Beijing – It’s responsible for the changing skyline of many Italian coastal cities, from San Remo in Palermo; its presence alarms for the role it could have in the loss of Mediterranean biodiversity. This is the Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, commonly known as the red palm weevil, a deadly devourer of palms. A study, published in Current Zoology by the Biology Department of the University of Florence, closely studied the reproductive history of this beetle, native to South East Asia, that spread for the past ten years to Italy and good part of the Mediterranean. “Thanks to an innovative approach called Analysis of Social Networks, usually used to study the dynamics within human societies or data streams on social networks – explains the researcher Rita Cervo, – we were able to analyze the complex web of interactions between males and females that live in large groups within the palm, which is then attacked and devoured from within.” (9Colonne)
