The hoverfly fauna of the berici hills: An area of rich biodiversity in north-eastern Italy

The hoverfly community of the Berici Hills (Northern Italy) is compared with surrounding areas in order to evaluate the biodiversity conservation importance of this area. During the period 2009-2014 thirteen sites were sampled in the Berici Hills by means of Malaise traps, recording 143 species for this area. The syrphid list of species for the Berici Hills is compared with that in the surrounding areas by means of multivariate analysis; the biodiversity of the Berici Hills is set against that in the Po Plain using rarefaction and extrapolation curves. The species recorded in the Berici Hills included 52 not recorded from the adjacent areas, and in particular for the Po Plain. Several species are associated with Mediterranean habitats, in particular xeric grasslands, well represented in the Berici Hills. Particularly interesting is the presence of several species expected for the Po Plain but probably extinct from this area. Despite its small area, the biodiversity of the Berici Hills is significantly higher than that of Po Plain. The sites of the Berici Hills are clearly separate from those of the Po Plain, underlining the peculiarity of the fauna of this area and its importance for nature conservation.