Defining biodiversity conservation goals requires representative and reliable data. However, data collected with the use of different methods can lead to divergent conclusions. Regardless of the high level of biodiversity of Mediterranean habitats, very little attention was paid in developing methods allowing rapid and scalable estimation of their richness. This study aims to recognize and explain the differences in performance of two methods: pitfall traps (PTM) and a complementary method based on hand collecting (HCM), in surveys of ants in the Mediterranean. We compared the results of applying both methods in three habitats in relation to α-, β-, and γ-diversity, and functional traits of species, i.e. Webber’s length (WL), nesting preferences, and evolutionary origin. Mean species number per HCM was significantly higher than per PTM sample. Spatial species turnover of HCM samples was higher than in PTM ones. However, assemblage dispersion did not differ. HCM detected a higher number of species and genera. WL differed significantly between HCM and PTM, and HCM recorded significantly more species in individual nesting guilds, regardless of considered habitat. HCM detected higher diversity of functional characteristic combinations of species. PTM detected fewer species with slightly larger body size and is useful in recognizing spatial species diversity patterns. HCM detected a higher number of species and produced more comprehensive results in identifying the functional diversity of ant assemblages. In conclusion, an integrated approach, described here as HCM, appears to be more suitable for heterogeneous Mediterranean habitats, especially when a survey aims at α-, β-, and γ-diversity assessments.

The Aegean archipelago, as an ‘evolutionary laboratory of nature’, is an ideal model for research in phylogeography. In this area, the darkling beetles of the genus Dendarus (distributed from Morocco to the Caucasus) exhibit a high level of diversity with 36 species, 27 of which are island endemics. However, their taxonomy is complex and unstable, having undergone continuous revision to address extensive morphological and ecological plasticity. Here, we examine the phylogenetic relationships of 23 species from Greece and Turkey, using mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences and 61 morphological characters, to unveil their phylogeny in the Aegean. This helps to clarify phylogeographic scenarios and historical processes that shaped the observed patterns. The analyses reveal 13 distinct lineages with several para- and polyphyletic cases that correspond to three major phylogroups [south/south-east Aegean (D. foraminosus complex, D. rhodius, D. sporadicus, D. wettsteini); central to north Aegean, Turkey and mainland Greece (D. crenulatus, D. moesiacus group, D. sinuatus complex, D. stygius) and mainland Greece (D. messenius, D. paganettii)], indicating the need for further taxonomic re-evaluation. Lineage topology and phylogeography suggest a spatial and temporal sequence of geographic isolation, following either a vicariant or a dispersal model coincident with major palaeogeographic separations in the Aegean.

New records on Tenebrionidae from four island groups of the southern Aegean (Santorini, Astypalaia, Nisyros and Kalymnos, with their satellite islets – 26 islands in total) allowed investigation of the biogeography of the taxon in the area. All tenebrionid records from small islets are new, with the exception of those from Pserimos and the satellite islets of Santorini. Chorological and nestedness analyses, species‐area relationships and various measures of faunal similarity based on binary and quantitative data matrices were applied in order to explore biogeographic patterns. The Anatolian and east Mediterranean faunal elements dominate on the island groups of Kalymnos and Nisyros, with a considerable decrease on Astypalaia and Santorini, where circum‐Mediterranean elements prevail. Analyses of faunal similarities clustered together the well defined island groups of Santorini and Astypalaia, while Kalymnos and Nisyros groups were clustered together rather vaguely. Astypalaia and Santorini were also the most nested island groups in the studied area. The biogeographic position of Astypalaia within the central Aegean islands is well supported by the data.

The genus Dendarus Latr. is distributed throughout the Mediterranean basin with numerous species in the Aegean islands. This paper presents a phylogenetic analysis and the biogeography of most taxa present in the area. Phylogenetic analysis of two outgroup and 25 ingroup taxa based on adult morphology, including 50 characters and 119 character states, produced two equally parsimonious trees (tree length = 148, C.I. = 0.42, R.I. = 0.70, R.C. = 0.294). These trees provide strong support for the monophyly of Dendarus and also define four species groups: the foraminosus group, present mainly on the island of Crete; the rhodius group, present in Dodecanese islands, the sinuatus group present in the central Aegean islands, and another group consisting of taxa from mainland Greece (D. messenius, D. caelatus, D. tenellus, and D. plicatulus paganettii). All area cladograms produced by Compatibility Component Analysis, Brooks Parsimony Analysis, and especially by Component Analysis, correspond quite closely to the hypothesized palaeogeographic history of the studied area and therefore partly support the idea of a vicariant evolution of Dendarus taxa in this region. We distinguished certain monophyletic groups distributed (with some exceptions) within well-defined geographical and palaeogeographical regions of the Aegean. However, we found certain inconsistencies (with Reconciled Tree Analysis) that are probably the result of dispersal, extinction, or duplication events that are independent of the sequence of vicariance events.