Skip to main content

Salvatore Alessandro Barra

  • Biodiversity Journal, 17 (2): 163-196

    Manuel Andrea Zafarana, Salvatore Surdo, Antonino Dentici, Salvatore Alessandro Barra & Daniele Alù
    Bird communities in a restored Mediterranean wetland: a 10-year annotated checklist from the Geloi Plain (southern Sicily, Italy)
    https://doi.org/10.31396/Biodiv.Jour.2026.17.2.163.196

    ABSTRACT
    This study presents a ten-year annotated checklist of the avifauna of the Geloi Plain (southern Sicily), with particular focus on the restored Geloi Wetland private reserve, based on standardized surveys conducted from 2016 to 2026. Bird data were collected through direct observations, breeding bird monitoring and winter waterbird counts carried out within the framework of the International Waterbird Census (IWC). A total of 194 species belonging to 20 orders and 53 families were recorded, including 117 non-passerines and 77 passerines, with confirmed breeding for 70 species. Species richness increased from 105 species recorded in 2016 to 194 in 2026, reflecting both long-term monitoring and the progressive ecological recovery of restored wetland habitats. Winter waterbird communities showed a significant increase in both species richness and abundance following habitat restoration carried out between 2020 and 2022, which restored approximately 50–60 ha of wetland habitats. The abundance of several species showed marked increases after restoration, most notably including Common Teal (Anas crecca), Eurasian Coot (Fulica atra), Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis) and Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus). The regular occurrence and confirmed breeding of conservation-priority species, including European Roller (Coracias garrulus), Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni), Stone-curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus), Collared Pratincole (Glareola pratincola), Western Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio) and White Stork (Ciconia ciconia), further highlight the ecological importance of this restored wetland system within an intensively cultivated Mediterranean landscape.

  • Biodiversity Journal, 16 (3): 437-453

    Antonino Dentici, Salvatore Alessandro Barra, Davide Scomazzon, Maya Massari, Salvatore Zafarana, Taxiarchis Danelis & Manuel Andrea Zafarana
    A preliminary checklist on Arachnics of Geloi Wetland, Sicily, Italy (Araneae Opiliones Pseudoscorpionida)
    https://doi.org/10.31396/Biodiv.Jour.2025.16.3.437.453

    ABSTRACT
    We present the first preliminary checklist of Araneae, Opiliones and Pseudoscorpionida of Geloi Wetland, never studied before for this group of Arthropoda, located in the Piana di Gela (Caltanissetta, Sicily, Italy). From January 2023 until December 2024 samples and data were collected on the field, investigating different types of habitats. In total, 147 different species belonging to 107 genera and 32 families of spiders were found in the area, plus 5 species of 5 genera and 2 families of Opilions and 7 species of 6 genera and 5 families of Pseudoscorpions. The checklist includes interesting first Sicilian records of Glyptogona sextuberculata (Keyserling, 1863) (Araneidae), Erigonoplus nigrocaeruleus (Simon, 1882), Mecopisthes silus (O. Pickard Cambridge, 1873) (Linyphiidae), Tetragnatha dearmata Thorell, 1873, Tetragnatha montana Simon, 1874 (Tetragnathidae), Theridion hannoniae Denis, 1945 (Theridiidae) and Ozyptila pauxilla (Simon, 1870) (Thomisidae). Additional biological, distribution and chorotype information are indicated for each of the new records.