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Using 12 microsatellite loci, mitochondrial DNA sequences and previously published morphological evidence, we examined the phylogeographic and taxonomic structure of Natrix helvetica. Our results support tentatively the recognition of five subspecies: (1) N. h. helvetica (Lacepède, 1789) from Western Europe, (2) N. h. cetti Gené, 1839 from Sardinia, (3) N. h. corsa (Hecht, 1930) from Corsica, (4) N. h. lanzai Kramer, 1970 from the Po drainage and peninsular Italy, except for parts of Calabria and perhaps Apulia, and (5) N. h. sicula (Cuvier, 1829) from Sicily and parts of Calabria. The status of the subspecies from Corsica and Sardinia warrants further research. Grass snakes from the two islands are genetically deeply divergent from their continental and Sicilian conspecifics. However, the mitochondrial haplotypes of N. h. cetti and N. h. corsa are not reciprocally monophyletic, and our analyses of microsatellite data did not unambiguously support their distinctness. Natrix helvetica lanzai comprises three mitochondrial lineages and could represent more than one taxon. Grass snakes of the northern mitochondrial lineage of N. h. lanzai (mainly from the Po drainage system) were previously assigned to N. h. helvetica. We propose that the recognition of subspecies within N. helvetica reflects its genetic differentiation best. Our subspecies concept resembles the definition of Evolutionarily Significant Units (ESUs) in that subspecies should be ideally confirmed by two independent genetic lines of evidence (mtDNA, nuclear genomic markers). In contrast to species, subspecies are still fully capable of extensive gene flow and may disappear in the evolutionary process as a consequence of secondary contact. Thus, subspecies represent an early stage of (incomplete) speciation. Using the subspecies category facilitates communication within and beyond science (legislation, conservation), a clear advantage compared to the cumbersome concept of ESUs.

Using 12 microsatellite loci, mitochondrial DNA sequences and previously published morphological evidence, we examined the phylogeographic and taxonomic structure of Natrix helvetica. Our results support tentatively the recognition of five subspecies: (1) N. h. helvetica (Lacepède, 1789) from Western Europe, (2) N. h. cetti Gené, 1839 from Sardinia, (3) N. h. corsa (Hecht, 1930) from Corsica, (4) N. h. lanzai Kramer, 1970 from the Po drainage and peninsular Italy, except for parts of Calabria and perhaps Apulia, and (5) N. h. sicula (Cuvier, 1829) from Sicily and parts of Calabria. The status of the subspecies from Corsica and Sardinia warrants further research. Grass snakes from the two islands are genetically deeply divergent from their continental and Sicilian conspecifics. However, the mitochondrial haplotypes of N. h. cetti and N. h. corsa are not reciprocally monophyletic, and our analyses of microsatellite data did not unambiguously support their distinctness. Natrix helvetica lanzai comprises three mitochondrial lineages and could represent more than one taxon. Grass snakes of the northern mitochondrial lineage of N. h. lanzai (mainly from the Po drainage system) were previously assigned to N. h. helvetica. We propose that the recognition of subspecies within N. helvetica reflects its genetic differentiation best. Our subspecies concept resembles the definition of Evolutionarily Significant Units (ESUs) in that subspecies should be ideally confirmed by two independent genetic lines of evidence (mtDNA, nuclear genomic markers). In contrast to species, subspecies are still fully capable of extensive gene flow and may disappear in the evolutionary process as a consequence of secondary contact. Thus, subspecies represent an early stage of (incomplete) speciation. Using the subspecies category facilitates communication within and beyond science (legislation, conservation), a clear advantage compared to the cumbersome concept of ESUs.

The genus Cephennium Müller & Kunze, subgenus Geodytes Saulcy. I. Species of continental France, fauna of Provence excluded (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae). The species of Scydmaeninae Cephenniini belonging to the genus Cephennium Müller & Kunze, 1822, subgenus Geodytes Saulcy, 1864, of the French mainland fauna, endemic taxa of Provence excluded, are reviewed. Seven species are studied ; C. (G.) minutissimum (Aubé, 1842), the most common species with the widest distribution, is redescribed ; the male genitalia of the other species are illustrated for the first time, except for C. (G.) guillebeaui Xambeu, 1897 (type lost) which stay as incertae sedis ; two new taxa are described : C. (G.) coiffaiti n. sp. and C. (G.) dogueti n. sp. Some comments about morphology, biology and distribution of the species are provided., Les espèces de Scydmaeninae Cephenniini du genre Cephennium Müller & Kunze, 1822, sous-genre Geodytes Saulcy, 1864, de France continentale, taxons endémiques de Provence exclus, sont révisées. Sept espèces sont étudiées ; C. (G.) minutissimum (Aubé, 1842), espèce la plus commune et la plus largement répandue, est redécrit en détail ; les genitalia mâles des autres espèces sont illustrés pour la première fois, à l’exception de C. (G.) guillebeaui Xambeu, 1897 (type perdu) qui reste incertae sedis ; deux nouveaux taxons sont décrits : C. (G.) coiffaiti n. sp. et C. (G.) dogueti n. sp. Quelques commentaires concernant la morphologie, la biologie et la répartition sont fournis., Orousset Jean. Le genre Cephennium Müller et Kunze, sous-genre Geodytes Saulcy. I. Espèces de France continentale, faune provençale exclue (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae). In: Bulletin de la Société entomologique de France, volume 123 (2),2018. pp. 213-236.

