DOCSLIB.ORG

Nganga, Irene N. 2014. Influence of Cattle Grazing and Glade Areas On

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Nganga, Irene N. 2014. Influence of Cattle Grazing and Glade Areas On INFLUENCE OF CATTLE GRAZING AND GLADE AREAS ON INVERTEBRATE ASSEMBLAGES IN A SAVANNA ECOSYSTEM, NORTHERN KENYA NGANGA IRENE NJOKI A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN LAND AND WATER MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT OF LAND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI NOVEMBER, 2014 DECLARATION This thesis is my original work and has not been presented for award of a degree in any other university Signed Date Nganga Irene Njoki This thesis has been submitted for examination with our approval as university supervisors Signed Date Prof Moses M. Nyangito Department of Land Resource Management and Agricultural Technology (LARMAT) University of Nairobi Signed Date Dr Charles M. Warui Department of Biological Sciences Mount Kenya University DEDICATION I dedicate this work to my parents Eva and George Nganga, my brother Collins Mureithi and my sister Ivy Muthoni. God bless you for standing with me throughout this study. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to thank the University of Nairobi for awarding me a two year scholarship, Denver Zoological Foundation for awarding me the grant that supported my field work, Lewa Wildlife Conservancy for allowing me to use the Conservancy to conduct my field research work and the National Museum of Kenya for permitting me to use their laboratory for invertebrate species identification and analysis. I am indebted to my supervisors Prof Moses M. Nyangito and Dr Charles M. Warui for their constant support, guidance and inspiration throughout the study period. I am also grateful to Dr Siva Sundaresan for his insightful thoughts, advice and contribution to this work. I would like to thank Dr Mary W. Gikungu for her contribution, support and encouragement in times when I thought it was all too difficult. Sincere gratitude to my field assistant Sumbere Toki, for his input and keen eye that was much needed in the wild, Geoffrey Chege for his support and Mary Mwololo for her input. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Contents LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................................... viii LIST OF PLATES .......................................................................................................................... x LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................... xi APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................. xiii ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................. xiv CHAPTER ONE ............................................................................................................................. 1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background ........................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Grazing History ..................................................................................................................... 2 1.3 Problem statement ................................................................................................................. 4 1.4 Objectives .............................................................................................................................. 4 1.5 Hypothesis ............................................................................................................................. 5 1.6 Thesis organization ............................................................................................................... 5 CHAPTER TWO ............................................................................................................................ 5 LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................................... 6 2.1 Effects of cattle grazing on invertebrates population ............................................................ 6 2.2 Kraals and glade effect on invertebrate populations ........................................................... 10 2.3 Effect of seasons and climate change on invertebrate assemblages.................................... 11 2.4 Effect of plant cover, plant biomass and soil properties on invertebrate populations ........ 12 2.5 Ecological roles and importance of invertebrates on the environment and ecosystem services ...................................................................................................................................... 12 CHAPTER THREE ...................................................................................................................... 14 MATERIALS AND METHODS .................................................................................................. 15 3.1 Study Area ........................................................................................................................... 15 3.1.1 Location ........................................................................................................................ 15 3.1.2 Vegetation and habitats ................................................................................................ 15 3.1.3 Climate.......................................................................................................................... 17 3.1.4 Drainage and soils ........................................................................................................ 18 v 3.2 Study Site Selection ............................................................................................................ 