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Abstract
This report represents the first integrative study on saproxylic Coleoptera and Diptera Syrphidae from a representative Mediterranean forest in Cabañeros National Park in Central Spain. We collected 107 beetles, representing 32 families, and 25 species of hoverfly. Two undescribed and numerous rare beetle species were recorded, as were four hoverflies considered to be threatened species in Europe. We compiled biological information for all of the taxa encountered and recorded new data on their feeding habits, breeding microsites, and known tree associations. We found that the saproxylic biodiversity in this National Park was characterized by a significant number of Central European and North African species. Our results on the saproxylic assemblage, comprising many rare and poorly known species, of a typical Mediterranean forest represent a first step toward improved understanding of the saproxylic community and establishing the basis for conservation strategies in this region.
Acknowledgements
We are very grateful to the staff of Cabañeros National Park, to Dr E. Galante for his scientific observations and recommendations throughout this study, to Dr C. Pérez‐Bañón for assistance in searching for larvae, and to Drs Alonso‐Zarazaga, Arnáiz, Bercedo, Blas, Leblanc, Liberti, López, Mariño, Otero, Riba, Soldati and Viñolas for their contributions in species identification. Financial support was provided by the Spanish “Ministerio de Medio Ambiente” (040/2002), “Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia” (grant AP 2003‐4001 and project CGL2005‐07213/BOS), “Consellería de Empresa, Universidad y Ciencia‐Generalitat Valenciana” (ACOMP06/063 and GV04A/576) and Alicante University (GRE04‐13).