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The GSG Newshopper Newsletter of the IUCN SSC Grasshopper Specialist Group
August 2014
Red List status of South African Katydids Threatened Orthoptera on the Seychelles
The rescue of the Lord Howe Island Stick Insect
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Title and author(s) Page
Report from the Chairs . . . . . . . . 3 A. Hochkirch & M. Bushell Are Mantids in Good Health? . . . . . . . 4 R. Battiston & K. Schütte How grasshoppers help discovering new species in the Netherlands . . 6 R. Kleukers Red-list Assessments of South African Katydids . . . . . 7 C. Bazelet Good news for Acrostira euphorbiae . . . . . . 10 D. Hernández, H. López & P. Oromí A hope for the Crau Plain Grasshopper . . . . . . 11 M. Bushell, A. Hochkirch & L. Tatin
New Orthoptera-app and wiki-website . . . . . . 17 F. Rutschmann, M. Riesen & C. Roesti Searching for grasshoppers and crickets in Paradise . . . . 19 A. Hochkirch A large threatened weta is saved from extinction in New Zealand . . 23 C. Watts The conservation of the Lord Howe Island stick insect and an update on the . 26 ex-situ programme R. Cleave The discovery of the Mexican grasshopper Liladownsia fraile . . . 30 P. Fontana & R. Mariño-Pérez Rarity and ordinariness in bush crickets: status quo versus data accumulation . 37 D. Chobanov Recent paper abstracts . . . . . . . . 41 M. Bushell IUCN SSC Grasshopper Specialist Group Members - July 2014 . . . 49
Front Page: Cave Katydid (Cedarbergeniana imperfecta) from South Africa, recently listed as Critically
endangered. Photo by Piotr Naskrecki.
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Report from the Chairs Dear Friends and Colleagues, Welcome to the 2014 issue of the Newshopper, the newsletter for the IUCN SSC Grasshopper Specialist Group! We had a great deal of really excellent articles for this issue, so many thanks to all who contributed. In addition to our Facebook page where we can keep members updated, we now also have a webpage hosted by the IUCN containing further information about our group and some of the activities we have participated in, as well as featuring some species of Orthoptera and related taxa that are of interest to the conservation community. Since 2013 the group has been very active, with one of our first activities being a red-listing workshop held in Leiden, the Netherlands focusing on the European Orthoptera. This led to the first major update of the Orthoptera in November 2013 with 60 new species being added to the IUCN Red List. By May 2014 we have now assessed a total of 337 species of Orthoptera, with plans to increase this number continuously over the next few years. As 2014 is the 50
th anniversary of the IUCN Red List this is a great opportunity to promote the
conservation of Orthoptera. Also, in May 2014 a conservation strategy planning meeting was held in South France for the Crau Steppe Grasshopper, a species recently assessed as Critically Endangered and now the focus of a conservation effort, a report of which is featured in this newsletter. Hopefully this will be the first of many such projects and will help to highlight the importance of this charismatic group of invertebrates. As the group is expanding and becoming more proactive, and with Axel taking over the reins as the Chair of the IUCN Invertebrate Conservation Sub-Committee, it was decided to enlist another co-chair to help keep things running at the pace they are currently, Mark Bushell has accepted this position and hopes to keep the momentum of our group going, with many new activities and projects planned for the coming years. Please keep us informed about new and ongoing conservation projects of Orthoptera and their allies so that we can include these reports in the next Newshopper.
Best wishes, Axel Hochkirch & Mark Bushell, Co-Chairs
Attendees at the red-listing workshop held in Leiden, the Netherlands, May 2013. (l-r) Pedro Cordero Tapia, Luc Willemse, Rebecca Miller (IUCN Red List Unit), Stanislav Gomboc, Baudewijn Odé, Josip Skejo, Axel Hochkirch, Roy Kleukers, Dragan Chobanov, Gergely Szovenyi, Michael Sergeev, Mark Bushell, Paolo Fontana
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Are mantids in good health?
Roberto Battiston & Kai Schütte
We don’t have the answer to this question yet, but
we’re working on it with the ongoing project European
Redlisting of Mantodea. What we know is that research
on mantid conservation is becoming more important.
After a remarkable disinterest for these charismatic
insects during the second half of the last century, within
the last few years mantids have become an interesting
field of research, including conservation. There are still
few specialists working on these insects but the group of
experts is steadily growing and what is even better, the
cooperation is increasing. One of these joint efforts was
recently published (May 2014) in the special issue of the
scientific journal Zootaxa (3797), entirely dedicated to
mantids, entitled “A revived focus on the praying
mantises”. It contains 12 articles from 22 authors, often
the result of international collaborations. More interest
also means a greater focus on conservation problems -
problems we have dealt with in the special issue.
How diversity influences conservation will be discussed in York at the European Congress of Entomology in
August 2014, which will host a symposium entirely dedicated to mantids.
It is now more urgent than ever to generate more
interest on mantids and to have more people work on
their taxonomy and biology because the main threat
for these insects probably is that we still do not know
what the threats consist of.
For these reasons this spring we made an open call to
all the GSG specialists to collect new records and
provide additional specimens to use in genetic and
morphological analyses to solve at least part of their
problematic taxonomy. Particularly welcome and
important are specimens from the genera Ameles and
Pseudoyersinia, two small ground mantids with
brachypterous females and macropterous or
brachypterous males. Their taxonomy is extremely
problematic because many species are probably not
valid or have to be rearranged, because their
description based on few specimens or few
morphological characters only or their high degree of
morphological plasticity and the limited knowledge is
difficult to fit in IUCN criteria. This problematic
taxonomic state of the art is discussed in detail in the
mentioned special issue of Zootaxa for the Canary
Islands, most probably a hotspot for small range
endemic Mantodea in Europe.
The first two assessments (the update of
Apteromantis aptera to LC level, and the new CR/PE
Ameles fasciipennis) have been just published on the
IUCN Red-List website, but most of the other
European species is practically unknown by IUCN
standards. This can easily result in very misleading
Data Deficient assessments and thus not proof useful
for conservation actions and to promote further
research.
Ameles fasciipennis is a very good example for this:
Being a distinct and well defined single individual, it
appeared only once more than a century ago, then
probably disappeared. By IUCN standards this is the
rarest animal in the world, by scientific standards it
may be a taxonomical error or a biological deviation,
by conservation standards it is an unmanageable
animal. Or, it may really be a species we have lost.
Apteromantis aptera (photo – R. Battiston)
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That is the reason why it is now so important to gain more knowledge about the European Amelinae and to
work towards their conservation needs. We are thankful for two grants from SYNTHESYS that allow us to work
in the collections at the Natural History Museum in London and the National Museum of Natural Sciences in
Madrid. Both museums have important collections of European mantids, but we are still searching help from
other museums to obtain a detailed database of the mantids distribution. We have started to sequence
recently collected material, mainly from the Iberian Peninsula and first results are expected soon.
Contributions from GSG specialists and friends of these insects would be very helpful and welcome.
If you would like to help, please send any collecting information and/or specimens in alcohol 95% to Kai
Schütte, Biozentrum Grindel und Zoologisches Museum Dept. Entomology, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, 20146
Hamburg, Germany. Thank you!
Roberto Battiston ([email protected]) & Kai Schütte ([email protected])
Heterochaeta orientalis - the cat mantis. (photo - P. Nasrecki)
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How grasshoppers help
discovering new species in
the Netherlands
Roy Kleukers
On July 23, 2013 nature photographer André den
Ouden was looking for Sphingonotus caerulans
near the city of Nijmegen. This species was
recently discovered in the Netherlands, but seems
to be declining again. He didn’t find any
Sphingonotus, but he did find Oedipoda
caerulescens, of which he took a few pictures.
Looking at the photos at home he discovered a
small striped creature near the front leg of the
grasshopper. Matty Berg, a springtail specialist,
was highly surprised. It turned out to be
Fasciosminthurus quinquefasciatus, a new species
to the Netherlands. This proves that looking at
grasshoppers can be even more rewarding than
we thought. The new species has been given the
appropriate common name zebra springtail.
(photo – A. den Ouden)
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Red-List Assessments of South African Katydids
Corinna S. Bazelet, Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, Stellenbosch University,
Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, SOUTH AFRICA.
In 2014, 129 species of South African katydids (Tettigoniidae) will have Red-List assessments published by the
IUCN. These species represent approximately three-quarters of the katydid species known to occur in South
Africa (169 species in total), and the full complement of species which are currently capable of being assessed.
Of the unsuitable species, seven are recognized new species which await formal description, and 33 are
species or subspecies whose validity requires verification such as members of the problematic genera Ruspolia
and Conocephalus, many of which can be distinguished only on the basis of their call, and are in need of
taxonomic revision on the basis of this character (Fig. 1). All of these species would be assessed as Data
Deficient due to our lack of confidence in the validity of the species and in the quality of available
distributional data, so we chose to exclude them from current assessment.
The complete Red-Listing of South African katydids represents the culmination of over a decade of work by
Piotr Naskrecki. In the early 2000’s, Piotr began to collect, photograph, and catalogue South African katydids,
meticulously storing all information in the MANTIS database which he developed. He opportunistically added
records of museum specimens from all major global collections, and in many cases catalogued all existing
specimens of a particular species. As a result of Piotr’s painstaking efforts, MANTIS now contains collecting
information from 810 geo-referenced South African localities (Fig. 2), in addition to numerous localities from
neighbouring countries. Work on the Red-List assessments began in November 2012 when Piotr and I met to
write most of the text which will appear in the final assessments.
A Critically Endangered South African katydid species: the Imperiled Green False Shieldback. (photo – P. Naskrecki)
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To assess the species, I first divided them into three categories: (1) species with a distribution which extends
beyond southern Africa (n=25) – all of these species emerged as Least Concern (LC); (2) species with a South or
southern African distribution and fewer than three known collecting localities (n=23) – all of these species
were Data Deficient (DD), Vulnerable (VU), Endangered (EN) or Critically Endangered (CR); and (3) species with
a South or southern African distribution with three or more collecting localities (n=81) – these species fell into
every Red-List category. I first calculated extent of occurrence (EOO) and area of occupancy (AOO) wherever
possible and prepared distribution maps using ArcGIS 9.2 (ESRI 2009) generously provided by the IUCN and
ESRI. I then uploaded all data and Piotr’s photographs into SIS and completed all draft assessments. All
threatened species (categories VU, EN and CR) were assessed on the basis of their geographic range (criterion
B) or as a result of having a very small and restricted population (criterion D2). No species could be assessed on
the basis of their population size (criteria A and C) or quantitative analysis (criterion E). At the time of writing,
57 assessments have been reviewed by Axel Hochkirch, Mark Bushell, and Baudewijn Odé and were published
in the first Red-List of 2014, and we plan to publish the remaining 72 species later this year in the second Red-
List of 2014.
So how are South Africa’s katydids faring? The majority (60% of assessed species) are LC. Many of these
species are widely-distributed generalist herbivores which show no signs of decline. Some of these species,
such as the Plangias (Plangia compressa and P. graminea) and the Armoured Katydids (Acanthoplus spp.), are
even facultative crop pests arguably in greater need of control than of conservation. A significant proportion of
species (12%) are DD because the available information is just not enough to estimate their future trends. For
example, the enigmatic Cederberg Shieldback (Namaquadectes irroratus) has only been encountered twice, in
1916 and 92 years later in 2008, despite many collecting trips and hours spent attempting to track it down.
Unfortunately, one-third of South Africa’s katydids are of conservation concern, with 28% of species assessed
as VU, EN or CR. Among the eleven CR species is the world’s only known Cave Katydid (Cedarbergeniana
imperfecta). This species persists in a small number of high elevation caves within the Cederberg Wilderness
Area of South Africa's Western Cape Province. Although no research has specifically focused on this species,
the highly fragmented nature of the populations and their current distribution at peak elevations is of great
concern. In the event of habitat destruction or change in climatic conditions within their caves, this species
appears to have few options for survival. Similarly, the Imperiled Grass False Shieldback (Paracilacris
periclitatus) was only encountered once in a small patch of remnant indigenous forest slated for cultivation to
exotic plantation forestry. At present, it’s unknown whether this species survives or not.
Completing the Red-List assessments will be the first step in an on-going process to draw attention to South
Africa’s fascinating and threatened katydid fauna. In the near future, Piotr Naskrecki and I hope to publish the
Red-List statuses of South African katydids within a field guide to the group. We also plan to analyse regional
trends and centres of endemism of the South African katydids and to compare these findings with those of
other insect groups for which similar data is available, such as the dragonflies and butterflies. Our hope is that
these findings will contribute towards the understanding of insect diversity trends within South Africa’s three
biodiversity hotspots, studies on which have mostly focused on plant diversity: the Cape Floristic Region,
Succulent Karoo, and Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany. We hope that these efforts will motivate local, young
researchers to study this fascinating group of insects, and motivate managers of South Africa’s extensive and
valuable protected areas to implement plans to protect threatened katydid species and their habitats. Finally,
we hope to promote the perception of insects as important components of biodiversity which should be
considered a conservation priority in their own right.
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Figure 1: Pie charts showing distribution of South African katydid species in terms of Red-List threat status. Numbers in parentheses indicate number of species. “Invalid taxa” are species and subspecies which are assumed to be invalid, although additional taxonomic research would be required to verify this assumption. We decided not to assess these taxa at present.
Figure 1: Map of South Africa showing all collecting locations of South African katydids, from Piotr Naskrecki’s MANTIS database. Biomes are listed in legend and colour-coded in order of aridity. It is clear from the map that coastal regions have been more intensively sampled than South Africa’s interior. Three global biodiversity hotspots which fall within South Africa are located along the coast.
GSG Newshopper - August 2014
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Good news for Acrostira euphorbiae
David Hernández, Heriberto López & Pedro Oromí
La Palma Stick Grasshopper, Acrostira euphorbiae, is
an endemic pamphagid from La Palma (Canary
Islands, Spain), where it has a highly reduced
distribution area mostly included in the protected
natural space of Tamanca, in the southwestern part of
the island. Field observations indicate that this species
depends on its only known host plant (Euphorbia
lamarckii), the dominating shrub in its habitat, and
that it has a low dispersal ability because of its
flightless condition and reduced jumping capacity due
to its heavy body and weak hind limbs compared to
other grasshoppers. This makes A. euphorbiae a
species strongly affected by any threat on its habitat.
In the last decades, the population of this species has
had an important decline mainly due to habitat
alteration (wildfire, illegal logging of vegetation, and
grazing), that has affected both the grasshopper and
its host plant. As a result of this situation, A.
euphorbiae is included as “Endangered” in both the
Spanish National and the Canary Regional official lists
of threatened species, this being the maximum
category of threat in these catalogues. Furthermore,
this species has recently been assessed as Critically
Endangered in the IUCN Red List.
Studies carried out during the last decade show that
this species has a low genetic diversity and a strong
habitat preference for some areas with a particular
plant composition. The destruction of large areas in
the habitat of this grasshopper can cause the
fragmentation and low interconnection among its
populations, leading to further decrease of the
genetic diversity of the species, producing a
population bottleneck that can drive to the extinction
of A. euphorbiae.
Since some decades, a large part of the habitat of this
species has been threatened of destruction because
of a big touristic project to build some hotels and a
golf course. This has been very controversial because
the promoters want to perform it in a protected
natural area, including the habitat of this protected
species. If this project were to run, the distribution
area of A. euphorbiae would be split by a large field of
green lawn impossible to overpass for the specimens
of the resulting two populations. Fortunately, despite
the big economic interests of businessmen and
politicians, this project has been declared illegal by
the High Court of Justice of the Canary Islands. For the
moment, luck is on the side of A. euphorbiae.
Acrostira euphorbiae (photo - P. Oromi)
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A hope for the Crau Plain Grasshopper
Mark Bushell, Axel Hochkirch & Laurent Tatin
The Crau Plain Grasshopper (Prionotropis hystrix rhodanica) is a large flightless grasshopper endemic to the
Crau Steppe area of Southern France, a unique Mediterranean dry steppe habitat. Due to the fact this species
is flightless it is restricted to the area and is unable to easily form new populations or colonise new areas. Even
though large areas of the Crau Steppe are protected, the grasshopper has recently dramatically declined in the
centre of the Steppe for unknown reasons. Therefore, it is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
In the past, the Crau Plain Grasshopper has been strongly threatened by the destruction and fragmentation of
its habitat resulting from landscape conversion (agriculture and industrial development). While habitat
destruction has become less common in large parts of the reserve, it still continues in privately owned land.
Little is known about the population ecology of this species, but the populations seem to be very small and are
becoming more and more isolated from each other. In fact, the species has completely disappeared from
many sites in the last fifty years and a recent survey has shown that only four subpopulations still exist.
Adult male Prionotropis hystrix rhodanica (photo - L. Tatin)
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One of the in-situ enclosures at the Calisanne site. (photo - A. Hochkirch)
Laurent Tatin pointing out Crau Plain grasshoppers within the enclosure. (photo - A. Hochkirch)
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In September 2012 the conservation of the Crau Plain Grasshopper was brought to the forefront after plans of
the French Army to build structures on the largest subpopulation were announced. An intervention letter by
the IUCN SSC Grasshopper Specialist Group and the IUCN French Committee to halt this development was
delivered and planning was put in action for the development for a conservation strategy for this threatened
grasshopper involving field biologists, the IUCN SSC Grasshopper Specialist Group and the IUCN SSC Species
Conservation Planning Sub-Committee
Preliminary surveys were carried out by field biologists, students and volunteers to evaluate the status and
distribution of the known subpopulations, study the habitat preferences and analyse potential threats. In 2013
an in-situ rearing method was tested, with adults reared from nymphs being released into two small fenced
reserves and monitored for behaviour and also to see if any other issues relating to their conservation could be
seen and potentially addressed.
From the information gathered during these studies, several potential issues relating to the conservation of
the Crau Plain grasshopper were highlighted. This led to a workshop being held in Saint-Martin-de-Crau, June
2014 in order to prepare the Strategic Conservation Plan for this species, involving key stakeholders in the area
including shepherds, landowners, NGOs, military personnel and governmental staff as well as members from
the IUCN and also zoological institutions. At the meeting a representative of the French military base was in
Eyed lizard (Timon lepidus), one of the several protected species in the Crau Steppe area (photo - A. Hochkirch)
GSG Newshopper - August 2014
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attendance and stated that all work on extending the current installation was halted in favour of protecting
the grasshopper; a real victory for the species’ survival!. The French Army now fully supports the conservation
project and provides access to its domain.
Two field trips to the location of the largest subpopulation of the species took place during the workshop, not
only for surveying the population but also to allow participants to see the area of conservation concern and
the other species that also rely on the area for their survival. During the field trips we not only saw several
individuals of the Crau Plain grasshopper, but also little bustard, little kestrel, pin-tailed sand grouse, eyed
lizards and a plethora of invertebrate species.
Over the course of the meeting, a conservation strategy for the Crau Plain Grasshopper was developed,
covering three important fields:
Research: The knowledge on population sizes and dynamics is still scarce. More information on the
spatial extent of all subpopulations is needed and a monitoring program needs to be established. The
major threats need to be studied; particularly the reason for the disappearance of the grasshopper in
large parts of the central Crau needs to be clarified. Potential threats include increased predation by
avian predators (such as cattle egret, lesser kestrel, crows), habitat modification (no knowledge on
changes in sheep grazing regime exist), climate change (some extreme whether events in the last
decade might have triggered the decline), parasitism/disease (nothing is known about the potential
Attendees at the Conservation Strategy meeting for the Crau Plain Grasshopper (photo - A. Hochkirch)
GSG Newshopper - August 2014
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impact of pathogens on the grasshopper), pesticides (sheep medication might have negative effects
as the grasshopper might also feed on sheep faeces).
Management: One of the targets is to protect the complete remaining steppe habitats in the region
and integrate the protection of the species with other conservation plans and policies. Sheep grazing
management will be optimized for this species, but first some more knowledge on the effect of sheep
grazing on the grasshopper is needed. An ex situ conservation program will also be started in Thoiry
Zoo, near Paris to start in 2015 with the aim of learning as much as possible about the life history of
the species to further the efforts of ensuring the in-situ population has the best possible chance of
surviving. From this it is planned to reintroduce animals into their historic range and create new
subpopulations in the next few years.
Public Awareness: Several actions to promote the public awareness of this iconic species will be
started. These included highlighting the species to the people residing in the area, focusing on its
uniqueness and importance within the habitat – this will use social media and also the production of
promotional material such as films and posters all about the grasshopper.
These were some of the key points highlighted during the meeting, although these do not cover all of the
factors that were discussed as potentially contributing to the decline of this endemic species including climate
change, pesticide use, parasitism and changes to grazing regimes. After much deliberation and discussion,
action points were created for various parties involved to further the conservation of this enigmatic species.
These included highlighting the species to the people residing in the area, focusing on its uniqueness and
importance within the habitat – this will use social media and also the production of promotional material such
as films and posters all about the grasshopper. Also, monitoring of the habitat to ensure that it does not
Surveying for the Crau Plain Grasshopper in natural habitat (photo A. Hochkirch)
GSG Newshopper - August 2014
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further become degraded and also to try and ensure that all areas with populations in fall under the umbrella
of the national park network and if possible the habitat is restored to its original state. Thoiry Zoo, near Paris,
will also be coordinating an ex-situ rearing project to start in 2015 with the aim of learning as much as possible
about the life history of the species to further the efforts of ensuring the in-situ population has the best
possible chance of surviving. From this it is planned to reintroduce animals into their historic range and create
new subpopulations in the next few years.
Although it is early days in the start of this conservation strategy, the number of people who are enthusiastic
about saving this unique grasshopper is great and efforts are well under way to assist in its conservation, with
plans to slowly move the nesting boxes of the little kestrel from the Crau area in the next couple of years and
also monitoring of temperature and humidity in the area to allow the future captive populations to be kept in
near-identical circumstances to their wild counterparts. The meeting itself was of key importance, being one
of the first to focus purely on invertebrate conservation strategy; this will hopefully set the trend for future
projects and open the floodgates to invertebrate conservation worldwide.
Adult female Crau Plain Grasshopper (photo - A. Hochkirch)
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New Orthoptera-app and wiki-website
Florin Rutschmann, Matthias Riesen & Christian Roesti
In May 2014, the Orthoptera identification app was published on the
iTunes Store and the Orthoptera-wiki went online on the platform
Orthoptera.ch. Both, the app and the wiki contain all 119 taxa of
Switzerland and Germany. The comprehensive species portraits
include several sections: morphological descriptions, songs, spatial distribution, phenology and life history,
habitat, endangerment and list similar species. More than 3,700 photos, songs and drawings are added to the
species portraits illustrating the variability, the behavior or the nymph stage.
The main component of the app is a simple and intuitive multi-criteria determination key allowing the
combination of several characteristics and omitting any strict sequence as it is common in dichotomous keys.
Besides morphological traits the list of potential species can be reduced by the integration of location data
using the built-in GPS of the smart phone. Already the selection of three or four criteria leads to a significant
reduction in the number of the potential species, which can be further reduced by comparing the songs.
The main target audience of the determination module are interested laymen. Accordingly we tried to keep
the multi-criteria key as simple and clear as possible. So, only few details on ovipositor or cercus are included,
which should still be identifiable without any additives. Consequently, it might be possible that not every
species can be classified directly. Nonetheless, when facing a more challenging determination one can still
compare songs and pictures in the detail gallery to narrow it further down. Moreover, the app can be used to
record observations directly in the field, which can later be sent to the database of
Observation.org or Webfauna.ch. There, all observations can be edited and
downloaded.
At the moment the app is only available on iOS systems with a
planned release of an Android version later this year.
Furthermore, all the species portraits are freely accessible
on Orthoptera.ch.
Species texts exist only in German. However the
determination key is available in English, French and
Italian. Together with the usage of primarily scientific
names this allows for navigation and access to pictures, songs and
drawings predominantly independent of German language knowledge.
First experiences showed that an iPad mini is the optimal device for the field, being the perfect tradeoff
between size and convenience.
http://www.orthoptera.ch/arten
http://www.orthoptera.ch/info-app-wiki/orthoptera-app
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Searching for grasshoppers and crickets in Paradise
Axel Hochkirch
The Seychelles are well known as a paradise for tourists with beautiful beaches and an amazing diversity of
fishes, corals and other marine organisms. However, the larger granitic islands also maintain cloud forests,
which are full of endemic plants and insects, which receive less attention. In fact, our knowledge on the
ecology of tropical insects is generally scarce. We even have limited information on species numbers and their
distributions. This makes assessments of the conservation status for the IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM
rather difficult. Although the IUCN Red List criteria allow to infer the conservation status also from indirect
data, such as habitat trends, it is crucial to obtain more information on the habitat requirements of threatened
species in order to allow for their conservation.
The Seychelles Predatory Bush-Cricket (Seselphisis visenda) is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (photo – A. Hochkirch)
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Recently, the conservation status of the endemic Orthoptera of the Seychelles has been assessed for the IUCN
Red List by Justin Gerlach, showing that ca. 70% of the endemic species are threatened with extinction. These
Red List assessments were mainly based on the small range sizes and continuing deterioration of their habitats
due to the spread of invasive species. Although the assumption that invasive species negatively affect native
insects might well be true, it has not yet been tested for the threatened grasshoppers, crickets and bush-
crickets of the Seychelles. Without such knowledge, it remains difficult to develop conservation management
plans for these insects.
Therefore, a research project was started in 2013 with the aim to obtain knowledge on the habitat preferences
of Orthoptera and to rediscover the Seychelles Flightless Groundhopper (Procytettix fusiformis) – a species,
which has not been found since its description in 1909 – as well as the Seychelles Crested Groundhopper
(Coptotiggia cristata) – a species, which is only known from one locality. The project was was conducted in
cooperation with the Island Conservation Society of the Seychelles and financially supported financially
supported by the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund and the German Academic Exchange
Service.
Two students (Svenja Krone and Sabrina Legner) visited Mahé (the largest island of the Seychelles) from July to
August 2013 to perform the necessary field work. Although the two Groundhopper species could not be
rediscovered, a couple of other threatened Orthoptera species were recorded, most of which were associated
with native palms. For these species, we were able to obtain data on their habitat preferences. The most
common species was the Seychelles Palm Cricket (Metioche bolivari). This tiny cricket species is mainly found
at higher elevations, where it occurs on the underside of larger palm leaves. The species is usually found in
small aggregations, suggesting that it is not territorial. By contrast, the Seychelles Short-Winged Cricket
(Seychellesia longicercata) was found across a broader range of altitudes. It mainly occurs in habitats with a
lower cover of grasses and a higher cover of leaf litter and open rocks. Male individuals are found singly in
folded palm leaves and seem to be territorial, but they occasionally can be found also on other tree species
and on rocks. Currently, invasive plants, such as Clidemia hirta and Cinnamomum verum, do not seem to have
negative effects on these species. Based upon the results of this study, it will be possible to start habitat
restoration measures to benefit the populations of these species.
Sabrina Legner (l) and Svenja Krone (r) in the cloud forest of Mahé (photo – A. Hochkirch)
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In 2014, we will continue our studies on the distribution and ecology of threatened Orthoptera of the
Seychelles. Two students (Lucy Neumann and Dominik Schwab) will stay on Mahé and St. Anne for two months
to search for threatened Orthoptera. We will make another trial to rediscover the rare groundhopper species,
but we will also start bioacoustic analyses of the songs of some crickets and bush-crickets, such as the
Seychelles Predatory Bush-Cricket (Seselphisis visenda). The song recordings will help to develop simpler
The Seychelles Palm Cricket (Metioche bolivari) prefers large palm leaves at high altitudes of Mahé (photo – A. Hochkirch)
The palm grasshopper (Enoplotettix gardineri) feeds exclusively on palm leaves. It is endemic to the Seychelles and listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. (photo – A. Hochkirch)
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monitoring methods, which can also be applied by local rangers without any special knowledge on Orthoptera.
The Seychelles Short-Winged Cricket (Seychellesia longicercata) is a territorial cricket species, which is often found in folded palm-leaves. (photo – A. Hochkirch)
Seychelles Flat-Backed Groundhopper (Amphinotus nymphula) is a small elusive grasshopper species which occurs in the leaf litter of the cloud forests on Mahé. (photo – A. Hochkirch)
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A large threatened weta is saved from extinction in New
Zealand
Corinne Watts, Landcare Research,
Hamilton, New Zealand
The Mercury Islands Tusked Weta
(Motuweta isolata) survived only on 13
ha Middle Island, a mammal-free island
in the Mercury Group located off the
North Island of New Zealand. During
the 1990s, the Mercury Island Tusked
Weta population on Middle Island
declined dramatically and to minimise
the threat of extinction it was evident
that new populations should be
established on neighbouring islands
from which mammals had been
removed. The weta population on
Middle Island was not large enough to
enable direct translocations so captive
rearing was necessary. Success in
developing a captive rearing method
from only one male and two females
which was crucial in making the
translocations possible.
Between 2000 and 2009, 567 individuals were
translocated to six nearby mammal-free islands. In
addition to reducing the risk of extinction of the
tusked weta, these translocations contributed to
the restoration of the other islands. The earliest
translocations in 2000 and 2001 were to nearby
Double and Red Mercury Islands where their
establishment was confirmed in 2009. The
population on Red Mercury expanded outwards
from the release sites by 100–150 m each year and
they are now estimated to be present over more
than half the island. Later translocations to four
other nearby islands have also been successful but
weta remain within 100 m of the release sites.
No tusked weta have been found on Middle Island
despite monitoring between 2009 and 2012,
suggesting this species is likely to be locally extinct.
If so, these translocations have resulted in a
significant conservation success outcome.
Further reading:
Stringer I, Watts C, Thornburrow
D, Chappell R,
Price R. 2014. Saved from extinction?
Establishment and dispersal of Mercury Islands
tusked weta, Motuweta isolata, following
translocation onto mammal-free islands. Journal of
Insect Conservation [early view online].
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10841-
014-9631-
y?sa_campaign=email/event/articleAuthor/onlineF
irst
An adult male Mercury Islands tusked weta in his burrow. Note his large overlapping tusks. (photo – D. Thornburrow)
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Presence of adult Mercury Islands tusked weta footprints in tracking tunnels on Red Mercury Island in 2009 and 2012.
Closed symbols indicate the presence of adult Mercury Islands tusked weta; dark grey symbols indicate probable
Mercury Islands tusked weta; and open symbols, no Mercury Islands tusked weta tracked. Open stars are the location of
a release site.
Middle Island - the original home of Mercury Islands tusked weta. Its cliffs make it very hard to land on. (photo – D.