18 3.3 Study Layout ....................................................................................................................... 18 3.4 Data Collection Methods ..................................................................................................... 19 3.4.1 Vegetation sampling ..................................................................................................... 19 3.4.2 Soil sampling ................................................................................................................ 21 3.4.3 Invertebrate sampling ................................................................................................... 21 3.4.4 Rainfall Collection ........................................................................................................ 26 3.5 Data Analyses ...................................................................................................................... 26 3.5.1 Species diversity ........................................................................................................... 26 3.5.2 Species richness ............................................................................................................ 27 3.5.3 Species evenness........................................................................................................... 28 3.6 Data Analysis ...................................................................................................................... 28 CHAPTER FOUR ......................................................................................................................... 28 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ................................................................................................... 28 4.0 Composition of invertebrates in the study area ................................................................... 29 4.1 Effect of grazing on invertebrate diversity and abundance ................................................. 30 4.2 Effect of glades on invertebrate diversity and abundance................................................... 35 4.3 Effect of season on invertebrates and vegetation ................................................................ 46 4.3.1 Effect of season on invertebrate species diversity and abundance ............................... 46 4.3.2 Effect of seasons on vegetation cover and biomass ..................................................... 52 4.3.3 Correlation analysis between invertebrate species and vegetation biomass................. 54 4.4 Effects of soil properties on invertebrate species diversity and abundance ........................ 56 4.5.1 Soil pH .......................................................................................................................... 56 4.5.2 Soil organic carbon ....................................................................................................... 58 4.5.3 Soil nitrogen ................................................................................................................. 59 4.5.4 Soil bulk density ........................................................................................................... 60 CHAPTER FIVE .......................................................................................................................... 62 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ....................................................................... 62 5.1 Conclusions ......................................................................................................................... 62 5.2 Recommendations ..............................................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Zoological Philosophy
    ZOOLOGICAL PHILOSOPHY AN EXPOSITION WITH REGARD TO THE NATURAL HISTORY OF ANIMALS THE DIVERSITY OF THEIR ORGANISATION AND THE FACULTIES WHICH THEY DERIVE FROM IT; THE PHYSICAL CAUSES WHICH MAINTAIN LIFE WITHIr-i THEM AND GIVE RISE TO THEIR VARIOUS MOVEMENTS; LASTLY, THOSE WHICH PRODUCE FEELING AND INTELLIGENCE IN SOME AMONG THEM ;/:vVVNu. BY y;..~~ .9 I J. B. LAMARCK MACMILLAN AND CO., LIMITED LONDON' BOMBAY' CALCUTTA MELBOURNE THE MACMILLAN COMPANY TRANSLATED, WITH AN INTRODUCTION, BY NEW YORK • BOSTON . CHICAGO DALLAS • SAN FRANCISCO HUGH ELLIOT THE MACMILLAN CO. OF CANADA, LTD. AUTHOR OF "MODERN SCIENC\-<: AND THE ILLUSIONS OF PROFESSOR BRRGSON" TORONTO EDITOR OF H THE LETTERS OF JOHN STUART MILL," ETC., ETC. MACMILLAN AND CO., LIMITED ST. MARTIN'S STREET, LONDON TABLE OF CONTENTS P.4.GE INTRODUCTION xvii Life-The Philo8ophie Zoologique-Zoology-Evolution-In. heritance of acquired characters-Classification-Physiology­ Psychology-Conclusion. PREFACE· 1 Object of the work, and general observations on the subjects COPYRIGHT dealt with in it. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE 9 Some general considerations on the interest of the study of animals and their organisation, especially among the most imperfect. PART I. CONSIDERATIONS ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF ANIMALS, THEIR CHARACTERS, AFFINITIES, ORGANISATION, CLASSIFICATION AND SPECIES. CHAP. I. ON ARTIFICIAL DEVICES IN DEALING WITH THE PRO- DUCTIONS OF NATURE 19 How schematic classifications, classes, orders, families, genera and nomenclature are only artificial devices. Il. IMPORTANCE OF THE CONSIDERATION OF AFFINITIES 29 How a knowledge of the affinities between the known natural productions lies at the base of natural science, and is the funda- mental factor in a general classification of animals.
