The diversity of terrestrial isopods in the natural reserve “Saline di Trapani e Paceco” (Crustacea, Isopoda, Oniscidea) in northwestern Sicily

Ecosystems comprising coastal lakes and ponds are important areas for preserving biodiversity. The natural reserve “Saline di Trapani e Paceco” is an interesting natural area in Sicily, formed by the remaining stripsof land among salt pans near the coastline. From January 2008 to January 2010, pitfall trapping wasconducted in five sampling sites inside the study area. The community of terrestrial isopods was assessedusing the main diversity indices. Twenty-four species were collected, only one of them endemic to westernSicily: Porcellio siculoccidentalis Viglianisi, Lombardo & Caruso, 1992. Two species are new to Sicily:Armadilloniscus candidus Budde-Lund, 1885 and Armadilloniscus ellipticus (Harger, 1878). This is highspecies richness for a single reserve in Sicily. The extended sampling period also allowed us to study speciesphenology. Most of the species exhibited higher activity in spring than in autumn while some species alsoexhibited lower activity in the summer. The species richness revealed that the study area is in an acceptableconservation status; Shannon and Pielou indices also confirmed a more or less even distribution ofindividuals belonging to different species.