The first list of the rare grasshoppers of the Baraba and Kulunda steppes is presented. Two sets of distribution data are compared: (1) for the first half of 20th century and (2) for 1972–2019. A series of digital maps was generated by MapInfo 12.03. The distribution patterns of several species, namely Asiotmethis muricatus (Pallas), Notostaurus albicornis (Eversmann), Eremippus simplex (Eversmann), Myrmeleotettix antennatus (Fieber), Gomphocerippus rufus (Linnaeus), Mesasippus arenosus (Bey-Bienko), Mecostethus parapleurus (Hagenbach), Locusta migratoria Linnaeus, did not change significantly. Four taxa (Asiotmethis jubatus (Uvarov), Arcyptera fusca (Pallas), Stenobothrus carbonarius (Eversmann), Sphingonotus coerulipes Uvarov) were relatively often in the first half of 20th century and nowadays they are extremely rare. Two species, namely Megaulacobothrus aethalinus (Zubovsky) and Aeropedellus variegatus (Fischer de Waldheim), were recently found near the south-eastern and north-eastern boundaries of the region respectively. There are also the type localities of Asiotmethis jubatus and Mesasippus arenosus in the Kulunda steppe.

Oedaleus decorus is a widely distributed acridid over the Eurasian semi-arid territories, from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific coast. In many semi-arid territories, O. decorus was and is the most important pest, but in the south-eastern part of West Siberian Plain, it was not considered a pest until the 1960s. We compared two sets of data on the acridid distribution in the region: before 1960 and from 1961 until 2021. Until the 1960s, the species occurred mainly in the southern steppes. Since the 1960s, its distribution changed significantly. Nowadays, it occupies almost all local steppes and the southern part of the forest-steppes and can be also found on the eastern side of the Ob River. These shifts may be explained by both climatic changes and changes in human activities. During upsurges the densities of O. decorus were often more than one to two adults per square meter. It is often abundant in the same habitats and in the same periods as the Italian locust (Calliptamus italicus)—one of the most important acridid pests. This means during joint outbreaks these two species can simultaneously damage almost all spectrum of plants.

The goal of this paper is to evaluate some general trends of species range shifts in the steppe areas of the south-eastern West Siberian Plain. Two sets of distribution data of grasshoppers are compared: (1) for the first half of 20th century and (2) for 1972 – 2019. A series of digital maps was generated by Map Info. Shifts of species distribution patterns are discussed. All grasshopper species may be split into three groups: (1) acridids without evident changes in their distribution; (2) species with local range boundaries shifted northwards and northeastwards; new colonies of such forms are usually found in the northern steppe and even in the forest-steppe and/or on the right side of the Ob River; (3) grasshoppers which became rare. Among them is the Siberian grasshopper, the very common pest in the first half of the 20th century. Some changes into grasshopper distribution may be associated with global warming, but others can be explained by regional and local variations in human activities. Extension, intensification, and changes of human activities may result in continuous elimination of some local populations. This means that the general strategy of management of acridid assemblages and populations should incorporate both data and technologies concerning rare species populations and new approaches to pest control and monitoring.

Oedaleus decorus is a widely distributed species over the Eurasian semi-arid territories, from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific one. In many semi-arid territories, O. decorus was and is the important pest. In the south-eastern part of West Siberian Plain, until the 1960s it was not considered a pest. We compared two sets of data on the acridid distribution in the region: until the 1950s and from the 1960s until 2019. Until the 1960s the species occurred mainly in the southern steppes. Since the 1960s its distribution changed significantly. Nowadays it occupies almost all local steppes and the southern part of the forest-steppes and was also found on the eastern side of the Ob River. These shifts may be explained by both climatic changes and changes in human activities. During upsurges the densities of O. decorus were often more than 1-2 adults per square meter. It was and is often abundant in the same habitats and in the same periods as the Italian locust (Calliptamus italicus)one of the most important pest. This means during joint outbreaks these two species can simultaneously damage almost all spectrum of plants.