Thornburrow)
Adult Mercury Islands tusked weta footprints on a tracking card from Koripuki Island, 2011.
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Male tusked weta being held for examination.
Male tusked weat on the forest floor (l) and fitted with a radio-transmitter (r)
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The conservation of the Lord Howe Island stick insect and an update on the ex-situ programme Rohan Cleave Invertebrate Keeper Melbourne Zoo, Zoos Victoria, Elliott Avenue, Parkville, Vic, 3052, Australia Telephone: + 61 3 9285 9300, fax: + 61 3 9285 9350 email: [email protected] Lord Howe Island was formed over 7 million years ago. The
Lord Howe Island Stick Insect (Dryococelus australis), also
known as a tree lobster or land lobster, was once abundant on
Lord Howe Island, approximately 700km off the coast of
eastern Australia. It was considered extinct by the 1930s,
following the accidental introduction of Black Rats (Rattus
rattus) in 1918 when the supply ship Makambo ran aground
near Ned’s Beach. In 2001, a small colony of Lord Howe Island
Stick Insects was rediscovered on Balls Pyramid, a rocky
outcrop 23km off Lord Howe Island. The species is currently
listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN.
In February 2001 a five-member scientific team assembled by
the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service
landed on Balls Pyramid and rediscovered a very small
population, consisting of only three stick insects. Next came
the significant challenge of securing a protected population to
save them from imminent risk of extinction.
On 14th
February 2003, another team was assembled with the
task of collecting four adult Lord Howe Island Stick Insects from
Balls Pyramid. One pair was sent to a private Entomologist in
New South Wales. This pair unfortunately did not survive long
but the female did produce eggs. The other pair was destined
for Melbourne Zoos, Invertebrate Department in Victoria. Two days later’, on the 16th February 2003, the
Zoo’s Invertebrate team received a pair of one of the rarest invertebrate species in the world. The pair was
affectionately known as ‘Adam’ and ‘Eve’ to staff, who knew they had one chance to establish a long term
captive breeding program for the species. At the beginning of the
program almost nothing was known of the biology and ecology of the
once abundant species.
The first Zoo-bred offspring demonstrated amazing timing by
emerging/hatching on 7/9/2003 (Australia’s Threatened Species Day).
Prior to this, nobody had seen a newly hatched nymph for many
decades. From 7/9/2003 to 31/12/2013 just over 11,000 nymphs have
successfully hatched as part of the breeding program at Melbourne Zoo.
Ongoing management of the population and eggs is critical for the
program to continue to thrive.
Balls Pyramid – copyright/credit Rohan Cleave, Melbourne Zoo
Lord Howe Island Stick Insect eggs – copyright/credit Rohan Cleave, Melbourne Zoo
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Newly hatched nymph of fingertip – copyright/credit Rohan Cleave, Melbourne Zoo
There have been many challenges to the captive management of the
species since they arrived at Melbourne Zoo more than ten years
ago. Our knowledge base has expanded rapidly as we developed
increasingly effective animal husbandry techniques. There has been
worldwide interest in our work with this species.
At any one time we house around 500 Lord Howe Island Stick Insects
in different quarantined purpose-built glasshouses and have
thousands of eggs incubating. Additional facilities to house the
increasing numbers of this species and meet their specific
requirements have been constructed over the years. We recently
moved into a glasshouse designed specifically to meet their
requirements. Maintaining correct temperature ranges and high
humidity are key factors to getting this species to adulthood.
Adulthood is achieved at around six months of age, with captive
lifespan around 12 - 18 months; females can lay up to 300 eggs in
their lifetime. Adult females are larger and heavier than males
measuring up to 15cm in length and weighing up to 25 grams. A sample of eggs laid each week are measured
and weighed in weekly batches and will then be incubated in Vermiculite for between six to nine months prior
to hatching. We measure and record the length of each nymph that hatches at Melbourne Zoo. In 2014 the
Melbourne Zoo team is breeding our 11th generation. This species can also reproduce parthenogenically: we
have conducted significant research into this field with three successive generations hatched, with all offspring
being female.
Hatching nymph – copyright/credit Rohan Cleave, Melbourne Zoo
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Young – copyright/credit Rohan Cleave, Melbourne Zoo
Adult female – copyright/credit Rohan Cleave, Melbourne Zoo
A number of scientific studies have been undertaken over the
past 10 years, including investigating mate selection. Diet is
another important aspect of animal husbandry and research
into this field is ongoing. The invertebrate Department has
expanded this work with investigations of endemic plant
species from Lord Howe Island both within Zoo grounds and on
Lord Howe Island in 2013. The full range of plants they fed on
prior to their extirpation from Lord Howe Island is still
unknown, but it is important for us to continue investigations
to determine what plants are most nutritious and beneficial for
captive husbandry. Host plant preference trials are conducted
with both nymphs and adults. All of this adds to the data base
of important information on the species.
The Lord Howe Island Stick Insect is a flagship species in Zoos
Victoria’s “Fighting Extinction” campaign. In 2012 the
Australian Federal and New South Wales State Governments
announced funding of AUS $9.2 million to eradicate black rats
and house mice from Lord Howe Island. Community
involvement is ongoing to determine the best path forward to
guarantee success in restoring the natural ecosystem of one of
the world’s most beautiful heritage sites.
“Return of the Phasmid” was an educational program conceived
by the Zoo’s Invertebrate and Education staff to be a world first
learning program to introduce an endangered species into 25
classrooms. This educational program helped raise awareness
of the plight of this critically endangered species.
Since opening an exhibit to the public for this species in 2008,
interpretation around the display area has been redeveloped
with inspiring graphics. The Zoo retail shop closest to the Lord
Howe Island Stick Insect display is ‘bug’ themed and stocks Lord
Howe Island Stick Insect themed retail items. There is also a
donation point to encourage visitors to contribute to the work
that is being done with this species at the Zoo.
In 2007, Melbourne Zoo returned 20 Lord Howe Island
Stick Insect to a rodent proof enclosure on Lord Howe
Island. The offspring of those original descendants
continue to be managed by Lord Howe Island Board staff.
Two exhibits are now on display at the Lord Howe Island
Museum, with separate nymph and adult displays
showing the differences from early stages to adult in this
species. These displays will help educate visitors and
highlight conservation efforts to save one of Lord Howe
Island's rarest species. A world first permanent enclosure
is now up and running in the Lord Howe Island
Adult male - copyright/credit Rohan Cleave, Melbourne Zoo
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Central School for students and staff to maintain and research the species in the classroom.
We continue to work closely with Lord Howe Island Board staff and scientists from the New South Wales
government on this recovery program. One day we hope to see this species back in its natural environment on
Lord Howe Island.
With special thanks to past and current Invertebrate team members at Melbourne Zoo for their significant
contributions over this journey to save one of the world’s most endangered species. Patrick Honan, Kate
Pearce, Robert Anderson, Norman Dowsett, Zoe Marston and Sarah Silcocks.
Lord Howe Island –Mt Lidgbird – 777m and Mt Gower – 875m in background – copyright/credit Rohan Cleave, Melbourne Zoo
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The discovery of the Mexican grasshopper Liladownsia
fraile
Paolo Fontana & Ricardo Mariño-Pérez (edit by M. Bushell)
Mexico is an extraordinary country. There you can find many things but, more interestingly, at the end you can
also find things that you were not looking for. Nature, history, people, food, ancient and modern life,
handicraft, art, science, music, drinks, peace, passion, adventure, rest, danger, religion, friendship… all of this is
merged in a full colour masterpiece, such as Michelangelo’s Sistine chapel ceiling or an Eduardo Ribera fresco.
We had the great fortune of not only travelling in Mexico on vacation, but also to study the nature of the
country and to discover the essence of it. The world is so complex, intricate and interconnected that studying
even one natural aspect of a country such as Mexico you end up having an overall image that is very sharp,
bright and charming. Mexico, in short, is a mega-diverse country, with all of its diversity stemming from its
natural biodiversity. The biodiversity of a place in turn influences the cultural diversity of the people who
inhabit it; the variety of plants and animal species, climates, raw materials, scenarios and horizons of Mexico
has shaped a constellation of cultures, languages and traditions that, even after centuries of human history
and cultural influences, are still alive and vibrant. If we pay attention to the colour of the flowers, birds,
reptiles and insects of Mexico, we understand that the vitality of the churches of Puebla, or the splendour of
the costumes of the state of Oaxaca are a direct link between biodiversity and human culture. The wilderness
is not only a pleasant place for relaxation or adventure, but it also reminds us that to preserve the biodiversity
of our planet does not mean we should abstain from our atavistic pleasure to experience nature. Nature has
shaped and shapes us, gave us the past and gives us a future because we are nature and this became tangible
at every step, at every stop, travelling in Mexico.
Liladownsia fraile adult male (photo – P. Fontana)
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Throughout the visit we travelled thousands of
miles, sometimes together and sometimes solo. We
travelled between towns and villages, ranging from
the seashores to the peaks of high mountains,
visiting every habitat we could from deserts to
tropical forest, along the banks of rivers to dry,
stony areas. It wasn’t all plain-sailing however,
encountering “chiggers”, mosquitoes and even
fields with many rattlesnakes! Over the course of
the trip we met many people from all walks of life,
all curious about our research and willing to help or
give advice where they could. We did a great deal
of work on Mexican insects, focusing especially on
grasshoppers, bush crickets and crickets, praying
mantids and stick insects. Our research into the
insects of Mexico gave us new challenges every day
and has been crowned by the successes of many
discoveries and even rediscoveries; the biodiversity of Mexico is widely known, but equally there remains
much to discover. During our field expeditions we have found many new species and several new genera and
during the study of our collected material and comparing it with that found in the collections, we have found
many more.
Paolo Fontana with Liladownsia friale
Liladownsia fraile habitat (photo – P. Fontana)
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The discovery of a new species is always done by accident, but sometimes the circumstances of a new
discovery are really unusual if not ridiculous. A “pit-stop”, possibly to fulfil a physiological need, can result in a
significant event for the expedition. Secluded behind a bush, you shout to your companions to grab the net,
the camera, the bottles – “hurry, it's not a joke, move!” Or when in the evening, tired from such a hectic and
challenging day that all you can think of is a plate of frijoles and tortillas, you see a small area that seems to be
unconsciously and instinctively inviting you to take a look… and you stop abruptly the car, parking it in a
probably not so orthodox way and after a few moments, you realize that the real work of the day begins right
there, where you search for, collect and photograph until the last ray of light allows it.
Very often new species, such as children to their parents, are beautiful and fascinating only or primarily for
those who have made the discovery. The skilled entomologist understands the uniqueness of a population or a
single individual perhaps, from small details; a tinge of colour, a protuberance more or less pronounced, or
maybe a quick review with a simple lens of the male genitalia, and here's a new species which appears to be
identical to another already known. For those who work in this field, for they who have a passion for natural
science and try to give a contribution, no matter how small, to the unveiling of biodiversity the discovery of a
new species, even based on the identification of characters imperceptible to non-specialists, is always a source
of great joy and pride. The paper of the newly described taxa makes the taxonomist as proud as a soldier of
Liladownsia fraile male nymph (photo – P. Fontana)
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the medals pinned on his chest or indeed, as the list of love conquests of Don Juan (Madamina, il catalogo è
questo delle belle che amò il padron mio….) because the taxonomy could best be compared to a loving rather
than military conquest!
After all of these ramblings arising from our most vivid experiences, our article can only arrive at one of our
most beautiful and beloved discoveries; the finding, the study and description of the grasshopper which we
gave the scientific name of Liladownsia fraile. We found this species of grasshopper truly unique, both for its
vibrant coloration and also for other ecological and biogeographical characteristics during an expedition in
Mexico organized by the University of Central Florida (UCF), the Fondazione Edmund Mach (Centro
Trasferimento Tecnologico) and the World Biodiversity Association (WBA onlus) in December 2011. The
species was found in a mountainous area in the southern part of the Sierra Madre del Sur, in the state of
Oaxaca, and close to the village of San José del Pacífico. The first site where the species was collected was a
small clearing at the roadside, characterized by an intense flowering of several herbaceous plants, which
fortunately was also one of the few places where you could park a car. The outcome of this stage of the
expedition seemed likely to be poor, having regard to the winter season and the disappointing results of
earlier stages in similar areas, until Paolo Fontana (FEM-CTT and WBA), who led the expedition which was
Liladownsia fraile nymph (photo – P. Fontana)
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attended by Ricardo Mariño-Pérez and Derek A. Woller (PhD Candidates at UFC) and Paola Tirello (University
of Padova and WBA) found a juvenile specimen of grasshopper that appeared immediately as something
extremely interesting and new. We decided to spend the rest of the evening in the area and after some
minutes we finally found one adult, then another and so on. Then night came and we had to sadly finish. The
next day we returned early in the morning and we found even more adults.
The study of the collected material has revealed to be a new species and a new genus of Melanoplinae, a
group of grasshoppers that in Mexico counts a large number of genera and many species are endemic. The
research on this new grasshopper were also carried out on a molecular basis by Dr. Hojun Song (UFC) and his
collaborators, allowing us to ensure its uniqueness but also its affinity in the context of other kinds of
Melanoplinae from Mexico and from the Americas in general. A new field expedition took place in December
2013, allowing us to find new material and to verify the distribution of the new species which was found
always just on the outskirts of San José del Pacifico, between 1200 and 1600 m above sea level. This new
species lives in a region characterized by extensive forests of oak and pine, and seems to feed on grasses,
mainly Lamiaceae, and in particular of Salvia elegans the so-called Pineapple sage, a plant native to the
mountainous regions of Mexico. The relevance of this new species comes from its restricted geographical
Adult female Liladownsia fraile (photo – P. Fontana)
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distribution and its ecological needs which see it as a typical inhabitant of forests of oaks and pines areas.
Furthermore the new species seems to be able to feed on plants largely characterized by the presence of
essential oils that possibly could lend the grasshopper a kind of chemical protection that would explain the
vivid coloration; vivid coloration is typically used by insects to signal to predators some form of chemical
defence. Another important aspect of this new species comes from its phylogenetic position, in fact, the study
of its DNA is allowing us to better understand the relationships between different kinds of grasshoppers in
Mexico and therefore the relevant mechanisms of speciation. Molecular taxonomic study, like the ecological,
phenological and geografical data of this new genus and new species has now been published in an
international journal, Zootaxa (Woller et al., 2014).
The new genus, which has been assigned the scientific name of Liladownsia n. gen. was dedicated to Mexican
singer Ana Lila Downs Sánchez, in art Lila Downs, who also hails from the state of Oaxaca. Lila Downs is an
international artist, having won a Grammy award amongst other such accolades, and takes to stages all around
the world the many indigenous languages of Mexico such the Mixtec and Zapotec and uses traditional
costumes in her performances. She also has great sensitivity towards different social issues, which she
portrays most often through images drawn from nature and ancient traditions of her land, such as in the song
"Árbol de la vida". The tribute to this great artist is also a tribute to the nature and culture of Mexico, both
extraordinary and characterized by great diversity, richness and originality. The new species has been given the
scientific name of fraile, so the full name is Liladownsia fraile Fontana et al., 2014. "Fraile" is Spanish for
“friar”, and this is the common name that the inhabitants of the area of San José del Pacífico give to this insect,
which was until now unknown to science but certainly not to the inhabitants of the region in which it lives.
Another common name used locally is "Chapulín de Capucho" meaning “grasshopper with a hood”.
Liladownsia fraile is in fact characterized by a kind of hump which may just seem like a monk's hood. In
The intrepid explorers: (l-r) Paola Tirello, Paolo Fontana, Ricardo Marino Perez and Derek A. Woller
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addition to common names, talking to the locals, it was possible to have a lot of important information on the
biology of this new species.
Since the area of San José del Pacífico is characterized by intense tourism but also unfortunately deforestation
in order to clear the field for crops and herds of cattle and sheep. The natural environment in which
Liladownsia fraile lives is seriously threatened and that's why we proceeded immediately to assessing this new
species for the Red List produced by the IUCN. The original geographical distribution of Liladownsia fraile is
already fairly restricted and with human pressure is becoming smaller and smaller.
The discovery, study and description of this species is not only an example of how biodiversity is still only
partially known but also of how, during scientific expeditions, respect for and dialogue with local people is
essential to achieve important scientific goals and for all aspects related to nature conservation. Also it is
imperative to let the general audience know about the discovery of new species. Just as an example, after the
news of this discovery was covered in social media such as Facebook and Twitter, people started to upload
pictures and videos of Liladownsia fraile. This new information provides us new localities (close to San José del
Pacífico) which we haven’t visited yet. Also, in some pictures additional information is provided such as a new
colour form for the male. Without a question, new technologies such social media are not only telling people
in which place you are eating or what movie are you watching but also are helping to improve the assessment
of endangered species.
As humans, we take care of what we love, and we love only what we know. The IUCN Red List is the perfect
way of letting people know about this grasshopper and by consequence people will begin to take care of
species such as Liladownsia fraile.
Type locality habitat of Liladownsia fraile. (photo – P. Fontana)
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Rarity and ordinariness in bush crickets: status quo versus data accumulation
Dragan P. Chobanov
Currently, anthropogenic pressure is resulting in a major biodiversity crisis, dominated not only by the commonly observed loss of species with restricted distributions but also by the underestimated extinction of common species, which means that there is a growing need to identify habitat and diversity loss and fragmentation, properly estimate species/populations range and population trends and adequately assess populations. Our knowledge on the biodiversity and species distribution and abundance is far from being satisfactory. There is a growing evidence of a significant amount of phenotypically cryptic species in all major taxa, which additionally complicates the situation. On the other hand, it has been suggested that significant amount of the present-day biodiversity constitutes synonymic taxa. In this connection, understanding distribution of poorly known taxa is an additional challenge. Therefore, biodiversity and habitat assessment and protection are closely linked. Accumulation of data may result in a changed understanding on species vulnerability and threatened status, as a result not only of updated information on their distribution and habitat preferences, but also on their taxonomy and systematics. Hereinafter I will present three interesting unpublished cases. They further show the usefulness of using as many as possible methods for detecting species in nature.
Case I: Underground life When I was a young boy, about 14-15 years old, I collected a small frumpish cricket and pinned it on a fat sewing pin. Then, I forgot it. Much later, when I was identifying extensive material for my PhD thesis, I met the specimen again and I classified it as a nymph of Discoptila buresi Mařan, 1958, presently in the genus Ovaliptila – small crickets with highly reduced wings, in males scale-like and covering pit-glands on their thorax, probably serving as female-attractors. But where I have collected this insect? Unfortunately I did not make a note but at that time I was collecting mostly in my summer refuge – my village in North-eastern Bulgaria… These crickets are poorly known all over their range in the Eastern Mediterranean, frequently known by a single specimen in a museum collection. They all seem to inhabit soil crevices, leaf litter and caves, partly showing themselves at night to feed – any kind of rotting organic matter. Being known by two type specimens, collected at the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, the species revealed itself when we started using pitfall soil traps. Over the years, significant material (say, 70 specimens) was captured in our collecting jars in South-eastern Bulgaria. But where I collected my first specimen…? Time passed and after some years I started visiting my "childhood refuge" again. And once, visiting the cellar in the night, I saw them – tens of individuals looking for dinner! So, I trapped some food remains and collected specimens that I easily kept for two generations in captivity. Later on, the species has been regarded typus generis, distributed from Bulgaria to Crimea, and though up to the 2000s only two specimens were known to the science, it seems that at least along the Black Sea coast and the big rivers in East Bulgaria, the species is widespread, though secretly living. However, it keeps hidden during daytime and even at night you cannot find it easy unless you use special tools for this aim (like traps) or visit humid caves, burrows or appropriate cellars.
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Case II: The "Great escape" Once, during studying a large amount of non-breeding white storks' pellets for a colleague-ornithologist, I found a subdominant mandible type that did not match any suggestions I made. It was obviously similar to the Frivaldsky's bushcricket (Pholidoptera frivaldskyi (Herman, 1871)), typical for the Carpathians and the North-Balkan Mountains. Yet, there was a significant difference and further, the Frivaldsky's bushcricket does not occur in the region the storks have collected their prey (the South Black Sea coast of Bulgaria). Finally, I decided to compare it to a single specimen I possessed from the weakly known Pholidoptera brevipes. And, here it is! In 1939 Ramme described a strange bush cricket from Bulgaria, named after its remarkably short for the genus legs – Pholidoptera brevipes. The holotype is kept at the Naturkunde Museum in Berlin and until recently only three specimens were known, all of them collected from Southeastern Bulgaria. In 2006 it has been recorded also from North-western Anatolia (Turkey) by Mustafa Ünal, though its habitat and range, especially in Europe, remained a mystery.
