda