ZEN lab
Numerical and
Experimental Zoology

Selected publications

 

Bruschini, C., Simbula, G., Benetello, F., Dell’Olmo, L., Lazzaro, L., Mugnai, M., Paola, F., Pasquali, L. & Dapporto, L. (2024). Micro-habitat shifts by butterflies foster conservation strategies to preserve pollinator diversity in a warming Mediterranean climate. Ecological Indicators, 166, 112253.

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van Tongeren, E., Sistri, G., Bonifacino, M., Menchetti, M., Pasquali, L., Salvati, V., Balletto, E., Bonelli, S., Cini, A., Portera, M & Dapporto, L. (2023). Unstructured citizen science reduces the perception of butterfly local extinctions: the interplay between species traits and user effort. Biodiversity and Conservation, 32(14), 4701-4718.

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Bruschini, C., Edwards, E. D., Talavera, G., Vaurasi, V. D., Latu, G. F., & Dapporto, L. (2023). A complete COI library of Samoan butterflies reveals layers of endemic diversity on oceanic islands. Zoologica Scripta. https://doi.org/10.1111/zsc.12588.

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Dapporto, L., Menchetti, M., Vodă, R., Corbella, C., Cuvelier, S., Djemadi, I., ... & Vila, R. (2022). The atlas of mitochondrial genetic diversity for Western Palaearctic butterflies. Global Ecology and Biogeography https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13579.

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Hinojosa, J. C., Dapporto, L., Pitteloud, C., Koubínová, D., Hernández‐Roldán, J., Vicente, J. C., ... & Vila, R. (2022). Hybridization fuelled diversification in Spialia butterflies. Molecular Ecology, 31(10), 2951-2967.

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Sistri, G., Menchetti, M., Santini, L., Pasquali, L., Sapienti, S., Cini, A., ... & Dapporto, L. (2022). The isolated Erebia pandrose Apennine population is genetically unique and endangered by climate change. Insect Conservation and Diversity, 15(1), 136-148.

 

Arif, S., Gerth, M., Hone‐Millard, W. G., Nunes, M. D., Dapporto, L., & Shreeve, T. G. (2021). Evidence for multiple colonisations and Wolbachia infections shaping the genetic structure of the widespread butterfly Polyommatus icarus in the British Isles. Molecular Ecology, 30(20), 5196-5213.

 

Ebdon, S., Laetsch, D. R., Dapporto, L., Hayward, A., Ritchie, M. G., Dincă, V., Vila, R. Lohse, K. (2021). The Pleistocene species pump past its prime: evidence from European butterfly sister species. Molecular Ecology.

 

Dincă, V., Dapporto, L., Somervuo, P., Vodă, R., Cuvelier, S., Gascoigne-Pees, M., ... & Vila, R. (2021). High resolution DNA barcode library for European butterflies reveals continental patterns of mitochondrial genetic diversity. Communications biology, 4(1), 1-11

 

Menchetti, M., Talavera, G., Cini, A., Salvati, V., Dincă, V., Platania, L., ... & Dapporto, L. (2021). Two ways to be endemic. Alps and Apennines are different functional refugia during climatic cycles. Molecular Ecology, 30(5), 1297-1310.

 

Sabbatini-Peverieri, G., Boncompagni, L., Mazza, G., Paoli, F., Dapporto, L., Giovannini, L., ... & Roversi, P. F. (2021). Combining physiological host range, behavior and host characteristics for predictive risk analysis of Trissolcus japonicus. Journal of Pest Science, 1-14.

 

Hinojosa, J. C., Dapporto, L., Brockmann, E., Dincă, V., Tikhonov, V., Grishin, N., ... & Vila, R. (2021). Overlooked cryptic diversity in Muschampia (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) adds two species to the European butterfly fauna. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.

 

Cini, A., Benetello, F., Platania, L., Bordoni, A., Boschi, S., Franci, E., ... & Dapporto, L. (2021). A sunny spot: habitat management through vegetation cuts increases oviposition in abandoned fields in an endemic Mediterranean butterfly. Insect Conservation and Diversity.

 

Middleton-Welling, J, Dapporto L, García-Barros E, Wiemers M, Nowicki P, Plazio E, Bonelli S, Zaccagno M, Šašić M, Liparova J, Schweiger O, Harpke A, Musche M, Settele J, Schmucki R, Shreeve T (2020) A new comprehensive trait database of European and Maghreb butterflies, Papilionoidea. Scientific Data: 7:351.

 

Platania L, Menchetti M, Dincă V, Corbella C, Kay‐Lavelle I, Vila R, Wiemers M,  Schweiger O, Dapporto L. (2020) Assigning occurrence data to cryptic taxa improves climatic niche assessments: Biodecrypt, a new tool tested on European butterflies. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 29: 1852-1865.

 

Scalercio S, Cini A, Menchetti M, Vodă R, Bonelli S, Bordoni A, Casacci PL, Dincă V, Balletto E, Vila R, Dapporto L (2020) How long is 3 kilometres for a butterfly? Ecological constraints and functional traits explain high mitochondrial genetic diversity between Sicily and the Italian Peninsula. Journal of Animal Ecology, 89: 2013-2026.

 

Platania L, Vodă L, Dincă V, Talavera G, Vila R, Dapporto L (2020) Integrative analyses on Western Palearctic Lasiommata reveal a mosaic of nascent butterfly species. Journal of Zooligal Systematics and Evolutionary Researches, 58(4), 809-822.

 

Cini A, Cappa F, Pepiciello I, Platania L, Dapporto L, Cervo R (2019) Sight in a clique, scent in society: plasticity in the use of nestmate recognition cues along colony development in the social wasp Polistes dominula. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 7:444.

 

Dapporto L, Cini A, Vodă R, Dincă V, Wiemers M, Menchetti M, Magini G, Talavera G, Shreeve TG, Bonelli S, Casacci LP, Balletto E, Scalercio S, Vila R (2019). Integrating three comprehensive data sets shows that mitochondrial DNA variation is linked to species traits and paleogeographic events in European butterflies. Molecular Ecology Resources, 19:1623–1636.

 

Gaunet A, Dincă V, Dapporto L, Montagud S, Vodă R, Schär S, Badiane A, Font E, Vila R (2019) Two consecutive Wolbachia-mediated mitochondrial introgressions obscure taxonomy in Palearctic swallowtail butterflies (Lepidoptera, Papilionidae). Zoologica Scripta, 8:507–519.

 

Cini A, Bordoni A, Ghisolfi G, Lazzaro L, Platania L, Pasquali L, Negroni R, Benetello F, Coppi A, Zanichelli F, Dapporto L (2019). Host plant selection and differential survival on two Aristolochia L. species in an insular population of Zerynthia cassandra. Journal of Insect Conservation, 23: 239-246.

 

 Cappa F, Petrocelli I, Dani FR, Dapporto L, Giovannini M, Silva-Castellari J, Turillazzi S, Cervo R (2019) Natural biocide disrupts nestmate recognition in honeybees. Scientific reports, 9:3171.

 

Bonelli S, Casacci LP, Barbero F, Cerrato C, Dapporto L, Sbordoni V, Scalercio S, Zilli A, Battistoni A, Teofili C, Rondinini C (2018) The first red list of Italian butterflies. Insect Conservation and Diversity, 11: 506-521.

 

Livraghi L, Vodă R, Evans LC, Gibbs M, Dincă V, Holland PW, Shreeve TG, Vila R, Dapporto L, Breuker CJ (2018) Historical and current patterns of gene flow in the butterfly Pararge aegeria. Journal of Biogeography, 45: 1628-1639.

 

Bordoni A, Dapporto L, Tatini I, Celli M, Bercigli M, Barrufet SR, Perito B, Turillazzi S (2018) Trans-generational immunization in the acrobat ant Crematogaster scutellaris. Biology Letters, 14: 20170761.