    [Show full text]
  • The Evolution and Genomic Basis of Beetle Diversity
    The evolution and genomic basis of beetle diversity Duane D. McKennaa,b,1,2, Seunggwan Shina,b,2, Dirk Ahrensc, Michael Balked, Cristian Beza-Bezaa,b, Dave J. Clarkea,b, Alexander Donathe, Hermes E. Escalonae,f,g, Frank Friedrichh, Harald Letschi, Shanlin Liuj, David Maddisonk, Christoph Mayere, Bernhard Misofe, Peyton J. Murina, Oliver Niehuisg, Ralph S. Petersc, Lars Podsiadlowskie, l m l,n o f l Hans Pohl , Erin D. Scully , Evgeny V. Yan , Xin Zhou , Adam Slipinski , and Rolf G. Beutel aDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152; bCenter for Biodiversity Research, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152; cCenter for Taxonomy and Evolutionary Research, Arthropoda Department, Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, 53113 Bonn, Germany; dBavarian State Collection of Zoology, Bavarian Natural History Collections, 81247 Munich, Germany; eCenter for Molecular Biodiversity Research, Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, 53113 Bonn, Germany; fAustralian National Insect Collection, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia; gDepartment of Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Institute for Biology I (Zoology), University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany; hInstitute of Zoology, University of Hamburg, D-20146 Hamburg, Germany; iDepartment of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Wien, Wien 1030, Austria; jChina National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen, 518083 Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; kDepartment of Integrative Biology, Oregon State
    [Show full text]
  • The Genus Acraea (Lepidoptera : Nymphalidae) - Peter Hendry
    The genus Acraea (Lepidoptera : Nymphalidae) - Peter Hendry With the recent migration to Australia of the Tawny Coster (Acraea terpsicore (Linnaeus, 1758)), (see Creature Feature this issue), I thought it might be timely to take a look at the genus worldwide. It must be noted that due to a misidentification A. terpsicore had long been known as A. violae and many references in the literature and on the web refer to it as A. violae. As with much of the Lepidoptera the genus is in a state of flux, and has long been split into the subgenera Acraea (Acraea) and Acraea (Actinote). The genus is placed in the tribe Acraeini and until Harvey (1991) placed it in the subfamily Heliconiinae it was listed in the subfamily Acraeinae. Recent molecular work has made changes and a current listing of the tribe Acraeini, by Niklas Wahlberg, is available at http://www.nymphalidae.net/Classification/Acraeini.htm. It shows members of the old subgenus Acraea (Actinote) being placed in the genus Actinote, and the old subgenus Acraea (Acraea) becoming the genus Acraea with a subgenus Acraea (Bematistes). It also lists several Acraea as unplaced. This may further change as some believe the subgenus Acraea (Bematistes) will move to the genus Bematistes. The genus is primarily Afrotropical with only four species occurring outside this region, these being, Acraea andromacha (Fig. 1) A. meyeri (Fig. 10) A. moluccana and A. terpsicore. A fifth species the Yellow Coster Acraea (Actinote) issoria is now referred to the genus Actinote. Like many of the Nymphalidae the larvae feed on plants which contain cyanogens making the larvae and adults poisonous to predators.
    [Show full text]
  • BUTTERFLIES of the CHYULU RANGE. a Systematic List of the Species Taken by the Museum Expedition to the Hills
    PART 3. BUTTERFLIES OF THE CHYULU RANGE. A systematic list of the species taken by the Museum Expedition to the Hills. April-July, 1938. By V. G. L. VAN SOMEREN,F.L.S., F.R.E.S., Etc. INTRODUCTION. The following account of the Lepidoptera (Rhopaloc.era) taken by members of the Museum Expedition to the Chyulu Range, is mainly a systematic list of the species obtained. At the time of the visit, April to July, 1938 (that is just toward the end, and after the long rains) insect life was remark• ably scarce, and although systematic search was made over all portions of the hills from 3,000 to 7,000 feet, at no time were butterflies numerous. The material taken can be considered representative of the range for that particular season, but there is little doubt that insect life would be more plentiful just after the short rains, as it undoubtedly is on the surrounding plains, especially in the Kibwezi- Voi areas. In spite of the paucity of insect life, certain new records have been established, thus Papilio hornimani is recorded for the first time from within Kenya boundaries, although known for many years to inhabit the forests of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Charaxes ful• vescens nr. acuminatus, also of Tanganyika, was taken on the range. Two new races of Liptenines of the genus Pentila are recorded, whilst a new ACTaea,a new Papilio, and a new race of Amauris are described. The Lepidoptera collected have a definite relationship to the vegetational zones and the distribution of certain plant species at various altitudes and portions of the hills.