Pholidoptera brevipes, first photo of living specimen! (photo D. Chobanov)
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So, I was amazed that a "rare" species, that might have been considered even 'Critically Endangered' based on our current knowledge, was so abundant in the food of the common White stork (minimum of 1668 individuals of a total of 28947 animal remains; 54.4% occurrence in pellets). It has obviously occurred in numbers though the reason why we do not meet this species in the field was obscure… The latter discovery happened in the winter of 2011/2012 and accurately next summer we met the species in its environment! During the Natura 2000 assessments in 2011/2012 we visited a lot of spots all over Bulgaria; the modest team of orthopterists involving two persons at a time spent about 140 days and nights under open sky. Thus, being lucky, we visited the Southeastern Bulgaria lowlands in the early summer, when the humid spring vegetation was about to be replaced by the summer xerophyte grass and scrub. First I met the species, obviously at the border of its range, by an accidental checking a "strange" song of Decticus verrucivorus. Literally smashing the grass, we finally found a small olive-brown animal that we did not expect. It was so nice for me to be able to record the song and collect material for future experiments of Pholidoptera brevipes! A few days later we started to hear its song all over, around the scrub, meadows and along springs in Strandzha Mountains at the border with Turkey. Yet, the animal was so cautious, that I was able to catch, say, five per cent of the males I heard (females were collected by accident, being located close to the singing male). They were disappearing immediately after hearing me within the bush, just dropping from their branch, jumping a while in the grass, and then, suddenly, becoming quiescent touching the ground. Thus, the lucky coincidence of timing, sound recognition and collecting effort proved this species is not to be regarded vulnerable as it even occurs within recently abandoned fields.
Case III: Shifting habitat I joined the Natura 2000 assessments in Bulgaria in 2010, being responsible for only two grasshopper species fitting Annex II of the European Commission’s Habitats Directive. One of them, Paracaloptenus caloptenoides, seemed really common in Bulgaria according to literature data and available material. Yet, after first range evaluations, a strange discrepancy appeared between the altitudinal preferences of populations from different parts of the country. Having about 60 localities at the beginning, I could not properly evaluate the possible difference. Then, spending many days in the field and walking a couple of thousands kilometres by foot, we started to realize that the "discrepancy" is real and actually reflects native ecological features of populations. Already at the spot, we felt that the populations of the species are ecologically partitioned in three – 1) a "Western form",
Paracaloptenus caloptenoides, a female. (photo D. Chobanov)
GSG Newshopper - August 2014
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strictly keeping at poor-vegetation limestone ground in the mountain belt of West Bulgaria (usually over 800 m alt.), having unpredictable patchy distribution; 2) an "Eastern form", usually occurring in high numbers in the semi-dry degraded oak-associations in Southeast Bulgaria, keeping within strict climatic belt up to 700-800 m alt.; 3) a small "North-eastern population", at the border with Romania (and further penetrating Romanian Dobrogea up to the Danube delta), occurring in continental semi-dry steppes. Altogether we sampled 554 positive localities over the country. Then, we modelled the species distribution using the Maxent software based on different environmental variables. "Best" models, fitting ecologically different populations, resulted by separate evaluating of sampling points by "ecological regions" and by testing different sets of variables. For example, mean annual temperature, altitude and anisotropic heating made main contribution to the model of the "Western form"; mean annual temperature, forest type and mean annual precipitation contributed for the "Eastern form" habitat model; mean annual precipitation prevailed in the model of the steppic "North-eastern form". Yet, further research is necessary for evaluating the status of these "forms" but, in any case, presumed threatened status changed dramatically after this study. Though, the "Eastern form" occurs in remarkable numbers in appropriate climate, even within degraded habitats, the other two forms seem significantly vulnerable to anthropogenic pressure and thus deserving special conservation attention. Conclusion We are still far from satisfactory knowledge not only about the total biodiversity and its loss levels but even about our neighbours living in the grass across the street in the so called "best studied" Europe. Thus, living in an imminent danger of irreversible changing of our Planet, we should pay more attention on the surrounding environment, find beauty in nature and living creatures, and think… could we survive without all this variety?
Maxent modelling of three forms of
Paracaloptenus caloptenoides in
Bulgaria; “Western” (top),” North-
eastern” (middle) and “Eastern“
(bottom)
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Recent Paper Abstracts
Mark Bushell Assistant Curator of Invertebrates, Bristol Zoo Gardens, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 3HA, UK.
A revision of Apteromantis (Mantodea: Mantidae, Amelinae): A
comprehensive approach to manage old taxonomic and conservation
problems
Roberto Battiston1, 4, Joaquín Ortego2, José R. Correas3 & Pedro J. Cordero2
1 Musei Civici di Valstagna, via Garibaldi, 27 - 36020, Valstagna, Italy. E-mail:
[email protected] 2 Grupo de Investigación de la Biodiversidad Genética y Cultural. Instituto de Investigación en Recursos
Cinegéticos -IREC (UCLM-CSIC-JCCM), Ronda de Toledo s/n, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain 3 C/ Montenebros I, nº 7, 28400 Collado Villalba, Madrid, Spain
4 Corresponding author
The genus Apteromantis Werner, 1931 comprises two species of wingless mantids, the Iberian A. aptera
(Fuente, 1894) and the North African A. bolivari (Werner, 1929). Although A. aptera and A. bolivari have been
traditionally considered as separate and valid species, their external appearance is quite similar and no
comprehensive taxonomic study has analysed their morphological and genetic characteristics. This taxonomic
uncertainty has important implications for conservation because A. aptera is considered an Iberian endemic
and the only praying mantis protected by international laws. In this study, we apply a comprehensive
approach, including quantitative morphological and molecular analyses, to shed new light on the taxonomic
and conservation status of the genus Apteromantis and the putative species. We have found that the Iberian
and North African specimens analysed herein significantly differ in female head shape, male genitalia
morphology and several other traits related to body size. Molecular data suggest the presence of two main
lineages, with sequence divergence rates of approximately 4%, which are within the range reported for other
well defined insect species. Overall, this study supports that A. aptera and A. bolivari are valid species despite
their ecological and morphological similarity and highlights the importance of comprehensive approaches to
resolve old taxonomic and conservation problems.
Edge effect of a pine plantation reduces dry grassland invertebrate species
richness G. Bieringer, K. P. Zulka, N. Milasowszky, N. Sauberer
Natural steppes in European agricultural landscapes are characterized by high biotic richness but are subject to
fragmentation and associated edge effects. Edge effects on species richness were investigated at an ecotone
from a pine plantation to a short-grass steppe in Eastern Austria for eleven invertebrate taxa differentiated
into habitat guilds based on known live-history strategies of individual species (grassland species, forest
species, generalist species), including Red-Listed and non-threatened grassland species. The large size of the
studied grassland site provided an opportunity to test edge effects in the absence of confounding factors and
to a gradient length of 208 m into the grassland habitat along a clear-cut border to a pine plantation. All
sampling was done by pitfall trapping. Species richness of habitat guilds, but not total richness, was effectively
explained by biotic variables reflecting the influence of shading in particular (i.e. soil temperature sums). Total
species richness showed a bimodal response pattern, with increases towards the habitat edge and interior
GSG Newshopper - August 2014
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grassland habitat. Habitat guilds showed diverging responses to distances from the edge, but no saturation in
species richness, with a continuum of edge effects across the entire distance of the grassland samples. Our
findings contrast those of previous investigations based on samples taken from smaller patches and across
shorter distances from the edge. Methodological and conservation implications are discussed.
The katydid that was: the tananá, stridulation, Henry Walter Bates and
Charles Darwin
Claudio J. Bidau Parana´ y Los Claveles, 3304 Garupa´, Misiones, Argentina (e-mail: [email protected]).
The Amazonian bush-cricket or katydid, Thliboscelus hypericifolius (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae:
Pseudophyllinae), called tanana´ by the natives was reported to have a song so beautiful that they were kept in
cages for the pleasure of listening to the melodious sound. The interchange of letters between Henry Walter
Bates and Charles Darwin regarding the tanana´ and the issue of stridulation in Orthoptera indicates how this
mysterious insect, which seems to be very rare, contributed to the theory of sexual selection developed by
Darwin.
Grasshopper assemblage response to surface rockiness in Afro-montane
grasslands
Casparus J. Crous, Michael J. Samways and James S. Pryke Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, Stellenbosch University, Matieland, South Africa
1. Grasshoppers are often an important functional component of ecosystems, and many species show high
levels of endemism.
2. Evidence exists that percentage surface rock cover within a landscape can predict diversity of grasshopper
species. Nevertheless, the reason why grasshopper species are responding to rocky landscapes has not been
established.
3. Here, we explore whether grasshoppers are responding to physical rockiness per se, or rather to specific
correlates of higher surface rock exposure within a landscape. We also determine if this response varies
between grasshopper taxonomic groups.
4. We sampled grasshoppers in Afro-montane grasslands in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and recorded 10
environmental variables. We explored the influence of these variables on grasshopper community composition
and grasshopper family composition. We also determined the vegetation characteristics, which significantly
correlate with percentage surface rock cover in this landscape (geophyte richness, perennial grass richness and
vegetation density), and then measured the similarity of species composition across these correlates.
5. Overall, grasshopper assemblage composition, as well as familial composition, responded strongly to an
elevation gradient, and not to the correlates of surface rock cover. In turn, the higher species richness in such
areas is more likely a function of the significant vegetation correlates of higher surface rock cover.
6. Across taxonomic groups, there are specialist species within each group which are associated with
environmental conditions related to surface rockiness through its underlying correlates. Rock exposure across
this grassland landscape is therefore an important contributor to grasshopper dispersion patterns, and has
important implications for conservation planning for this taxon.
