New records of Arvicola italicus Savi 1838 (Rodentia: Cricetidae) from barn owl pellets collected at an unusual wetland roost in Latium (central Italy), with notes on regional distribution inferred from owl diet

This note reports data from pellets of a barn owl Tyto alba (Scopoli 1769) collected at an unusual roosting site: a birdwatching hut within a wetland reedbed (Phragmites australis). We recorded a relatively high number of preyed species, including an Italian endemic, recently taxonomically re-evaluated and declining small mammal linked to wet habitats (Italian water vole, Arvicola italicus Savi 1838).We provided a first compilation of available literature about remnantsof this rodent recorded in owl pellets both at regional (Latium), and national scale (Italy), and encourage further studies to improve knowledge of this and other neglected prey species using this approach.