Invertebrates

The presence of many butterfly and moth species, particularly the butterflies that inhabit vegri grasslands, is one of the most interesting and colourful features of Euganean fauna. Among the insects worth noting, we should also keep in mind many species of beetle, while if we consider other invertebrates, some of which are native and important from a scientific point of view, it is worth mentioning the small terrestrial crustacean Glomeris euganeorum and the European freshwater crayfish, a large crustacean that can grow up to 20 cm long, once considered a culinary delicacy and continually caught by valley dwellers but now only found in the purest streams of the Euganean Hills. Unfortunately, the latter species, which belongs to the category of native local fauna, is seriously threatened by the presence of American freshwater crayfish which, like many species that are not native to these hills, tend to overrun the area.