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The European leaf toed Gecko, Euleptes europaea, is a strictly nocturnal species endemic to the western Mediterranean and has long been considered a rock-specialist as it is associated with this habitat during its entire daily and life cycle. In this study, we report observations of arboreal behaviour in E. europaea, collected during field research over a 40-year period from across the entire species range. We provide a review of the available information on this topic that contributes to a refined view of the habitat uses and arboreal abilities of this species. Arboreal behaviour in E. europaea was observed throughout the year, across different macrohabitats, on a wide variety of tree, shrub, and bush species, on various parts of the plant (trunk, branches, fronds, twigs, leaves), and at different height from the ground. Remarkably, E. europaea shows an extraordinarily agile arboreal locomotion associated with striking morphological adaptations to an arboreal lifestyle, namely a prehensile tail bearing a terminal adhesive pad that supplements grasping force, an equilibrium asset, and scansor adhesion both in static condition and during escape. We conclude that E. europaea is a climbing gecko (opposed to ground dwelling), occupying both rocky and arboreal microhabitats. While the evolutionary origin and ecological drivers of the arboreal behaviour of E. europaea remains to be fully investigated, this realization has important implications for designing fieldwork research and management strategies for conservation.

The growing interest in emerging environmental crisis has increased the level of public attention and the willingness to take part in participatory science projects, commonly defined with the term “Citizen Science”. This phenomenon can be recorded globally in many national contexts, with a prevalence in anglophone and more industrialized countries. In the biodiversity sector, the growing demand for public involvement has been declined in many different ways, with solutions aimed at providing cognitive and participatory tools. Among these, one of the best known is the BioBlitz: a 24-hour event held in a specific place with the aim of listing as many living species as possible. This work presents the data collected during the first two BioBlitzes organized by the Maremma Natural History Museum in 2013 and 2014. Both were made in the area of the San Felice Oasis, near the terminal part of the San Leopoldo ditch. During the BioBlitz, data collected attested the presence of 616 different taxonomic entities, of which 507 were identified at the level of species and 22 at the level of subspecies. The rest were identified at higher taxonomic levels. Eleven alien species, one endemic species, 33 species protected by national and international laws and / or directives and 9 species at risk of extinction were identified.

Il crescente interesse verso le emergenti crisi ambientali ha aumentato il livello di attenzione del pubblico e la disponibilità a prendere parte a progetti di scienza partecipata, comunemente definiti con il termine "Citizen Science". Questo fenomeno è riscontrabile a livello globale in molti contesti nazionali, con una prevalenza nei paesi anglofoni e maggiormente industrializzati. In campo naturalistico la crescente richiesta di coinvolgimento da parte del pubblico è stata declinata in molti modi diversi, con soluzioni mirate a fornire strumenti conoscitivi e partecipativi. Tra questi, uno dei più noti è il BioBlitz, un evento di 24 ore realizzato in uno specifico luogo, con lo scopo di elencare il maggior numero possibile di specie viventi. Nel presente lavoro si presentano i dati raccolti durante i primi due BioBlitz organizzati dal Museo di Sto- ria Naturale della Maremma nel 2013 e nel 2014. Entrambi sono stati realizzati nell'area dell'Oasi San Felice, in prossimità del tratto terminale del Fosso San Leopoldo. Durante i BioBlitz sono stati raccolti dati attestanti la presenza di 616 entità tassonomiche diverse, di cui 507 sono state identificate a livello di specie e 22 a livello di sottospecie. Le rimanenti sono riferibili a livelli tassonomici superiori. Sono state individuate 11 specie aliene, 1 specie endemica, 33 specie protette da leggi e/o direttive nazionali ed internazionali e 9 specie a rischio estinzione.