International audience; We investigated whether the diversity, endemicity and specificity of alder symbionts could be changed by isolation in a Mediterranean glacial refugium. We studied both ectomycor-rhizal (EM) fungi and nitrogen-fixing actinobacteria associated with alders, and compared their communities in Corsica and on the European continent. Nodules and root tips were sampled on the three alder species present in Corsica and continental France and Italy. Phylogenies based on internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and a multilo-cus sequence analysis approach were used to characterize fungal and Frankia species, respectively. Patterns of diversity, endemism and specialization were compared between hosts and regions for each symbiont community. In Corsica, communities were not generally richer than on the mainland. The species richness per site depended mainly on host identity: Alnus glutinosa and Alnus cordata hosted richer Frankia and EM communities, respectively. Half of the Frankia species were endemic to Corsica against only 4% of EM species. Corsica is not a hotspot of diversity for all alder symbionts but sustains an increased frequency of poor-dispersers such as hypogeous fungi. Generalist EM fungi and host-dependent profusely sporulating (Sp+) Frankia were abundantly associated with Corsican A. cordata, a pattern related to a more thermophilic and xerophylic climate and to the co-occurrence with other host trees.

In Response: Regarding the comments by Berry et al. (1) on our previously published letter, we acknowledge that, in strict parasitological terms, confirmation of the diagnosis of urogenital schistosomiasis requires the identification of eggs by microscopic examination of urine. Nevertheless, we aimed at an operational case definition, providing criteria for identifying cases most likely to be true infections. We should not forget that microscopy has an unacceptably low sensitivity (2). We should also consider that currently available serologic tools are hampered by both a poor sensitivity and a poor specificity for Schistosoma haematobium (3). Regarding immunoblot, Berry et al. are correct in saying that there is not yet any formally published evidence of its accuracy for S. haematobium and that the high specificity declared, close to 100%, is based on data provided by the manufacturer. A formal study on the accuracy of this test is underway at the Centre for Tropical Diseases of Sacro Cuore Hospital. This assay has been less extensively assessed than that in which purified S. mansoni antigen is used, as described previously, which has shown very high accuracy (4). However, Western blot is already accepted as a diagnostic standard for the identification of other infectious diseases, including parasitic infections such as cysticercosis (for which, indeed, the direct parasitological confirmation is often impossible), and has become the test of choice for the latter (5). Moreover, the population in our study was composed of persons not exposed to other parasites. Therefore, cross-reactions with other helminths would be extremely unlikely. In conclusion, although we recognize that, by a strictly semantic definition, the term “confirmed” should be reserved for cases for which there is a parasitological proof, in operational terms, we could not rely on a direct test that has such a poor sensitivity in this particular patient population. Had we done so, we would have found a subestimated, and therefore totally incorrect, picture of the true prevalence, leading to inappropriate conclusions and actions (or lack thereof).

Còrsega i Sardenya, dues illes que disten només 12 km., formen un arxipèlag en el bell mig del Mediterrani occidental. No obstant, van estar dividides al llarg de gran part de la seva història, i actualment són una part perifèrica de dos diferents Estats: França i Itàlia. En ambdues illes han sigut presents, i encara ho són, moviments nacionalistes, tant illencs com continentals, una situació que ha generat una ulterior clivella. Aquesta tesi pretén analitzar, des d'una perspectiva comparada, els darrers tres segles d'història de Còrsega i Sardenya. El treball està dividit en dues parts, una primera dedicada a les dues illes, i una segona a un estudi de cas sobre un indret en particular d'aquest arxipèlag: l'Alguer., Corsica and Sardinia, two islands that are hardly separated by 12 km, forms an archipelago in the middle of the western basin of the Mediterranean sea. However, they were divided along much of its history, and now they are a peripheral part of two different States: France and Italy. In both of these islands have been presents, and still are, nationalist movements, as islanders and continentals, a situation that has generated a further gap. This thesis aims to analyze, from a comparative point of view, the last three centuries of history of Corsica and Sardinia. The work is divided into two parts, the first devoted to the two islands, and the second one is a case study about particular place in this archipelago: Alghero.

