Endemism in Italian Orthoptera

Abstract

The present paper discusses about the distribution of orthopterans endemic to Italy. This country is located in the centre of the Mediterranean Basin and its palaeo-geographical origins are owed to complex natural phenomena, as well as to a multitude of centres-of-origin, where colonization of fauna and flora concerned. Out of 382 Orthoptera taxa (i.e., species and subspecies) known to occur in Italy, 160 (41.9%) are endemic. Most of them are restricted to the Alps, the Apennines or the two principal islands of Italy (i.e., Sardinia and Sicily). In addition, lowland areas in central-southern Italy host many endemic taxa, which probably originate from the Balkan Peninsula. In Italy, the following 8 genera are considered endemic: Sardoplatycleis, Acroneuroptila, Italopodisma, Epipodisma, Nadigella, Pseudoprumna, Chorthopodisma and Italohippus. Moreover, the subgenus Italoptila is endemic to Italy. For research regarding endemism, Orthoptera are particularly interesting because this order comprises species characterized by different ecological traits; e.g., different dispersal abilities, contrasting thermal requirements or specific demands on their habitats. The highest percentage of apterous or micropterous (35.3%) and brachypterous (16.2%) endemic taxa live in the Apennines, which are among the most isolated mountains of the Italian Peninsula. Finally, some endemic species are endangered at the European scale.

Morphology, ecology and biogeography of Myrmecina sicula André, 1882, rediscovered after 140 years (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

“…This area also hosts a significant number of endemic invertebrates. Among them, one of the most interesting cases is represented by the distribution of the gastropod genus Erctella of pre-Messinian originis (Colomba et al 2011) (Sparacio 2014;Massa & Fontana 2020;authors' unpublished data). In Sicily, the ant Aphaenogaster sardoa Mayr, 1853, elsewhere present in the Maghreb and in Sardinia, is exclusive to this area (Baroni Urbani 1971;authors' unpublished data).…”

Strong genetic differentiation between fragmented alpine bush‐cricket populations demands preservation of evolutionary significant units

“…Anonconotus is a genus of endemic Ensifera present in grasslands of the Alps and Apennines. In Italy, there are nine Anonconotus species mostly located in the western Alps, and only one present in the eastern Alps (Galvagni, 2005; Galvagni & Fontana, 2004; Massa & Fontana, 2020). Here, we focus on the eastern alpine bush‐cricket, Anonconotus italoaustriacus Nadig, 1987, which is a grassland species present exclusively in north‐eastern Italy and in the High Tauern in Austria (Galvagni, 2005; Galvagni & Fontana, 2004; Illich et al, 2010; Zuna‐Kratky et al, 2016).…”

Geometric morphometrics of three species of the genus Dociostaurus (Orthoptera: Acrididae) from the Middle Atlas of Morocco

“…In reality, D. maroccanus is known for its migration behaviour between Morocco and Algeria (Benfekich et al 2002), and therefore it needs developed wings and elytra to complete these flights, as demonstrated by El Ghadraoui et al (2002). On the other hand, D. dantini, known as a wandering species in north Africa and Europe (Moussi et al 2014;Massa and Fontana 2020), is characterised by the shorter wings and elytra. Moreover, for systematists, the difference in morphological measurements could be of great importance in the taxonomic identification of species, particularly in cases where genetic tools are not accessible.…”