 

Dincă V, Bálint Z, Vodă R, Dapporto L, Hebert PD, Vila R (2018). Use of genetic, climatic, and microbiological data to inform reintroduction of a regionally extinct butterfly. Conservation Biology, 32: 828-837.

 

Koubínová D, Dincă V, Dapporto L, Vodă R, Suchan T, Vila R, Alvarez N (2017) Genomics of extreme ecological specialists: multiple convergent evolution but no genetic divergence between ecotypes of Maculinea alcon butterflies. Scientific Reports, 7: 13752.

 

Dapporto L, Cini A, Menchetti M, Vodă R, Bonelli S, Casacci LP, Dincă V, Scalercio S, Hinojosa JC, Biermann H, Forbicioni L, Mazzantini U, Venturi L, Zanichelli F, Balletto E, Shreeve TG, Dennis RLH, Vila R (2017) Rise and fall of island butterfly diversity: Understanding genetic differentiation and extinction in a highly diverse archipelago. Diversity and Distributions, 23:1169-1181.

 

Bordoni A, Miroddi MA, Dapporto L, Turillazzi S (2017). Long-term assessment reveals the hidden and hiding effects of experimental stress on ant colonies. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 71:144.

 

Fattorini S, Borges PA, Dapporto L, Strona G (2017) What can the parameters of the species–area relationship (SAR) tell us? Insights from Mediterranean islands. Journal of Biogeography, 44: 1018-1028.

 

Habel JC, Vila R, Vodă R, Husemann M, Schmitt T, Dapporto L (2017). Differentiation in the marbled white butterfly species complex driven by multiple evolutionary forces. Journal of Biogeography, 44,433-445.

 

Dapporto L, Stefanini I, Rivero D, Polsinell M, Capretti P, De Marchi P, Viola R, Turillazzi S, Cavalieri D (2016) Social wasp intestines host the local phenotypic variability of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains. Yeast, 33: 277-287.

 

Hernández‐Roldán JL, Dapporto L, Dincă V, Vicente JC, Hornett EA, Šíchová J, Lukhtanov VA, Talavera G, Vila R (2016) Integrative analyses unveil speciation linked to host plant shift in Spialia butterflies. Molecular Ecology, 25: 4267-4284

 

Vodă R, Dapporto L, Dincă V, Shreeve TG, Khaldi M, Barech G, Rebbas K, Sammut P, Scalercio S, Hebert PD, Vila R (2016) Historical and contemporary factors generate unique butterfly communities on islands. Scientific Reports, 6: 28828

 

Stefanini I, Dapporto L, Berná L, Polsinelli M, Turillazzi S, Cavalieri D. (2016) Social wasps are a Saccharomyces mating nest. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 113: 2247-2251

 

Frizzi F, Ciofi C, Dapporto L, Natali C, Chelazzi G, Turillazzi S, Santini G (2015) The rules of aggression: how genetic, chemical and spatial factors affect intercolony fights in a dominant species, the Mediterranean acrobat ant Crematogaster scutellaris. PloS one, 10, p.e0137919.

 

Dapporto L, Ciolli G, Dennis RLH, Fox R, Shreeve TG (2015) A new procedure for extrapolating turnover regionalization at mid‐small spatial scales, tested on British butterflies. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 6: 1287-1297.

 

Habel JC, Zachos FE, Dapporto L, Rödder D, Radespiel U, Tellier A, Schmitt T (2015) Population genetics revisited–towards a multidisciplinary research field. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 115: 1-12.

 

Vodă R, Dapporto L, Dincă V, Vila R. (2015) Why Do Cryptic Species Tend Not to Co-Occur? A Case Study on Two Cryptic Pairs of Butterflies. PloS one, 10: e0117802.

 

Vodă R, Dapporto L, Dincă V, Vila R (2015) Cryptic matters: Overlooked species generate most butterfly beta-diversity. Ecography, 38: 405-409.

 

Dapporto L, Vodă R, Dincă V, Vila R (2014) Comparing population patterns for genetic and morphological markers with uneven sample sizes. An example for the butterfly M. jurtina. Methods in Ecology and Evolution 5: 834-843.

 

Dapporto L, Fattorini S, Vodă R, Dincă V, Vila R (2014) Biogeography of western Mediterranean butterflies: combining turnover and nestedness components of faunal dissimilarity. Journal of Biogeography, 41:1639-1650.

 

Cini A, Nieri R, Dapporto L, Monnin T, Cervo R (2014) Almost royal: incomplete suppression of host workers ovarian development by a social parasite wasp. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 68:467-475.

 

Dennis R.L.H, Dapporto L, Dover JW, Shreeve TG (2013) Corridors and barriers in biodiversity conservation: a novel resource-based habitat perspective for butterflies. Biodiversity and Conservation, 22:2709-2734.

 

Dapporto L, Ramazzotti M, Fattorini S, Talavera G, Vila R, Dennis RLH (2013) recluster: an unbiased clustering procedure for beta-diversity turnover. Ecography, 36:1070-1075.

 

Dincă V, Wiklund C, Lukhtanov VA, Kodandaramaiah U, Noren K, Dapporto L, Wahlberg N, Vila R, Friberg M (2013) Reproductive isolation and patterns of genetic differentiation in a cryptic butterfly species complex. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 10: 2095-2106.

 

Zinetti F, Dapporto L, Vovlas A, Chelazzi G, Bonelli S, Balletto E, Ciofi C (2013) When the rule becomes the exception. No evidence of gene flow between two Zerynthia cryptic butterflies suggests the emergence of a new model group. PLoS One  8: e65746.

 

Dapporto L, Dennis RLH (2013) The generalist-specialist continuum: Testing predictions for distribution and trends in British butterflies. Biological Conservation, 157:229-236.

 

Stefanini I, Dapporto L, Legras J-L, Calabretta A, Di Paola M, De Filippo C, Viola R, Capretti P, Polsinelli P, Turillazzi S, Cavalieri D (2012) Role of social wasps in Saccharomyces cerevisiae ecology and evolution. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA, 109:13398-13403.

 

Dapporto L, Bruschini C, Dincă V, Vila R, Dennis RLH (2012) Identifying zones of phenetic compression in West Mediterranean butterflies refugia, invasion and hybridization. Diversity and Distributions, 18: 1066-1076.

 

Dennis RLH, Hardy PB, Dapporto L (2012) Nestedness in island faunas: novel insights into island biogeography through butterfly community profiles of colonization ability and migration capacity. Journal of Biogeography, 39:1412-1426.

 

Dennis RLH, Dapporto L, Fattorini S, Cook LM (2011) The generalism-specialism debate: the part played by generalists in the life and death of species. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 104:725-737.

 

Dincă V, Dapporto L, Vila R (2011) Combined genetic-morphometric analysis unravels the complex biogeographic history of P. icarus and P. celina Common Blue butterflies. Molecular Ecology, 18:3921-3935.

 

Dapporto L, Habel J-C, Dennis RLH, Schmitt T (2011) The biogeography of the western Mediterranean: elucidating contradictory distribution patterns of differentiation in Maniola jurtina (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae) Biological J Linn Soc, 103:571-577.

 

Dapporto L, Schmitt T, Vila R, Scalercio S, Biermann H, Dincă V, Gayubo SF, González JA, Lo Cascio P, Dennis RLH (2011) Phylogenetic island disequilibrium: evidence for ongoing long-term population dynamics in two Mediterranean butterflies. Journal of Biogeography, 38:854-867.

 

Dennis RLH, Dapporto L, Sparks TH, Williams SR, Greatorex-Davies JN, Asher J, Roy DB (2010) Turnover and trends in butterfly communities on two British tidal islands: stochastic influences and deterministic factors. Journal of Biogeography, 37:2291-2304.

