Travaux du Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle «Grigore Antipa» Vol. 58 (1–2) pp. 33–35 DOI: 10.1515/travmu-2016-0004 Faunistic note
First Record of Saga pedo (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) in Muntenia (Southern Romania) Ionuț Ștefan IORGU*, Elena Iulia IORGU
“Grigore Antipa” National Museum of Natural History, Kiseleff 1, 011341 Bucureşti 1, Romania. *corresponding author, e–mail: [email protected]
Received: November 10, 2015; Accepted: December 14, 2015; Available online: April 20, 2016; Printed: April 25, 2016
Abstract. Although occupying a vast area, the distribution range of Saga pedo is fragmented and populations are small, severely threatened by habitat destruction and pollution. In Romania, the species is known to occur in xeric and semi–xeric meadows from Dobrogea, Eastern Moldavia, Transylvania and Banat. During a short trip in late June 2014, we found three nymphs of Saga pedo at Berca Mud Volcanoes, the first record of the species in the historical region of Muntenia (Southern Romania).
Key words: Saga pedo, Muntenia, Romania, faunistic note, first record, distribution.
Genus Saga Charpentier comprises 13 species distributed in Central and Southern Europe, Asia Minor and Western Asia (Kolics et al., 2012; Eades et al., 2015). Saga pedo (Pallas, 1771) is a bush–cricket (Tettigoniidae: Saginae) with paleogeic origins and Eurasian distribution (Krištín & Kaňuch, 2007). This carnivorous and parthenogenetic bush–cricket lives in xeric and semi–xeric grasslands with tall cover and has a large vertical amplitude, from sea level up to 1500 m a.s.l. In Romania, the species’ distribution range is localized, occurring in Dobrogea, Eastern Moldavia, Transylvania and Banat (Pricop et al., 2012). Located near Berca village (Buzău county), the Mud Volcanoes are protected as geological and biodiversity reserves (community interest site ROSCI0272), characterized by Pontic and Submediterranean herbaceous elements: Stipa stenophylla, Agropyron intermedium, Festuca valesiaca, Adonis vernalis, Inula ensifolia etc. During a short trip in late June 2014, three nymphs of Saga pedo were found in the steppic grasslands surrounding the volcanoes (45.344857°N 26.710202°E, 290 m a.s.l.). Besides Saga pedo, some other interesting xerophytic orthopteran species were observed, such as Isophya rectipennis Brunner von Wattenwyl, Conocephalus hastatus (Charpentier), Montana striata (Thunberg), or Onconotus servillei Fischer von Waldheim. Saga pedo is listed as vulnerable in the IUCN Red List and Carpathian Red List (Krištín & Iorgu, 2014), included in Appendix II of the Bern Convention and in Annex IV of the Habitats Directive (Holuša et al., 2010). Therefore, this species is subject to mandatory regular monitoring within all member countries where it occurs. Saga pedo populations in Europe are threatened by habitat destruction resulting from successional overgrowth of habitat by vegetation, afforestation and intensive grazing (Krištín & Kaňuch, 2007). Because the species’ density is low and most aspects regarding its biology and ecology are poorly understood in Romania, all new information is valuable. To ensure the survival of this species, moderate grazing activity and mowing in a specific period, preferably in August, is required. Because 34 Ionuț Ștefan IORGU, Elena Iulia IORGU
A
B
Fig. 1 – Habitat (A) and nymph habitus (B) of Saga pedo at the Muddy Volcanoes. human impact in the area is minimal, further studies on orthopteran communities should yield interesting results.
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