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Isoptera (termites) and Blattaria (cockroaches) collectively form Order Blattodea, which together with Mantids (Order Mantodea) constitute the Superorder Dictyoptera. Blattodea contains three superfamilies: Corydioidea, Blaberoidea and Blattoidea, with the termites now regarded by some as forming an epifamily (termitoidae) wihin Blattoidea, rather than a separate order (Isoptera), although this approach is by no means universally accepted (see below). Around 4,600 species of cockroach are known worldwide with about 150 species present in Europe (Rasplus & Roques, 2010; Beccaloni, 2014), whereas Termitoidae (termites) have over 2,900 mostly tropical species (Krishna et al., 2013). The scientific name of the Order Blattodea derives from the Latinized Greek name.

The Southern festoon, Zerynthia polyxena, is a south-European butterfly listed in Annex IV of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC). Populations from most of the Italian territory have been recently recognized as belonging to a separate species, endemic to Italy: Zerynthia cassandra. In the province of Bologna (northern Italy), Z. cassandra is quite common. The territory of the province is densely inhabited and modified by man. Semi-natural environments are found almost exclusively in the hills, while the plain is almost entirely built-upon or cultivated. This study was based on data collected in the field in the province of Bologna, and aimed to investigate some biological and ecological aspects of Z. cassandra, with the purpose of identifying the factors that favour its presence and the most relevant issues for its conservation. In the area of study, the hostplant of Z. cassandra is Aristolochia rotunda, which is common in the plain, along the edges of drainage canals, where it supports a large Z. cassandra population. In the hills, A. rotunda is scarcer, and Z. cassandra is present in small separated nodes. Human activities such as mowing and canal maintenance are potentially damaging to Z. cassandra, particularly if carried out when eggs and larvae are present. However, if correctly timed and executed, such maintenance can preserve grassy areas that would otherwise be colonized by bushes and trees, and in which A. rotunda finds a suitable environment. Some level of disturbance can be beneficial for Z. cassandra habitats, favouring the species’ survival in the long term.

The yellow-necked drywood termite, Kalotermes flavicollis (F.), so called due to the Yellow pronotum of its alates, is the only species in the genus Kalotermes known for Europe. In some Italian localities, K. flavicollis swarms can contain a small proportion of alates with a dark pronotum, but otherwise not different from the normally colored K. flavicollis. This color variation was described by G. Becker in 1955 as Kalotermes flavicollis var. fuscicollis. During collecting trips in central Italy, we found in Grosseto Marina (Tuscany) a Kalotermes population whose alates all have a very dark pronotum. Compared with K. flavicollis alates, Grosseto alates also have paler wings and smaller arolia. Grosseto soldiers have eyes smaller than those of K. flavicollis soldiers. Kalotermes sp. form Grosseto also differs morphologically from the other Kalotermes species known for the circum-Mediterranean lands. The population from Grosseto has mitochondrial DNA sequences (a partial sequence of the control region and a fragment including a portion of COI, tRNA-Leu and a portion of COI) quite different from K. flavicollis (p-distance: 5.6-7.3%). Some Kalotermes populations from Tuscany and Marche, morphologically classifiable as K. flavicollis, have sequences similar to those of Grosseto Kalotermes (p-distance: 0.1-1.0%). These populations are possibly hybrids between K. flavicollis and Kalotermes sp. from Grosseto. Because of its morphologic and genetic distinctive features, we describe Kalotermes sp. from Grosseto as Kalotermes italicus sp. nov.

Reticulitermes aegeus sp. nov. (Rhinotermitidae) is described, based on samples of alates and soldiers collected on the island of Cyprus. The range of the species includes the island of Lošinj (Croatia), north-eastern Greece (Halkidiki and north-eastern Greece), Eastern Peloponnese, Northern Turkey, Crete, Cyprus and Amorgos (Cyclades Islands). The ascertained range of R. aegeus does not overlap with the ranges of other species occurring in the eastern Mediterranean lands. From the phylogenetic point of view, R. aegeus belongs to the eastern Mediterranean Reticulitermes clade, that also includes R. urbis, R. balkanensis and R. clypeatus, as well as taxa not yet described from Turkey and the island of Samos. R. aegeus is genetically distinct from other eastern Mediterranean Reticulitermes species, while its morphological characters do not allow a reliable diagnosis without further support. DNA analysis provides such corroboration.

The Greek Orthodox Monastery of Saint Catherine is the oldest continuously inhabited Christian Monastery, and is included in a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its cultural importance. In 2001, termite-related damage was observed in some of the Monastery buildings and in a church in the nearby village of Saint Catherine. The identification of the termite species found in the area of the Monastery was a priority for planning pest control activities. Morphological analysis revealed the presence of two species of higher termite (Termitidae): Microcerotermes eugnathus Silvestri and Amitermes vilis (Hagen), the latter new to Egypt. Because genetic data on Microcerotermes and Amitermes species from this area are lacking, we also sequenced mitochondrial DNA genes (COII and 16S) of these species and of two additional species, Microcerotermes palestinensis Spaeth and Amitermes desertorum (Desneux), occurring in nearby areas. The systematics of Microcerotermes species in Africa and the Levant is still confused, some synonymies are suspected, and recent revisions are lacking. As for M. eugnathus, no diagnostic differences with the more recently described M. palestinensis are known, and we suspect that M. palestinensis might be a junior synonym of M. eugnathus. In the Monastery, termite-related damage was mainly limited to structural wood and scarce objects of historical value. Termite monitoring and control would be necessary to prevent serious damage to objects of important historical value, especially in consideration of the recent increase in rainfall in the area of the Monastery, which could favour termite abundance and activity.

The presence of subterranean termites in northern Italy is not common, and generally limited to urban areas where winter microclimatic conditions are milder than in the surrounding natural environment. To date there is only one report of termite presence for Piedmont, doubtfully identified as Reticulitermes lucifugus (Rossi). The present paper relates on the recent finding of Reticulitermes spp. termites in two additional locations, where they caused damage to buildings. Termites were identified as Reticulitermes lucifugus lucifugus (Rossi) and Reticulitermes lucifugus corsicus Clement using mitochondrial DNA analysis. This is the first report of R. lucifugus corsicus in northern Italy. Both infestations could have originated either from human-mediated introduction or from survival of relictual populations.

Lepidoptera are the phytophagous group most at risk of impact by insect-resistant genetically modified (GM) plants since most of these crops have been developed to express toxins to specifically target lepidopteran pests. In the case of Bt-maize cultivation, pollen grains released by GM plants could dust larval host plants growing inside or nearby maize fields, thus leading to the exposure of caterpillars to the Cry toxins. This way of exposure has been studied mainly for butterflies, whereas moths, in spite of their great diversity and abundance, were rarely considered. To evaluate the potential exposure of moth species to maize pollen in absence of Cry-expressing plants, macro-moths were sampled by means of light traps in three protected areas of Northern, Central and Southern Italy where conventional maize is among the main crops. Light traps were activated in two consecutive years (2010- 11) from the beginning of June to the end of July, a period that encompasses the anthesis of most maize cultivars grown in Italy. Overall, 11446 individuals belonging to 201 species and nine families were collected. Given that larvae of several sampled species are likely to match the criteria of potential exposure to maize pollen and susceptibility to Cry toxins, macro-moths might be considered among the potential assessment endpoints for environmental risk assessment of GM plants, especially in the vicinity of protected areas.