Stefano Ziani

Photo:  Stefano Ziani

stefano ziani n. sp. (Mammalia: Hominidae)
Holotypus: oblongus, parum gibbosus, cylindricus, paene glaber, capite
rufo-testaceo, parum pubescente. Locus typicus restrictus: Meldola, Italia, in sylvis.
Allotypus: pulchrior quam typum, sed minor, capite fusco, longepiloso.

Stefano Ziani was born not far from Verona, Northern Italy in 1959.  He is a teacher of physical education and he devotes his spare time to scarabs and guitar playing and, of course, to his beloved wife Roberta.  He has been studying the "Laparostict" Scarabaeoidea for many years and in 1995 completed a catalogue of the dung beetle fauna of his region (Romagna, Italy), which won the "Zangheri Prize" as outstanding paper about the local natural history. He has recently focused on the dung beetle fauna of Middle East, where  he has traveled to most of the countries in the area (Turkey, Lebanon, Iran, Syria, Jordan, Cyprus and Egypt) and collected new data on the dung beetle fauna occurring there.  Presently he is involved in taxonomic research about poorly known Middle-Eastern Aphodiini and Onthophagini, especially those living in mammals' nests, as well as in solving some related nomenclatural problems.

"Description" and biography by Alberto Ballerio.

28) Ziani, S., 2006 - Remarks on some Near Eastern Euonthophagus species with the description of two new species from Iran (Insecta Coleoptera Scarabaeidae: Onthophagini) - Quaderno di Studi e Notizie di Storia Naturale della Romagna, Cesena, 23: 95-130.

27) Ziani, S. & Gudenzi, I., 2006 – Studies on Palearctic Onthophagus associated with burrows of small mammals. I. O. furciceps, O. kindermanni, O. vitulus and closely related species – Bollettino della Società entomologica italiana, Genova, 138 (3): 207-248.

26) Ziani, S., Ballerio, A., Barbero, E., Branco, T., Carpaneto, G. M.,  Dellacasa, M., Mignani, R., Palestrini, C. & Piattella, E., 2006 - Geotrupes rossii Jekel, 1866 (presently Ceratophyus rossii), nomen protectum (Coleoptera, Geotrupidae) – Fragmenta Entomologica, Roma, 38 (1): 69-73.

25) Löbl, I., Krell, F. T., Ziani, S. & Kral, D., 2006 - Scarabaeidae, subfamily Scarabaeinae, tribe Onthophagini, pp. 159-176. In Löbl, I. & Smetana, A. (Eds): Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera. Volume 3. Scarabaeoidea - Scirtoidea - Dascilloidea - Buprestoidea – Byrrhoidea - Apollo Books, Stenstrup, 690 pp.

24) Ziani, S., 2006 - New Nomenclatorial and Taxonomic Acts, and Comments. Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae, p. 32. In Löbl, I. & Smetana, A. (Eds): Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera. Volume 3. Scarabaeoidea - Scirtoidea - Dascilloidea - Buprestoidea – Byrrhoidea - Apollo Books, Stenstrup, 690 pp.

23) Branco, T. & Ziani, S., 2006 - New Nomenclatorial and Taxonomic Acts, and Comments. Geotrupidae, pp. 28-30. In Löbl, I. & Smetana, A. (Eds): Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera. Volume 3. Scarabaeoidea - Scirtoidea - Dascilloidea - Buprestoidea – Byrrhoidea - Apollo Books, Stenstrup, 690 pp.

22) Branco, T. & Ziani, S., 2005 - Cheironitis Lansberge, 1875 – its correct spelling and validity (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) - Boletín de la Sociedad Entomologica Aragonesa, Zaragoza, 37: 267-272.

21) Ziani, S., 2005 – Stereopyge, nome da conservare per Streopuge A. Costa, 1847 (Insecta Coleoptera Geotrupidae) – Quaderno di Studi e Notizie di Storia Naturale della Romagna, Cesena, 20: 109-113.

20) Ziani, S., 2005 – Redescription of Parammoecius osseticus (Iablokoff-Khnzorian, 1972) with a new synonymy and notes on the genus Parammoecius Seidlitz, 1891 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Aphodiidae) - Revue suisse de Zoologie, Geneva, 112 (1): 83-86.

19) Ziani, S., 2004 – Recensioni. Barbero E.,  Palestrini C. & Roggero, A., 2003 - Revision of the genus Phalops Erichson, 1848 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Onthophagini). Monografie del Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali, Torino, 38: 378 pp., 228 fig., 9 tav. – Notiziario della Società per gli Studi Naturalistici della Romagna, Cesena, 31 (2): 22-23.

18) Krell, F. T., Ballerio, A. & Ziani, S. 2004 - Comments on the proposed precedence of Bolboceras Kirby, 1819 (July) (Insecta, Coleoptera) over Odonteus Samouelle, 1819 (June) - Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature, London, 61 (2): 110-113.

17) Krell, F. T., Ziani, S. & Ballerio, A., 2003 - Comment on the proposed precedence of Bolboceras Kirby, 1819 (July) (Insecta, Coleoptera) over Odonteus Samouelle, 1819 (June) - Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature, London, 60 (4): 303-311.