In this contribution the results of a zoogeographical analysis, carried out on the 123 endemic leaf beetle species (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) occurring in Italy and its immediately adjacent regions, are reported. To assess the level of faunistic similarity among the different geographic regions studied, a cluster analysis was performed, based on the endemic component. This was done by calculating the Baroni Urbani & Buser’s similarity index (BUB). Finally, a parsimony analysis of endemicity (PAE) was used to identify the most important areas of endemism in Italy.

In response: We agree with Berry et al. (1) that the diagnostic standard for confirmation of urinary schistosomiasis is the identification of eggs by microscopic examination of urine, especially in patients living in endemic areas with high schistosome loads. However, this approach may not apply to travelers who have low parasite loads and in whom the diagnosis relies mainly on serologic testing (2,3). Given the very poor sensitivity of egg detection in non–schistosomiasis-endemic settings, most tropical and travel medicine clinics in Europe use conventional microscopy systematically combined with 2 different (commercial or in-house) serologic tests (2). The sensitivity of this approach (i.e., diagnosis of infection if combined ELISA and hemagglutination inhibition assay or an indirect fluorescent antibody test are positive) is >78% for chronic urinary schistosomiasis; specificity is 75%–98% when using various in-house and commercial kits (3). Future availability of promising ultra-sensitive tests (e.g., PCR and antigenic tests) may overcome the limitations associated with conventional microscopy and serologic testing for low-parasite load schistosomiasis. As stated in our manuscript, we cannot exclude the possibility that our case definition generated false-positives; the potential limitations of our findings have already been discussed (4). Furthermore, we were cautious with our interpretation of the serologic test results and, therefore, claimed only 2 confirmed cases (4), 1 on the basis of egg detection and the other on positive serologic test results by using 2 different methods. We believe, on the basis of our findings (4) and in accordance with the European Centre for Disease Control experts (5), that the possibility of transmission in the Cavu River during the summer of 2014 cannot be excluded. We also want to reiterate the possibility of transmission in other rivers in Corsica, including the Solenzara, Osu, and Tarcu rivers, where Bulinus snails, which can serve as intermediate hosts for Schistosoma haematobium, were found during a malacological survey in 2014 (5).

The island of Corsica was officially considered to be affiliated to the pre-unified Italian world on multiple levels (linguistic, geographical, ethnical, historical, etc.) until when it was ceded to France by the Genoese Republic in 1768, about a century before the formal Italian unification. The island would continue to evolve with and within the Italian world until the language transition from Italian to French was fully complete which would not happen until the early 20th century. On the one hand, the islanders oscillate between the original contiguity of their cultures and a remaining natural ability to intercommunicate; on the other hand, over the years of separation their evolution took different paths, which resulted in the rupture of the linguistic and cultural continuum. Even though many antagonisms developed after a century of majorly Gallicized linguistic and cultural influence which resulted in the developement of Corsicaness and was fullfilled by the acceptance of Corsican as a language, Corsica retains undeniably visible links and similarities with Italy. In this article, I will discuss the effects of a (dis)unity that reaches outside of the Italian borders. The historical evolution and disruption of the linguistic continuum on Corsica, sets a frame of reference for the conceptualization of the links that currently unite Corsican and Italy. This leads to highlighting aspects of the contemporary social, cultural and linguistic relationships, or lack of relationships, between the island and the peninsula. I propose to look at the Italian influences on Corsica to define the level of “italianess” of the islanders in a sociolinguistic and socio-cultural approach to near languages and near cultures, in order to define Corsica’s ‘Disunity’ from and ‘Unity’ with Italy.

Movements and spatial distribution of host populations are expected to shape the genetic structure of their parasite populations. Comparing the genetic patterns of both interacting species may improve our understanding of their evolutionary history. Moreover, genetic analyses of parasites with horizontal transmission may serve as indicators of historical events or current demographic processes that are not apparent in the genetic signature of their hosts. Here, we compared mitochondrial variation in populations of the ectoparasitic mite Spinturnix myoti with the genetic pattern of its host, the Maghrebian bat Myotis punicus in North Africa and in the islands of Corsica and Sardinia. Mite mitochondrial differentiation among populations was correlated with both host mitochondrial and nuclear differentiation, suggesting spatial co-differentiation of the lineages of the two interacting species. Therefore our results suggest that parasite dispersal is exclusively mediated by host movements, with open water between landmasses as a main barrier for host and parasite dispersal. Surprisingly the unique presence of a continental European mite lineage in Corsica was inconsistent with host phylogeographical history and strongly suggests the former presence of European mouse-eared bats on this island. Parasites may thus act as biological tags to reveal the presence of their now locally extinct host.

