Cave crickets of the genus Dolichopoda (Orthoptera; Rhaphidophoridae) represent a key component of cave ecosystems. In Italy, nine species are currently known, distributed from the northwestern regions to the southernmost Apennines, with occurrences also along various Tyrrhenian coastal areas and islands, including Sardinia. In this study, we focus on the Apennine region, where we sampled 18 populations of Dolichopoda spp. and sequenced mitochondrial markers (cox1 and 16S) from newly collected individuals to investigate their distribution and genetic diversity. Our analyses identified two previously unrecognized lineages within D. geniculata. Moreover, the sampled caves in the northern Apennines allowed us to refine the distributional ranges of D. geniculata, D. letitiae, and D. schiavazzii. Finally, we provide comments to support a future taxonomic revision of the group.

Subterranean environments are often characterized by a natural gradient of microclimatic conditions and trophic resources, showing a higher trophic availability and a lower microclimatic stability in the shallowest area (close to the cave entrance), while the opposite occurs in the deepest sections. The shallowest areas of subterranean environments (e.g., the entrance and twilight zone, Mesovoid Shallow Substratum) act as ecotones between the surface habitats and the deep areas, creating a particular habitat which can be exploited by numerous species with different degrees of adaptation to subterranean environments. Species living in these ecotones may hold a key role in sustaining the entire ecosystem, as they are likely one of the major drivers of allochthonous organic matter. Indeed, these species are usually facultative cave-dwellers, meaning that they are able to exit and forage on the surface. Once these species are back inside the cave, they provide the local community with different typologies of organic matter (e.g., feces, eggs), which represent one of the most important sources of organic carbon. Therefore, studying which ecological features may exert significant effects on the abundance of these species may be of great help in understanding the ecosystem dynamics and the functional role of each species. In this study we analyzed the data collected through a year-round monitoring program, aiming to assess the potential effects that both abiotic and biotic features may have on the abundance of three facultative cave species. We focused on seven caves located in Monte Albo (Sardinia, Italy). The cave environments were divided into 3-meter sectors, and within each cave sector, microclimatic and biological data were seasonally recorded. We focused on the following facultative cave species: the spiders Metellina merianae and Tegenaria sp. and the snail Oxychilus oppressus. Different relationships were observed between the ecological features and the abundance of the three species. The two spiders were more abundant in warmer cave sectors closer to the cave entrance, especially the M. merianae. On the other hand, the snail tended to be more abundant farther from the cave entrance and in more illuminated cave sectors, probably because sunlight promotes the abundance of some of its trophic resources (e.g., lichens, vegetation). Furthermore, O. oppressus was the only species whose abundance and cave distribution was significantly affected by seasonality. This study provides useful and novel information to understand the population dynamics of facultative cave species and their role in subterranean ecosystems.

In Central Italy Rana temporaria is only known to occur as a glacial relict on the eastern side of Monti della Laga (Lazio). In this study we report the presence of the species in other areas of the mountain chain, with documented sightings in five distinct localities in Marche and Abruzzo. We use these new records, together with other occurrence data from the Apennine chain, to generate a species distribution model and perform an analysis of the geological preference of the species in Central Italy. Although the model indicates a wide area of Marche and Abruzzo as suitable for R. temporaria, the actual distribution of the species in northern and central Apennine appears strongly associated with sandstones. Therefore, we argue that the presence of this geological substrate on Monti della Laga, but not in surrounding karst uplands, could be among the factors explaining its isolation. Our study aims at paving the way for future surveys and measures to protect these isolated populations from the threat posed by climate change.

Species monitoring is a key activity for conservation studies. Some of the monitoring methods require individual handling, which may provoke negative effects on animal fitness. We here present a new non-invasive method that allows to estimate the body condition of the European cave salamanders (genus Speleomantes) using the tail area as a proxy, since these species usually accumulate fat tissue in their tail. We selected 915 high-quality images of individuals belonging to the eight Speleomantes species. Using the ImageJ program we calculated the tail measurements (length and area) from which we obtained the Fat Tail Index (FTI). The FTI was then correlated with the Scaled Mass Index (SMI) of individuals. We used GLMM to assess whether SMI is correlated to FTI, individual sex, species identity and the type of inhabited environment. We observed a significant correlation between SMI and FTI (R2 = 0.62). The GLMM analysis showed a significant effect on SMI due to sex, species and the type of environment. Females and individuals from surface environments showed the highest SMI. Among species, we observed a significant variability in their body condition and in the correlation between SMI and FTI. This study provided a reliable and non-invasive method that allows to estimate the body condition for terrestrial salamanders of the genus Speleomantes.

This dataset enriches the ongoing project “The European plethodontid salamanders' trophic niche project,” which focuses on studying the trophic niche of the strictly protected European plethodontid species of the genus Speleomantes . We provide here a dataset that collects dietary data from 36 populations belonging to seven of the eight Speleomantes species ( S. strinatii , S. ambrosii , S. italicus , S. flavus , S. imperialis , S. sarrabusensis , S. genei ) and the natural hybrid zone S. italicus × S. ambrosii . Eleven populations were sampled in natural and artificial subterranean environments for a total surveyed area of 4667 m ² . Twenty‐five surface populations were sampled in woodlands, garrigues, and dry‐stone walls for a total surveyed area of 34,640 m ² . Data collection took place from 2021 to 2024. Twenty‐seven populations were surveyed only once; the other nine were surveyed twice during different seasons/years. The dataset contains information on a total of 1108 captured salamanders. Captured individuals were weighed using a digital scale and photographed in a portable photo studio to obtain high‐quality images used for post hoc measurements. This allows us to assess potential variation in the body condition of individuals over time (e.g., during different years or seasons) and identify potential divergences between conspecific populations. We used stomach flushing to obtain the stomach contents of the salamanders, which were assessed qualitatively and quantitatively using the stereomicroscope. In 930 salamanders, we could recognize 8899 consumed prey items belonging to 50 different prey categories (e.g., order level or lower). These data, in addition to adding new populations to the overall Speleomantes dataset, allow us to compare aboveground and subterranean Speleomantes populations to identify potential variations in trophic niche breadth that have occurred in populations that have colonized subterranean environments. Furthermore, the large number of samples performed on S. italicus allows for in‐depth analysis of potential variability among conspecific populations. The dataset is released under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0).

Validation of the post-hoc method to estimate snout-vent length in the order Caudata Amphibians are the most endangered class of vertebrates, with a high rate of decline recorded since the 20th century. Even activities related to the study of these animals for informing conservation actions, for instance by handling them to collect biometric individual parameters, can have negative effects on the amphibians’ health. A post-hoc method that estimates snout-vent length from dorsal photographs has been developed to reduce handling time and stress to individuals, providing additional advantages in precision and repeatability of measurements taken. However, at present, this methodology has been tested only on approximately 1% of the known salamanders, thereby limiting its broad application. Here, we tested this method on a diverse sample of Caudata that includes 25 species across 5 families and characterized by different morphologies. The correlation between predicted SVL (estimated from dorsal photographs) and observed SVL (measured directly from ventral photographs) values was assessed using Linear Mixed Models. The results showed a significant correlation between observed and predicted SVL, with an average and constant discrepancy of about 1.6 mm. When considering the increase of SVL, there was a slight tendency to underestimate SVLe in newts, plethodontids, and proteids. Estimation errors slightly increased with the SVL. The error increased in larger newts, while decreased in larger plethodontids. Our study highlighted the reliability and applicability of adopting this methodology for data collection in all Caudata species. Keywords. SVL, measure, post-hoc method, salamander, Urodela, photograph, dorsal.