 

Dapporto L, Bruschini C, Cervo R, Dani FR, Jackson DE, Turillazzi S (2010) Timing matters when assessing dominance and chemical signatures in the paper wasp P. dominulus. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 64:1363-1365.

 

Dapporto L, Dennis RLH (2010) Skipper impoverishment on large West Mediterranean islands: deterministic, historical and stochastic factors. Biodiversity and Conservation 19:2637-2649.

 

Dapporto L (2010) Satyrinae butterflies from Sardinia and Corsica show a kaleidoscopic intraspecific biogeography (Lepidoptera,Nymphalidae) Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 100:195-212.

 

Dapporto L, Bruschini C, Cervo R, Petrocelli I, Turillazzi S (2010) Hydrocarbon rank signatures correlate with differential oophagy and dominance behaviour in Polistes dominulus foundresses. Journal of Experimental Biology, 213:453-458.

 

Baracchi D, Dapporto L, Turillazzi S (2010) The medium molecular weight polar substances of the cuticle as powerful tools in the study of taxonomy systematics and chemical ecology of tropical hover wasps (Hymenoptera, Stenogastrinae) Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Researches, 48:109-114.

 

Dapporto L (2010) Speciation in Mediterranean refugia and post-glacial expansion of Zerynthia polyxena (Lepidotera, Papilionidae). Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Researches, 48:229-237.

 

Cini A, Dapporto L (2009) Autumnal helpers of Polistes dominulus represent a distinct behavioural phenotype. Annales Zoologici Fennici, 46:423-430.

 

Dapporto L, Dennis RLH (2009) Conservation biogeography of large Mediterranean islands. Butterfly impoverishment, conservation priorities and inferences for an ecological “island paradigm”. Ecography, 32:169-179.

 

Dapporto L, Bruschini C, Baracchi D, Cini A, Gayubo F, Gonzàlez JA, Dennis RLH (2009) Phylogeography and counter-intuitive inferences in island biogeography: evidence from morphometric markers in the mobile butterfly Maniola jurtina. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 98:677–692.

 

Dennis RLH, Dapporto L, Shreeve TG, John E, Coutsis JG, Kudrna O, Saarinen K, Ryrholm N, Williams WR (2008) Butterflies of European islands: the implications of the geography and ecology of rarity and endemicity for conservation. Journal of Insect Conservation, 12:205-236.

 

Dapporto L, Dennis RLH (2008) Island size is not the only consideration. Ranking priorities for the conservation of butterflies on Italian offshore islands. Journal of Insect Conservation, 12:237-249.

 

Dapporto L. Dennis RLH (2008) Species' richness, rarity and endemicity of Italian offshore islands: complementary signals from island-focused and species-focused analyses. Journal of Biogeography, 35:664-674.

 

Cervo R, Dapporto L, Beani L, Turillazzi S (2008) On status badges and quality signals in the paper wasp Polistes dominulus: body size, facial colour patterns and hierarchical rank. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 275:1189-1196.

 

Dapporto L (2008) The asymmetric scent. Ringtailed lemurs (Lemur catta) have distinct chemical signatures in left and right brachial glands. Naturwissenschaften, 95:987-991.

 

Dapporto L, Santini A, Dani FR, Turillazzi S (2007) Workers of a Polistes paper wasp detect the presence of their queen by chemical cues. Chemical Senses, 32:795-802.

 

Dapporto L, Cini A (2007) Faunal patterns in Tuscan archipelago butterflies: the dominant influence is recent geography not paleogeography. European Journal of Entomology, 104:497-503.

 

Dapporto L. (2007) Cuticular lipid diversification in Lasiommata megera and L. paramegera: the influence of species, sex, and population. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 91:703-710.

 

Palagi E, Dapporto L (2007) Females do it better. individual recognition experiments reveal sexual dimorphism in Lemur catta olfactory motivation and territorial defence. Journal Experimental Biology, 210:2700-2705.