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Prioritizing non-marine invertebrate taxa for Red Listing Justin Gerlach, Michael J. Samways, Axel Hochkirch, Mary Seddon, Pedro Cardoso, Viola Clausnitzer Neil Cumberlidge, B. A. Daniel, Scott Hoffman Black, Jürgen Ott, Paul H. Williams
The IUCN Red List of threatened species is biased towards vertebrate animals, a major limitation on its utility
for overall biodiversity assessment. There is a need to increase the representation of invertebrates (currently
21 % of species assessed on the List;\1 % of all invertebrates). A prioritisation system of terrestrial and
freshwater groups is presented here, categorising taxa by species richness, assessment practicality, value for
human land use and bioindication, and potential to act as conservation flagships. 25 major taxonomic
groupings were identified as priorities, including the Annelida, Arthropoda, Mollusca, and Onycophora. Of
these, the high-level taxa that emerge as highest priorities are Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies), Araneae
(spiders), Mantophasmatodea (heelwalkers), Plecoptera (stoneflies), non-marine Mollusca (Bivalvia and
Gastropoda), Trichoptera (caddisflies), Coleoptera (beetles), Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies), Oligochaetes
(earthworms), Orthoptera (grasshoppers and crickets), Decapoda (crayfish, crabs, shrimps) and Diptera (flies).
Of these Red Listing is well advanced for Decapoda, freshwater Mollusca and Odonata. This leaves eight higher
taxa with currently a minimum or patchy Red List assessment coverage. We recommend that Red List
assessments in future focus on these groups, as well as completion of assessments for terrestrial Molluscs and
Odonata. However, we also recommend realism, and as some of groups are very large, it will be necessary to
focus on subsets such as certain functionally important or charismatic taxa or on a sampled subset which is
representative of a larger taxon.
Assessing human impact on fen biodiversity: effects of different
management regimes on butterfly, grasshopper, and carabid beetle
assemblages
Sebastian Görn, Bernd Dobner, Axinia Suchanek, Klaus Fischer
Fens and concomitantly the associated species assemblages have undergone dramatic declines in recent
decades. Given that many remaining or restored fens are currently lying fallow, an important question is which
management regime, if any, is most effective in preserving fen biodiversity. Against this background we here
investigate the effects of five management regimes (intensive grassland, moist meadows, summer harvested
sites, winter harvested sites, fallows) on three insect taxa (butterflies, grasshoppers, carabid beetles) in
riverine fens in north-eastern Germany. Butterflies and grasshoppers showed highest species numbers,
diversity and numbers of threatened species on moist meadows and were detrimentally affected by high
vegetation. In contrast, ground dwelling carabid beetles were less strongly affected by different management
regimes, but responded very sensitive to drainage. Winter harvested sites and fallows seemed to be
particularly beneficial to carabid beetles. Overall, drained, intensive grassland was not suitable for preserving
fen-specific communities, while extensively managed moist meadows harboured overall the highest numbers
of threatened species. We conclude that in terms of management maintaining high water tables is most
important. Furthermore, some management seems necessary to maintain stands with lower vegetation turf
for associated species. However, care is needed to also maintain fallows and to consider the specific demands
of some highly endangered, management-sensitive species.
Response of Orthoptera communities to succession in alluvial pine
Woodlands
Felix Helbing, Tim Peter Blaeser, Franz Löffler, Thomas Fartmann
GSG Newshopper - August 2014
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During the past 150 years forest management has dramatically altered in Central European woodlands, with
severe consequences for biodiversity. Light forests that fulfilled variable human demands were replaced by
dark high forests that function solely as wood plantations. In the Alps, by contrast, open woodlands are still
present because the traditional land use as wood pasture has remained and physiographical conditions favour
natural dynamics. The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of succession on the Orthoptera
communities of alluvial pine woodlands in the northern Alps. Orthoptera showed a clear response to
succession, with each successional stage harbouring a unique assemblage. The influence of succession on
species richness and abundance were identical: The values were highest in the intermediate and lowest in the
late seral stage. The diversity and abundance peak in the mid-successional stage probably reflects a trade-off
between favourable ambient temperatures for optimal development and sufficient food, oviposition sites and
shelter against predators. Food shortage and easy access for predators seemed to be limiting factors in the
early successional stage. In contrast, in the late successional stage adverse microclimatic conditions probably
limit Orthoptera occurrence. Although all three successional stages of the pine woodlands are relevant for
conservation, the early and mid-successional stages are the most important ones. Conservation management
for Orthoptera in this woodland type should aim at the reintroduction of cattle grazing and the restoration of
the natural discharge and bedload-transport regimes of the alpine rivers.
Temporal-Spatial Dynamics in Orthoptera in Relation to Nutrient
Availability and Plant Species Richness Rob J. J. Hendriks1*, Luisa G. Carvalheiro2,4, Roy M. J. C. Kleukers3,4, Jacobus C. Biesmeijer4 1Department of Ecology, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
2Institute of Integrative and Comparative Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
3European Invertebrate Survey-Netherlands, Leiden, The Netherlands
4Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
Nutrient availability in ecosystems has increased dramatically over the last century. Excess reactive nitrogen
deposition is known to negatively impact plant communities, e.g. by changing species composition, biomass
and vegetation structure. In contrast, little is known on how such impacts propagate to higher trophic levels.
To evaluate how nitrogen deposition affects plants and herbivore communities through time, we used
extensive databases of spatially explicit historical records of Dutch plant species and Orthoptera (grasshoppers
and crickets), a group of animals that are particularly susceptible to changes in the C:N ratio of their resources.
We use robust methods that deal with the unstandardized nature of historical databases to test whether
nitrogen deposition levels and plant richness changes influence the patterns of richness change of Orthoptera,
taking into account Orthoptera species functional traits. Our findings show that effects indeed also propagate
to higher trophic levels. Differences in functional traits affected the temporal-spatial dynamics of assemblages
of Orthoptera. While nitrogen deposition affected plant diversity, contrary to our expectations, we could not
find a strong significant effect of food related traits. However we found that species with low habitat
specificity, limited dispersal capacity and egg deposition in the soil were more negativly affected by nitrogen
deposition levels. Despite the lack of significant effect of plant richness or food related traits on Orthoptera,
the negative effects of nitrogen detected within certain trait groups (e.g. groups with limited disperse ability)
could be related to subtle changes in plant abundance and plant quality. Our results, however, suggest that the
changes in soil conditions (where many Orthoptera species lay their eggs) or other habitat changes driven by
nitrogen have a stronger influence than food related traits. To fully evaluate the negative effects of nitrogen
deposition on higher trophic levels it is essential to take into account species life-history traits.
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Geographic variation in relict populations: genetics and phenotype of bush-
cricket Pholidoptera frivaldskyi (Orthoptera) in Carpathians
Peter Kaňuch, Benjamin Jarčuška, Elena Iulia Iorgu, Ionuţ Ştefan Iorgu, Anton Kriştin
A decreasing population size is often causing species extinction; however, relict species persisting in small-
sized populations counter this. We analysed spatial genetic variation and past changes in population size at the
maternally-inherited mitochondrial DNA level to clarify the origin of all recently known isolated populations of
Pholidoptera frivaldskyi occurring in the range of Carpathian Mountains. Along with that we analysed also
morphological variation as some phenotypic traits can retain useful information on population genetic
structure. We found a relatively low genetic diversity within isolated populations as 778 bp COI gene
sequences revealed only 13 unique haplotypes (n = 173 individuals from 10 populations). The spatial analysis
of molecular variance identified three geographically homogenous genetic clusters (one in Slovakia and two in
Romania) with a high level of differentiation among them, suggesting restricted gene flow, whilst Bayesian
skyline simulation reconstructed a negative demographic change through evolutionary time. Inferred genetic
pattern clearly coincides with differences in males’ colour phenotype as the extent of pigmentation on the
lateral pronotum varied significantly among genetic lineages. We suggest that geographical variation in the
species populations has relict-like character and their isolated occurrence is not a result of recent introduction
events. Identification of ‘evolutionary units’ may help in the conservation and management of this rare insect
species.
Is functional connectivity in common grasshopper species affected by
fragmentation in an agricultural landscape?
Daniela Kellera,b,∗, Maarten J. van Striena,b, Marc Herrmanna, Janine Bolliger a, Peter J. Edwardsb, Jaboury Ghazoulb, Rolf Holdereggera,b aWSL Swiss Federal Research Institute, Zürcherstrasse 111, CH-8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland
bDepartment of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Universitätsstrasse 16, CH-8092 Zurich,
Switzerland
This study assessed the effects of a fragmented and intensively used agricultural landscape in Switzerland
(study area: 95 km2) on functional habitat connectivity of three common grasshopper species with different
levels of habitat specialisation, Chorthippus albomarginatus, C. biguttulus and Gomphocerippus rufus. A
combination of habitat suitability analysis (ecological niche factor analysis) with landscape genetic methods
(clustering and least-cost transect analysis) was applied. This enabled the identification of population genetic
structure, the habitats where species reproduce and the habitats through which species disperse. For all three
study species, there was no distinct population genetic structure detected, and mean pairwise genetic
differentiation was generally low (FST ≤ 0.05), although highest for the least mobile species G. rufus. Habitat
suitability analysis largely confirmed expectations from literature, finding a large area of suitable habitat for
both C. albomarginatus and C. biguttulus in the study area. In contrast, the reproductive habitat of the more
specialised species G. rufus was more distinct and less widespread. Furthermore, a most likely dispersal habitat
could not be clearly identified for C. albomarginatus and C. biguttulus, but G. rufus seemed to disperse
through forests. None of the three species showed a preference for dispersal paths through the mapped
reproductive habitat. In conclusion, this study detected only a minor effect of a fragmented agricultural
landscape on functional habitat connectivity in three common grasshopper species. The effects were more
pronounced for G. rufus, which was the most specialised and least mobile of the three study species. These
results exhibit an overall positive perspective for the long-term persistence of common grasshopper species in
intensively managed agricultural landscapes.
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Sphodromantis viridis (Forskal, 1775): New for Portugal and new records of
the rare and small mantids Apteromantis aptera (Fuente, 1894) and
Perlamantis allibertii Guérin-Méneville, 1843 in the country (Mantodea:
Mantidae and Amorphoscelidae)
Eduardo Marabuto14, Ivo Rodrigues2, Sérgio S Henriques3 1CoBiG2 - Computational Biology and Population Genomics Group; CBA-FCUL, University of Lisboa, Lisboa,
Portugal 2Rua D. Afonso III, 22D, Beja, Portugal
3Terrestrial invertebrates Division, Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London, United
Kingdom 4Corresponding author
Several new records are presented on some of the least known mantis species in the Iberian Peninsula. From
data collected in Portugal, their analysis has proven to represent an important advancement in the knowledge
of this group of insects for the country and the Western Mediterranean area. Twenty new citations provide a
better understanding on the distribution of the crepuscular species Perlamantis allibertii, the IUCN red listed
Apteromantis aptera and the first Portuguese records of Sphodromantis viridis, extending their western limits
of occurrence in Europe. The data thus gathered emphasizes the need to invest in biodiversity assessment for
increased knowledge on species distribution and phenology but also for monitoring over time, essential to
better ascertaining ecosystem services, the effects of climate change and habitat conservation.
