12 Overview: Invertebrate Diversity in Europe’s Alpine Regions P. Brandmayr, R. Pizzolotto and S. Scalercio Our knowledge of alpine invertebrate taxa is rather patchy. Some insect groups, such as the Lepidoptera, Coleoptera and Arenaea, are far better docu- mented (Chaps. 13–17) than are, for example, soil-dwelling organisms (e.g. Broll 1998). The need for a coordinated approach to providing a comprehen- sive inventory of the biological richness of alpine areas in Europe has been highlighted in several recent works (e.g. Nagy 1998; Nagy et al. 1998). 12.1 Macrolepidoptera The best-known invertebrates are, without doubt, the Macrolepidoptera; how- ever, comparisons are mostly possible involving butterflies only. Chapters 13 and 16 show how powerfully the highly mobile Lepidoptera may be used both in biogeographical surveys of European mountain chains and in habitat eval- uation for conservation. Chapter 13 provides a broad geographical insight into macrolepidopteran species assemblages of the European mountain chains. The distinction between elements of the humid-alpine (zono-)biomes and the xeromontane faunas of more or less eremial origin reflects the classical dualism found also in the alpine vegetation belts. Some of the phytophagous insect groups show similar faunal origins (e.g. Orthoptera and Lepidoptera). However, it is regret- table that data of comparable consistency are unavailable for non-phy- tophagous invertebrate groups. Ground beetles (Carabidae) and perhaps spi- ders (Aranaea) could be the next taxa to be analysed in relation to the existence of a Mediterranean-xeromontane faunal element more or less restricted to the thorny scrub vegetation that extends from the Maghreb to the western Asiatic countries. In Italy, for example, an invertebrate survey of the thorny cushion vegetation (Pignatti 1979; Pignatti et al. 1980) of the Apen- nines and of Mount Etna would be of particular interest. Of the 275 Italian native butterfly species,119 (43 %) occur in and above the tree-line ecotone in the South Eastern Alps and Apennines (Chap. 16). The Ecological Studies,Vol. 167 L. Nagy, G. Grabherr, Ch. Körner, D.B.A. Thompson (Eds.) Alpine Biodiversity in Europe © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2003