Fauna of Italy

The stoat (Mustela erminea), also known as the Eurasian ermine or ermine, is a species of mustelid native to Eurasia and the northern regions of North America. Because of its wide circumpolar distribution, it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. The name ermine is used especially in its pure white winter coat of the stoat or its fur. Ermine fur was used in the 15th century by Catholic monarchs, who sometimes used it as the mozzetta cape. It has long been used on the ceremonial robes of members of the United Kingdom House of Lords. It was also used in capes on images such as the Infant Jesus of Prague.

The chamois () (Rupicapra rupicapra) or Alpine chamois is a species of goat-antelope native to the mountains in Southern Europe, from the Pyrenees, the Alps, the Apennines, the Dinarides, the Tatra to the Carpathian Mountains, the Balkan Mountains, the Rila–Rhodope massif, Pindus, the northeastern mountains of Turkey, and the Caucasus. It has also been introduced to the South Island of New Zealand. Some subspecies of chamois are strictly protected in the EU under the European Habitats Directive.

Osmia alticola is a species of bee of the genus Osmia and the family Megachilidae. It lives around Liguria, Piedmont, the Italian Alps and the Austrian Alps. It was observed by Raymond Benoist in 1922.

Dolichopoda azami, the Azam's cave-cricket, is a species of cave cricket within the family Rhaphidophoridae. The species distribution is in France in the Southern Alps and in Italy in Piedmont, Liguria and Lombardia, where it lives in various dark habitats that have stable temperatures and high humidity. Such habitats include rocky forests, caves, damaged bridges or aqueducts, and abandoned/disused buildings at elevations of 120 to 1,940 metres. It lives in these habitats during the day and is primarily active at night.

Microcotyle lichiae is a species of monogenean, parasitic on the gills of a marine fish. It belongs to the family Microcotylidae.

The hydrology of the Strait of Messina accommodates a variety of populations of marine organisms. The intense currents and characteristic chemistry of the waters of the Strait determine an extraordinary biocoenosis in the Mediterranean Sea with a high abundance and diversity of species; the Strait of Messina, therefore constitutes an area of fundamental importance for biodiversity. Intense and alternate currents, the low temperature and an abundance of transported nitrogen and phosphorus transported to the surface from deep waters supports both pelagic and coastal benthic populations in a cycle of organic substance.

Iris oratoria, known by the common name Mediterranean mantis (or less frequently iris mantis), due to humans first studying it in lands around the Mediterranean Sea, is a species of praying mantis. Its range is expanding in the Middle East, Western Asia and the United States.

The common parsley frog (Pelodytes punctatus) is a species of frog in the genus Pelodytes. It lives in the Iberian region of southwestern Europe. Its earliest identification is believed to be from 1802.

The marginated tortoise (Testudo marginata) is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is endemic to Greece, Italy, and the Balkans in Southern Europe. It is the largest European tortoise. The marginated tortoise is herbivorous, and brumates for the winter.

Finlayson's squirrel or the variable squirrel (Callosciurus finlaysonii, sometimes misspelled C. finlaysoni) is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is found in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. The species occurs in a wide range of wooded habitats, including gardens and parks in cities like Bangkok. It was named in honour of the Scottish naturalist and traveller George Finlayson.