    [Show full text]
  • Embrik Strand
    ZOBODAT - www.zobodat.at Zoologisch-Botanische Datenbank/Zoological-Botanical Database Digitale Literatur/Digital Literature Zeitschrift/Journal: Archiv für Naturgeschichte Jahr/Year: 1920 Band/Volume: 86A_7 Autor(en)/Author(s): Strand Embrik Artikel/Article: Systematisch - faunistische Beiträge zur Kenntnis exotischer Heterocera und Grypocera auf Grund von Material des Deutschen Entomologischen Museums. 113-172 Beiträge zur Kenntnis exotischer Heterocera und Grypocera 113 Fig. 13. Embryo B, Frontalschnitt durch das Herz; Ventralansicht der dor- salen Hälfte. Graphische Rekonstruktion. Vergr. 22 fach. Der rechte Ventrikel ist nur gestreift. Pericard und Trabekelwerk sind sind nicht gezeichnet. Fig. 14. Embryo B, Ventralansicht der Lebergefäße und des sinus venosus. Graphische Rekonstruktion. Vergr. 24,7 fach. Lebergrenze und Darm sind punktiert eingezeichnet. Fig. 15. Embryo B, Modell des Kiemendarms von der Dorsalseite gesehen. I—V = 1.— 5 Schlundtasche. Fig. 16. Desgl., von der Ventralseite gesehen. Fig. 17. Embryo B, Darm, Chorda und primäre Harnleiter von der linken Seite gpsehen. Der Kiemendarm ist bis zur Abgangsstelle der Tra- chea im Längsschnitt dargestellt, das caudale Darmende, nur soweit es röhrenförmig ist. Der letzte Teil der Chorda fehlt. Kiemenbögen sind punktiert eingezeichnet. Graphische Rekonstruktion. Vergr. ISfach. I—V = 1.— 5. Schlundtasche. Fig. 18. Embryo B, 2 Schnitte durch die letzte Schlundtasche der linken Seite. Vergr. 106 fach, a) Schnitt 79; b) Schnitt 82{Schnittdicke 20^). 4 und 5 = 4. und 5. äußere Kiemenfurche ; IV und V = 4. und 5 Schlundtasche. Fig. 19. Embryo B, Modell des linken Hörbläschens, von seitlich vorne ge- sehen (Breitseite). Schnitte durch den Embryo B. Vergr. 30fach. Fig. 20. Schnitt 80 1—5 = 1.—5. Kiemenbögen. III, IV und VI = 3., 4.