 

Dapporto L, Dani FR, Turillazzi S (2007) Social dominance molds cuticular and egg chemical blends in a paper wasp. Current Biology, 17:r504-r505.

 

Biaggini M, Consorti R, Dapporto L, Dellacasa M, Paggetti E, Corti C (2007) The taxonomic level order as a possible tool for rapid assessment of Arthropod diversity in agricultural landscapes. Agriculture Ecosystistems and Environment, 122:183-191.

 

Dapporto L, Wolf H, Strumia F (2007) Recent geography determines the distribution of some flying Hymenoptera in the Tuscan Archipelago. Journal of  Zoology,  272:37-44.

 

Dapporto L, Cini A, Palagi E, Morelli M, Simonti A, Turillazzi S (2007) Behaviour and chemical signature of pre hibernating females of P. dominulus infected by the strepsipteran X. vesparum. Parasitology, 134:545-552.

 

Dapporto L, Turillazzi S, Palagi E (2006) Dominance interactions in young adult foundresses of a paper wasp: a play-like behaviour? Journal of Comparative Psychology, 120:394-400.

 

Turillazzi S, Dapporto L, Pansolli C, Boulay R, Dani FR, Moneti G, Pieraccini G (2006) Habitually used hibernation sites of paper wasps are marked with venom and cuticular peptides. Current Biology, 16:530-531.

 

Dapporto L, Palagi E, Cini A, Turillazzi S (2006) Pre-hibernating aggregations of Polistes dominulus: an occasion to study early dominance assessment in social insects. Naturwissenschaften, 93:321-324.

 

Palagi E, Dapporto L (2006) Beyond odor discrimination: demonstrating individual recognition in Lemur catta. Chemical Senses, 31:437-443.

 

Turillazzi S, Mastrobuoni G, Dani FR, Moneti G, Pieraccini G, La Marca G., Bartolucci G, Perito B, Lambardi D, Cavallini V, Dapporto L (2006) Dominulin A and B: two new antibacterial Peptides identified on the cuticle and in the venom of the social paper wasp Polistes dominulus using MALDI-TOF MALDI-TOF/TOF and ESI-Ion Trap. Journal of the American Society of Mass Spectrometry, 17:376-383.

 

Dapporto L, Sledge MF, Turillazzi S (2005) Dynamics of cuticular chemical profiles of Polistes dominulus workers in orphaned nests. Journal of Insect Physiology, 51:969-973.

 

Palagi E, Dapporto L, Borgognini-Tarli S (2005) The neglected scent: On the marking function of urine in Lemur catta. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 58:437-445.

 

Dapporto L, Palagi E, Turillazzi S (2005) Sociality outside the nest: helpers in pre-hibernating clusters of Polistes dominulus. Annales Zoologici Fennici, 42:135-139.

 

Dapporto L, Palagi E, Turillazzi S (2004) Cuticular hydrocarbons of P. dominulus as a biogeographic tool: a study on some populations of the Tuscan Archipelago and the surrounding areas. Journal of Chemical Ecology, 30:2139-2151.

 

Dapporto L, Pansolli C, Turillazzi S (2004) Hibernation clustering and its consequences for associative nest foundation in Polistes dominulus. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 56:315-321.

 

Dapporto L, Theodora P, Spacchini C, Pieraccini G, Turillazzi S 2004. Rank and epicuticular hydrocarbons in different populations of the paper wasp Polistes dominulus Insectes Sociaux, 51:279-286.

 

Dapporto L, Cervo R, Sledge MF, Turillazzi S (2004) Rank integration in dominance hierarchies of host colonies by the paper wasp social parasite Polistes sulcifer. Journal of Insect Physiology, 50:217-223.

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Sledge MF, Dani FR, Cervo R, Dapporto L, Turillazzi S (2001) Recognition of social parasite as nest-mates: adoption of colony-specific host cuticular odours by the paper wasp parasite Polistes sulcifer. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B, 268:2253-2260.