16) Ziani, S., 2003 – Onthophagus (Palaeonthophagus) semicornis (Panzer, 1798) in Romagna e considerazioni sugli Scarabaeoidea italiani che vivono associati alle tane di piccoli mammiferi (Insecta Coleoptera Scarabaeoidea) – Quaderno di Studi e Notizie di Storia Naturale della Romagna, Cesena, 18: 67-82.

15) Ziani, S., 2002 – Sulle specie appartenenti al genere Scarabaeus Linnaeus, 1758 (sensu lato) presenti in Romagna (Insecta, Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) – Quaderno di Studi e Notizie di Storia Naturale della Romagna, Cesena,16: 27-35.

14) Ziani, S., 2002 – On the question of priority between the names Parentius Zunino, 1979 and Relictonthophagus Kabakov, 1979 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Onthophagini) - Elytron, Barcelona, 15 (2001): 79-81.

13) Ziani, S., 2002 – A new genus and species of Aphodiini (Coleoptera: Aphodiidae) inhabiting burrows of small mammals in Lebanon’s mountains – Zoology in the Middle East, Heidelberg, 27: 101-106.

12) Ziani, S. & Gudenzi, I., 2002 - The specific and infraspecific taxa of the genus Scarabaeus Linnaeus, 1758 described by Stolfa: taxonomic and geonemic remarks (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeini) - Atti del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale., Trieste, 49: 149-155.

11) Dellacasa, G., Dellacasa, M. & Ziani, S., 2001 – Taxonomic position of Aphodius turbatus Baudi, 1870 and systematic redefinition of Aphodius isikdaghensis Balthasar, 1952 (Coleoptera Scarabaeoidea: Aphodiidae) - Rivista del Musueo civico di Scienze Naturali “E. Caffi”, Bergamo, 20 (2000): 3-11.

10) Ziani, S. & Gudenzi, I., 2001 - A survey of the Onthophagus (s.l.) species occurring in Syria (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) - Memorie della Società Entomologica Italiana, Genova, 80: 87-105.

9) Ziani, S., 2001 - New records of Scarabaeoidea laparosticta (Coleoptera) from some Middle Eastern countries - Zoology in the Middle East, Heidelberg, 22: 103-105.

8) Ziani, S., 2001 - A new species of Aphodius Ill. of the subgenus Parammoecius Seidl. from North Eastern Anatolia: A. (P.) interfinius n. sp. (Coleoptera, Scarabaeoidea: Aphodiidae) -Doriana, Genova, 7 (316) (1999): 1-5

7) Ziani, S. & Gudenzi, I., 2000 - About some Onthophagus Latreille, 1802 (sensu lato) collected during a trip to Iran (Insecta Coleoptera Scarabaeidae)– Quaderno di Studi e Notizie di Storia Naturale della Romagna, Cesena, 13 (suppl.): 17-26.

6) Ziani, S., 1997b – Scarabaeoidea Laparosticti di Cipro: un primo quadro d’insieme sulla fauna dell’isola (Coleoptera) – Biocosme Mésogéen, Nice, 14 (1): 1-38.

5) Ziani, S., 1997a – Novità e precisazioni su alcuni Scarabaeoideadel bacino del Mediterraneo (Coleoptera) – Bollettino della Società Entomologica Italiana, Genova, 128 (3): 197-200.

4) Ziani, S., 1995b – Un interessante caso di teratologia simmetrica in Onthophagus fracticornis (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) - Bollettino della Associazione Romana di Entomologia, Roma, 49 (3-4): 165-167.

3) Ziani, S., 1995a – Catalogo faunistico ed analisi zoogeografica degli Scarabaeoidea saprocoprofagi della Romagna zangheriana (Coleoptera, Scarabaeoidea) – Bollettino della Associazione Romana di Entomologia, Roma, 49 (3-4): 169-224.

2) Ziani, S., 1991b – Segnalazioni faunistiche italiane (N. 163-197): 194. Thorectes hoppei (Hagenbach, 1825) – Bollettino della Società Entomologica Italiana, Genova, 123 (1): 75-76.

1) Ziani, S., 1991a – Segnalazioni faunistiche italiane (N. 163-197): 193. Aphodius (Neagolius) liguricus J.Daniel, 1902 – Bollettino della Società Entomologica Italiana, Genova, 123 (1): 75.

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Ziani, S. & Gudenzi, I., accepted. - Study on palearctic Onthophagus associated with burrows of small mammals. II. O. semicornis and closely related species (Coleoptera Scarabaeidae) -Folia Heyrovskyana

Ziani, S. & Gudenzi, I., in prep. - Study on palearctic Onthophagus associated with burrows of small mammals. III. O. aerarius and closely related species (Coleoptera Scarabaeidae)

Branco, T. & Ziani, S., subm. - The genus Thorectes Mulsant, 1842: a rectification regarding its type species and some considerations about its taxonomy (Coleoptera, Geotrupidae)