    [Show full text]
  • Classification Des Nomiinae De La Région Orientale, De Nouvelle-Guinée Et Des Îles De L’Océan Pacifique (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Halictidae)
    BULLETIN DE L’INSTITUT ROYAL DES SCIENCES NATURELLES DE BELGIQUE ENTOMOLOGIE, 79: 151-229, 2009 BULLETIN VAN HET KONINKLIJK BELGISCH INSTITUUT VOOR NATUURWETENSCHAPPEN ENTOMOLOGIE, 79: 151-229, 2009 Classification des Nomiinae de la Région Orientale, de Nouvelle-Guinée et des îles de l’Océan Pacifique (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Halictidae) par Alain PAULY Summary australiennes n’ont pas encore été abordées, sauf lorsque leur distribution atteint la Nouvelle-Guinée et à The 282 names of species from the Oriental region, New Guinea l’exception du vaste genre Austronomia. and Pacific islands are sorted by modern genera. At least 136 valid Presque tous les types ont été examinés, les species are recognized in Oriental region and 49 species in New Guinea and Pacific islands. Keys of species are proposed for some descriptions originales étant bien souvent insuffisantes genera. ou trop imprécises pour reconnaître les espèces ou 50 new species are described: Gnathonomia boyolali, G. les placer dans un genre moderne. Des lectotypes ou cambodiana, G. mayoyaoensis, G. radiata, G. timorensis, G. néotypes ont été désignés lorsque nécessaire afin de wahisi, Maculonomia sanguinea, M. soekaboemiensis, M. tigeri, Curvinomia submirifica, Pachynomia nathani, Steganomus lieftincki, stabiliser la nomenclature. Lipotriches aurodigitata, L. gracilis, L. notoxantha, L. postcarinata, Plusieurs groupes considérés comme sous-genre L. tubuliseta, L. vietnamensis, Macronomia anamalaiensis, M. ou synonymes par MICHENER (2007) dans un esprit de angkorensis, M. dilatata , M. karnatakaensis, M. madrasensis, regroupement sont considérés ici comme des genres à M. nilgiriensis, M.orbitarsis, M. savannakheti, M. walayarensis, part entière. Un des arguments est la cohérence entre Maynenomia chayaphumensis, M. ghatensis, M. indochinensis, M.
    [Show full text]
  • Morphology of Male and Female Genitalia Across Acraea (Nymphalidae) Butterfly Species with and Without a Mating Plug
    Morphology of male and female genitalia across Acraea (Nymphalidae) butterfly species with and without a mating plug Shannon L. Summers, Akito Y. Kawahara, & Ana P. S. Carvalho University of Florida Faculty Mentor, Akito Kawahara, Florida Museum of Natural History Abstract Male mating plugs have been used in many species to prevent female re-mating and sperm competition. One of the most extreme examples of a mating plug is the sphragis, which is a large, complex and externalized plug found only in butterflies. This structure is found in many species in the genus Acraea (Nymphalidae) and provides an opportunity for investigation of the effects of the sphragis on the morphology of the genitalia. This study aims to understand morphological interspecific variation in the genitalia of Acraea butterflies. Using museum collection specimens, abdomen dissections were conducted on 19 species of Acraea: 9 sphragis-bearing and 10 non-sphragis-bearing species. Genitalia were photographed and then measured using ImageJ software. Some distinguishing morphological features in the females were found. The most obvious difference is the larger and more externalized copulatory opening in sphragis-bearing species, with varying degrees of external projections. Females of the sphragis-bearing species also tend to have a shorter ductus (the structure that connects the copulatory opening with the sperm storage organ) than those without the sphragis. These differences may be due to a sexually antagonistic coevolution between the males and females, where the females evolve larger copulatory openings that are more difficult to plug, while males attempt to prevent re-mating with larger plugs (sphragis). Keywords: Lepidoptera, mate conflict, mating plug, sexual coevolution Introduction Sexual conflict occurs when there are different selection pressures on males and females.