Archaeolacerta bedriagae is a rock-dwelling lizard endemic to the Corso-Sardinian insular system. We investigated the phylogeography of the species by using the mitochondrial ND4 and flanking tRNAs genes from 94 specimens belonging to 19 populations. Phylogenetic, Barrier, and SAMOVA analyses revealed a highly structured pattern characterized by two levels of discontinuities in the geographical distribution of mtDNA diversity: (i) a deep phylogeographic break in Northern Corsica between Lineage A, restricted to northernmost Corsica, and Lineage B widespread all over the remaining range of the species, and (ii) some minor phylogeographic discontinuities within lineage B, which is sub-structured into six closely related haplotype clades with remarkable concordance with geography. The first evolutionary event concerning the split between the two main lineages from an ancestral population occurred in the Upper Pliocene (5.87-3.68 mya), while the divergence within lineage B would have started from the Upper Pleistocene (2.5-1.6 mya), between Corsican and Sardinian populations. Somewhat later (1.7-1.1 mya), the Sardinian ancestral population underwent fragmentation into population groups inhabiting North, Central, and South Sardinia. As inferred from previous allozyme surveys, the divergence among population groups would be driven by allopatric fragmentation, while the discrepancy concerning the major partition into two lineages inferred from mtDNA but not apparent in analysis of allozymes needs further investigation.

Changes in Mediterranean agro-pastoral territories: sédentarisation of sheep-farming in Sardinia. — In the past 30 years, the agro-pastoral system in Sardinia, specialised in dairy-cow breeding, has shifted from inverse transhumance to sédentarisation as a consequence of land acquisition. The trend in Sardinia is unusual in comparison with the general pattern in Mediterranean agro-pastoral societies and is due to the amount of farmers' capital at the time land was sold. The farmers who were able to buy former lowland winter pastures increased their productivity. Those who were not able to buy land had to settle in mountainous areas, where breeding conditions are more difficult. Diffentiation and inequality between regions are a consequence of sédentarisation., Le système agro-pastoral montagnard sarde a évolué de la transhumance inverse généralisée vers la sédentarisation, intervenue depuis le début des années 1970, à la suite des achats des anciennes zones de transhumance par les éleveurs. Ces achats ont été conditionnés par les niveaux d'accumulation atteints par les éleveurs au moment où ils sont intervenus, entre 1971 et 1985. Depuis, ceux qui ont pu acheter des terrains de basse altitude ont engrangé depuis leur sédentarisation des gains de productivité rapides. Les éleveurs qui ne disposent pas de capital suffisant se sont repliés vers les zones de montagne où la productivité du travail des exploitations stagne. Il s'ensuit un différentiel important de développement territorial entre les plaines et les montagnes d'origine des éleveurs., Paoli Jean-ChristophePaoli Jean-Christophe. Les mutations des territoires pastoraux méditerranéens : la sédentarisation des exploitations ovines en Sardaigne. In: L'Espace géographique, tome 29, n°4, 2000. pp. 341-348.

The subgenera Zimmermannia Hering and Ectoedemia s.str., together forming the genus Ectoedemia Busck sensu Wilkinson & Newton (1981) are described and redefined, and the Western Palaearctic species are revised. In total 50 species are recognised, including the new species hispanica, monemvasiae, nuristanica in Zimmermannia and andalusiae, algeriensis, leucothorax, alnifoliae, contorta and two unnamed species in Ectoedemia s.str. Fifteen new synonymies and ten new combinations are established and 42 lectotypes are designated. Primary types have been examined in many cases. Data on larvae and biology are included and keys to all species are provided. The monophyly and the sister group relationships of both subgenera are demonstrated. The subgenus Ectoedemia can be divided into the populella group, suberis group, subbimaculella group and occultella group, being monophyletic entities, and the possibly paraphyletic angulifasciella group. Two alternative hypotheses of the phylogeny within Ectoedemia s.str. are presented. Decisions on species discrimination have in many cases been corroborated by study of allozymes.

The subgenera Zimmermannia Hering and Ectoedemia s.str., together forming the genus Ectoedemia Busck sensu Wilkinson & Newton (1981) are described and redefined, and the Western Palaearctic species are revised. In total 50 species are recognised, including the new species hispanica, monemvasiae, nuristanica in Zimmermannia and andalusiae, algeriensis, leucothorax, alnifoliae, contorta and two unnamed species in Ectoedemia s.str. Fifteen new synonymies and ten new combinations are established and 42 lectotypes are designated. Primary types have been examined in many cases. Data on larvae and biology are included and keys to all species are provided. The monophyly and the sister group relationships of both subgenera are demonstrated. The subgenus Ectoedemia can be divided into the populella group, suberis group, subbimaculella group and occultella group, being monophyletic entities, and the possibly paraphyletic angulifasciella group. Two alternative hypotheses of the phylogeny within Ectoedemia s.str. are presented. Decisions on species discrimination have in many cases been corroborated by study of allozymes.