Diversidad y distribución de acridios (Orthoptera: Acridoidea)
en pastizales del sur de la región pampeana, Argentina (Diversity and distribution of grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acridoidea) in grasslands of the Southern Pampas region, Argentina.)
Yanina Mariottini1, María Laura De Wysiecki1 & Carlos Ernesto Lange1,2 1Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores (CEPAVE) (CCT La Plata-CONICET-UNLP), Calle 2 Nº584, CP
1900, La Plata, Argentina; [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] 2Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas (CIC) de la provincia de Buenos Aires.
In Argentina, the grasslands of Pampas region comprise approximately 15% of the country. As in other
grasslands of the world, grasshoppers are among the most important native herbivores. Their economic
importance has been recognized in Argentina since the mid to late nineteenth century, since outbreaks of
different species have become recurrent phenomena. Therefore, the main objective
of this work was to study their diversity and distribution in grasslands of the Southern Pampas region (Laprida
county, Buenos Aires province), as one of the most affected areas. The study was conducted during five
seasons (2005-10). Sampling sites were represented by the most common plant communities in this area,
classified in four categories: native grasslands, disturbed grasslands, implanted pastures and halophilous
grasslands. The samplings were conducted from mid-spring to early autumn, with five or six samples per
season. We estimated the following population descriptors: species richness (S), eveness (E), dominance (J),
and diversity index (H´). In order to evaluate the similitude of the grasshopper communities present in the
different plant communities, we used qualitative and quantitative coefficients of similitude. A total of 22
species of grasshoppers were collected, of which 21 belong to the family Acrididae. The subfamily
Melanoplinae was the most diverse with eight species. The largest species richness was recorded in native
grasslands (18). The different communities of grasshoppers had similar indices of evenness and dominance
(p>0.05). Considering all plant communities, the average value of Shannon-Wiener index was 1.58±0.075.
There was a positive correlation between evenness index and species richness (p<0.05). The diversity index H’
was different between plants communities (p<0.05), and it was higher in the disturbed grassland (1.75±0.096,
GSG Newshopper - August 2014
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p<0.05) than in the halophilous grasslands (1.34±0.12). Native and disturbed grasslands had a higher plant
richness than halophilous grasslands and implanted pastures (p<0.05). There was a positive relationship
between plant richness and grasshoppers species richness, and diversity of grasshoppers. According to the
qualitative indices applied, the similitude between different grasshopper communities was higher than 60%. In
general, the species that had a higher frequency of occurrence showed greater abundance and distribution.
Covasacris pallidinota, Dichroplus elongatus, D. maculipennis, Borellia bruneri and B. pallida were the most
widely distributed species, most of them (12) showed a restricted distribution and few (five) an intermediate
distribution.
Insect conservation in the southern temperate zones: an overview
Tim R New1* and Michael J Samways2 1Department of Zoology, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Vic. 3086, Australia.
2Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, Matieland
7602, South Africa.
Insect conservation in the southern hemisphere lags substantially behind developments in parts of Europe and
North America, where the relatively small faunas are better documented, and where a historical culture of
natural history has enabled conservation needs to be assessed and addressed by many sympathetic
supporters. We contrast this scenario with the much more embryonic knowledge and capability available in
Australia, southern Africa, southern South America and New Zealand, all regions with large and incompletely
documented insect faunas, but an equivalent array of threats to their survival. While a few individual ‘flagship
species’ (mainly within Lepidoptera, Orthoptera and Coleoptera) have been critical in promoting wider
interests, in general insects do not signify highly on regional conservation agendas. We offer a perspective of
the major needs to counter this.
Early changes of orthopteran assemblages after grassland restoration: a
comparison of space-for-time substitution versus repeated measures
monitoring
István András Rácz, Eszter Déri, Máté Kisfali, Zoltán Batiz, Katalin Varga, Gyula Szabó, Szabolcs Lengyel.
Although grasslands harbour significant biodiversity and their restoration is common in biodiversity
conservation, we know very little about how such interventions influence arthropod groups. Here we
compared orthopteran assemblages in croplands, natural grasslands and one to four-year-old grasslands
restored in a large-scale programme in Hortobágy National Park (East Hungary). We sampled orthopterans by
standardized sweep-netting both in a repeated measures design from Year 0 (croplands) to 4 and in a space-
for-time substitution (chronosequence) design in 2009. Species richness, abundance and Shannon diversity of
orthopterans decreased in Year 1 following restoration, but increased afterwards. By Year 4, species richness
doubled and abundance increased almost ten-fold in restored grasslands compared to croplands. Species
composition diversified compared to croplands and progressed towards natural grasslands. Local restoration
conditions (last crop, seed mixture) and landscape configuration (proportion of natural grasslands) did not
influence the above patterns in either study design, whereas time since restoration affected almost all
community variables. We found that ubiquitous generalist species were the first to appear in restored
grasslands and that species characteristic to the target natural grasslands colonised gradually in later years.
The qualitative and quantitative properties of the orthopteran assemblages in restored fields did not yet reach
those of natural grasslands, therefore, our study suggests that the full regeneration of the orthopteran
assemblages takes more than four years. We also concluded that the repeated-measures design was more
GSG Newshopper - August 2014
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sensitive to subtle changes and was thus more effective than the chronosequence design at detecting post-
restoration changes in orthopteran assemblages.
The westernmost localities of the bush-cricket Leptophyes discoidalis
(Tettigoniidae: Phaneropterinae)
Josip Skejo1 & Mihajlo Stanković2
1IRES – Institute for Research and Development of Sustainable Ecosystems, Ivana Lučića 5, HR-10000 Zagreb,
Croatia ([email protected]) 2Zasavica Special Nature Reserve, Pokret Gorana, Svetog Save 19, RS-22000 Sremska Mitrovica,Serbia
This paper presents two westernmost records in the Pannonian lowland for the eastern and central European
bush-cricket Leptophyes discoidalis (Frivaldszky, 1868) (Tettigoniidae: Phaneropterinae): near the road from
Privlaka village to Vinkovci in the Slavonia region (Croatia) and Zasavica Special Nature Reserve in Srijem,
Vojvodina region (Serbia). The Privlaka record is the first record of this species in Croatia.
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IUCN SSC Grasshopper Specialist Group Members
July 2014
Isabelle Badenhausser Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique France
Edward Baker Natural History Museum London UK
Roberto Battiston Museo di Speleologia e Carsismo "A. Parolini" Italy
Corinna Bazelet Stellenbosch University South Africa
Marcio Bolfarini Universidade Federal de São Carlos Brazil
Yoan Braud ASCETE France
Holger Braun Museo de La Plata Argentina
Paul Brock Natural History Museum London UK
Mark Bushell Bristol Zoological Gardens UK
Filippo Maria Buzzetti WBA-World Biodiversity Association Italy
Ioana Chintauan-Marquier
Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle France
Dragan Chobanov Bulgarian Academy of Science Bulgaria
Maria Marta Cigliano Museo de La Plata Argentina
Battal Ciplak Akdeniz University Turkey
Pedro Javier Cordero Tapia
Universidad de Castilla - La Mancha Spain
Bernard Defaut ASCETE France
Hendrik Devriese KBIN Belgium
Charles Dewhurst PNG Oil Palm Research Association UK
Thomas Fartmann University of Münster Germany
Paolo Fontana CTT Italy
Antoine Foucart CIRAD France
Tim Gardiner Environment Agency UK
Stanislav Gomboc Phytosanitary Administration of the Republic of Slovenia Slovenia
Andrej Gorochov Russian Academy of Science Russia
Paul Grant Canada
Sam Heads Illinois Natural History Survey USA
Klaus-Gerhard Heller Germany
Claudia Hemp University of Bayreuth Germany
Axel Hochkirch University of Trier Germany
Jaroslav Holuša Faculty of Forestry and Wood Science Czech Republic
Sylvain Hugel Université de Strasbourg France
Inge Illich Haus der Natur Austria
Ionut Stefan Iorgu National Museum of Natural History Bucharest Romania
Sami Karjalainen Finland
Theresa Karpati Eidg. Forschungsanstalt für Wald, Schnee und Landschaft WSL Schutzstrategien
Switzerland
Vassiliki Kati University of Ioannina Greece
Roy Kleukers European Invertebrate Survey Netherlands
Petr Kocarek University of Ostrava Czech Republic
Anton Kristin Institute of Forest Ecology Slovakia
Michèle Lemonnier-Darcemont
Groupement d'Études Entomologiques Méditerranée France
Heriberto Lopez University of Tenerife Spain
Khalid Mahmood Azad Jammu and Kashmir University Pakistan
GSG Newshopper - August 2014
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Ricardo Mariño-Pérez University of Central Florida Mexico
Judith Marshall Natural History Museum London UK
Dardo A. Marti Misiones University Argentina
Bruno Massa University of Palermo Italy
Pat Matyot Seychelles
Piotr Naskrecki Museum of Comparative Zoology - Harvard University USA
Baudewijn Odé Stichting FLORON Netherlands
Daniel Otte Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia USA
Paul Pearce-Kelly Zoological Society London UK
Martina Eugenia Pocco Museo de La Plata Argentina
Juan José Presa Murcia University Spain
Fran Rebrina University of Zagreb Croatia
David Rentz Australia
Klaus Riede Museum Koenig Germany
Christian Rösti Switzerland
Florin Rutschmann Switzerland
Kai Schütte University of Hamburg Germany
Michael Sergeev Novosibirsk State University Russia
Deniz Şirin Namık Kemal Üniversitesi Turkey
Josip Skejo University of Zagreb Croatia
Ian A. Stringer Department of Conservation New Zealand
Gergely Szovenyi Eötvös Loránd University Hungary
Laurent Tatin Conservatoire Etudes des Ecosystèmes de Provence - Alpes du Sud France
Elli Tzirkalli University of Ioannina Cyprus
Georg Waeber Articulata Germany
Corinne Watts Landcare Research New Zealand
David Weissman California Academy of Science USA
Jan Wieringa Wageningen University Netherlands
Luc Willemse National Herbarium Netherlands