    [Show full text]
  • Burkholderia As Bacterial Symbionts of Lagriinae Beetles
    Burkholderia as bacterial symbionts of Lagriinae beetles Symbiont transmission, prevalence and ecological significance in Lagria villosa and Lagria hirta (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) Dissertation To Fulfill the Requirements for the Degree of „doctor rerum naturalium“ (Dr. rer. nat.) Submitted to the Council of the Faculty of Biology and Pharmacy of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena by B.Sc. Laura Victoria Flórez born on 19.08.1986 in Bogotá, Colombia Gutachter: 1) Prof. Dr. Martin Kaltenpoth – Johannes-Gutenberg-Universität, Mainz 2) Prof. Dr. Martha S. Hunter – University of Arizona, U.S.A. 3) Prof. Dr. Christian Hertweck – Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, Jena Das Promotionskolloquium wurde abgelegt am: 11.11.2016 “It's life that matters, nothing but life—the process of discovering, the everlasting and perpetual process, not the discovery itself, at all.” Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Idiot CONTENT List of publications ................................................................................................................ 1 CHAPTER 1: General Introduction ....................................................................................... 2 1.1. The significance of microorganisms in eukaryote biology ....................................................... 2 1.2. The versatile lifestyles of Burkholderia bacteria .................................................................... 4 1.3. Lagriinae beetles and their unexplored symbiosis with bacteria ................................................ 6 1.4. Thesis outline ..........................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • CHECKLIST of the FAMILY TENEBRIONIDAE (Coleoptera) in Egypt
    Egypt. J. Agric. Res., 94 (1), 2016 39 CHECKLIST OF THE FAMILY TENEBRIONIDAE (Coleoptera) IN Egypt ELSHEWY, D. A.; M. M. SALEM and NEVEEN E. ELMETWALLY Insect classification and survey Dept., Plant Protection Res. Inst., ARC, Dokki, Giza (Manuscript received 30 November 2015) Abstract n updated checklistof the Egyptian species of the family Tenebrionidae (Coleoptera) is presented. The listincludes A about 397 species belonging to 5 subfamilies in 33 tribesbased on the records in literatures and material kept in the main reference insect collections of Egypt. Synonyms of some species and the recent taxonomic position are included. The taxa (subfamilies, tribes, genera and species) are arranged in alphabetical order. Key words: Coleoptera ,Tenebrionidae, Egypt . INTRODUCTION Family Tenebrionidae (Darkling beetles) is one of the largest families of order Coleoptera, icluding about20.000known species in nearly 1700 genera of worldwide distribution (Booth et al., 1990). Ten subfamiliesare accepted now for this family (Loble et al., 2008).The majority are entirely terrestrial and very common in desert and semi- desert areas and are found in rotten wood, under logs and stones, in termite and ant nests, on plant debris, in dry dung of animals and in houses and granaries. Many are generalist feeders on detritus whether of animal or plant material and few are predators. Few species are known to be agricultural or stored products pests. The scientific names and taxonomic position of many species was a subject of taxonomic change in the last decades as a result of more critical studies such as Bouchard et al (2005, 2007, 2009 and 2011). Lawrence and Newton (2005) who provided taxonomic data on the family group names of coleoptera including Tenebrionidae with studies on biology, phylogeny and classification of some families, subfamilies with selected genera of Coleoptera.
    [Show full text]
  • A Comprehensive DNA Barcode Database for Central European Beetles with a Focus on Germany: Adding More Than 3500 Identified Species to BOLD
    Molecular Ecology Resources (2015) 15, 795–818 doi: 10.1111/1755-0998.12354 A comprehensive DNA barcode database for Central European beetles with a focus on Germany: adding more than 3500 identified species to BOLD 1 ^ 1 LARS HENDRICH,* JEROME MORINIERE,* GERHARD HASZPRUNAR,*† PAUL D. N. HEBERT,‡ € AXEL HAUSMANN,*† FRANK KOHLER,§ andMICHAEL BALKE,*† *Bavarian State Collection of Zoology (SNSB – ZSM), Munchhausenstrasse€ 21, 81247 Munchen,€ Germany, †Department of Biology II and GeoBioCenter, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Richard-Wagner-Strabe 10, 80333 Munchen,€ Germany, ‡Biodiversity Institute of Ontario (BIO), University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada, §Coleopterological Science Office – Frank K€ohler, Strombergstrasse 22a, 53332 Bornheim, Germany Abstract Beetles are the most diverse group of animals and are crucial for ecosystem functioning. In many countries, they are well established for environmental impact assessment, but even in the well-studied Central European fauna, species identification can be very difficult. A comprehensive and taxonomically well-curated DNA barcode library could remedy this deficit and could also link hundreds of years of traditional knowledge with next generation sequencing technology. However, such a beetle library is missing to date. This study provides the globally largest DNA barcode reference library for Coleoptera for 15 948 individuals belonging to 3514 well-identified species (53% of the German fauna) with representatives from 97 of 103 families (94%). This study is the first comprehensive regional test of the efficiency of DNA barcoding for beetles with a focus on Germany. Sequences ≥500 bp were recovered from 63% of the specimens analysed (15 948 of 25 294) with short sequences from another 997 specimens.
    [Show full text]
  • Insects of the Lolldaiga Hills Conservation Landscape¹
    Insects of the Lolldaiga Hills Conservation Landscape¹ Family and scientific name² Common name² N³ L E J Threat Comments ODONATA DAMSELFLIES & DRAGONFLIES Aeshinidae Hawkers Anax imperator Blue emperor √ Gomphidae Clubtails Ictinogomphus ferox Common tigertail √ Libellulidea Perchers / Skimmers Brachythemis impartita Northern banded groundling √ Crocothemis erythraea Broad scarlet √ Orthetrum caffrum Two-striped skimmer √ Pantala flavescens Wandering glider √ MANTODEA MANTIDS Hymenopodidae Flower Mantids Phyllocrania paradoxa. Leaf mantid √ Pseudocreobotra wahlbergi Eyed-flower mantid √ Mantidae Common Mantids Sphodromantis gastrica Common green mantid / Giant mantid √ Tarachodes sp. Bark mantid √ Thespidae Hoplocoryphella sp. √ Empusidae Cone-headed Mantids Hemiempusa capensis Giant cone-headed mantid √ ORTHOPTERA GRASSHOPPERS & CRICKETS Gryllatalpidae Mole Crickets Gryllotalpa africana Mole cricket √ 1 Pyrgomorphidae Foam & Lubber Grasshoppers Phymateus viridipes Green milkweed locust √ Acrididae Short-horned Grasshoppers Acanthacris ruficornis Garden locust √ PHASMATODEA STICK INSECTS Phasmatidae Leptinia graminea Grass stick insect √ HEMIPTERA BUGS Pyrrhocoridae Cotton Stainers Dysdercus nigrofasciatus Cotton stainer √ AUCHENORRHYNCHA Cicadidae Cicadas Platypleura haglundi Orange-wing √ NEUROPTERA LACEWINGS & ANTLIONS Myrmeleontidae Antlions Cymothales spectabilis Tree-hole antlion √ Palpares sp. Dotted antlion √ COLEOPTERA BEETLES Carabidae Ground Beetles Cypholoba tenuicollis √ Tefflus kilimanus √ Staphylinidae Rove Beetles Paederus
    [Show full text]
  • Bionomics and Distribution of the Stag Beetle, Lucanus Cervus (L.) Across Europe*
    Insect Conservation and Diversity (2011) 4, 23–38 Bionomics and distribution of the stag beetle, Lucanus cervus (L.) across Europe* DEBORAH J. HARVEY,1 ALAN C. GANGE,1 COLIN J. HAWES1 and 2 MARKUS RINK 1School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey, UK and 2Bad Bertricher Str. 4, 56859 Alf, Germany Abstract. 1. The European stag beetle, Lucanus cervus, is thought to be widely dis- tributed across its range, but a detailed description of its occurrence is lacking. 2. Researchers in 41 countries were contacted and information sought on various life history characteristics of the insect. Data on adult body size were collected from seven countries. 3. Habitat associations differ between the United Kingdom and mainland Europe. Larvae are most commonly associated with oak, but the duration of the larval stage and the number of instars varies by up to 100% across Europe. 4. Adult size also varies; beetles from Spain, Germany, and the Netherlands are larger than those from Belgium or the UK. In the former countries, populations are composed mainly of large individuals, while in the UK, the majority of individuals are relatively small. Allometric relations between mandible size and total body length differ in Germany compared with the rest of Europe. 5. Distribution maps of the insect, split into records pre- and post-1970, from 24 countries are presented. While these inevitably suffer from recorder bias, they indi- cate that in only two countries, Croatia and Slovakia, does the insect seem to be increasing in range. 6. Our data suggest that the insect may be in decline across Europe, most likely due to habitat loss, and that conservation plans need to be produced that focus on the biology of the insect in the local area.
    [Show full text]