The Orthoptera of Castro Verde Special Protection Area (Southern Portugal): new data and conservation value

Abstract

With the increasing awareness of the need for Orthoptera conservation, greater efforts must be gathered to implement specific monitoring schemes. Despite recent surveys, little is known about Portuguese Orthoptera populations. This study was performed in 2014 and 2015 mainly in Castro Verde Special Protection Area (SPA), southern Portugal, and is the first Orthoptera inventory conducted in the area. A total of 35 Orthoptera species was recorded, with two new species reported for Portugal. We provide species' habitat occurrences within the protected area and use information on the conservation status and the Iberian distribution of each documented species to discuss the importance of Castro Verde SPA for Orthoptera conservation. The data presented here sheds new light on Castro Verde SPA biodiversity and emphasizes the inclusion of this area in the conservation of Orthoptera diversity, particularly in the protection of threatened endemic species.

The InBIO Barcoding Initiative Database: DNA barcodes of Orthoptera from Portugal

“…A total of 420 specimens of orthopterans were collected and DNA barcoded (Table 1 , Suppl. material 2 ) corresponding to 119 species, about 77% of all the orthopteran species known from continental Portugal ( Aires and Menano 1915 , Pina et al 2017 , GBIF 2023 , IUCN 2023 ). Figs 1 , 2 illustrate examples of the diversity of species that are part of the dataset of distribution data and DNA barcodes of Portuguese Orthoptera .…”

“…However, despite their functional importance, they are still poorly studied in areas with high levels of endemic species, such as the Iberian Peninsula ( Hochkirch et al 2016 ). Studies on the Portuguese Orthoptera fauna have been published in a very scattered manner over time, generally lacking comprehensive inventories or focusing on certain Orthoptera taxa ( Pina et al 2017 ). Although some of these more recent studies report new findings for the country (e.g.…”

Iberians against locusts: fighting cross-border bio-invaders (1898-1947)

“…Other factors, such as land cover change and the use of strong insecticides, may also have contributed for decreasing their frequency. A 2009 research about the Portuguese saltopteran fauna did not find the Moroccan locust (Schmidt, Martinho & Paiva, 2009), although its occurrence was confirmed years after (Pina et al, 2017). Regardless of their presence or absence in fields and natural habitats, entomologists do not seem to remember how locusts were once an agricultural pest (Serafim, 2017).…”

Identificación de organismos en la alfabetización para la biodiversidad en la escuela: caso de estudio con grillos y saltamontes en institutos de enseñanza secundaria en España

“…El reducido conocimiento del público ibérico sobre la diversidad e importancia de sus ortópteros no es de extrañar. Las obras de síntesis son, tanto en Portugal como en España, escasas o muy antiguas (Pina et al, 2017). El último catálogo de ortópteros de España tiene fecha de 1982 (Herrera, 1982) y en el caso de Portugal no hay todavía un inventario definitivo (Pina et al, 2017).…”

“…Las obras de síntesis son, tanto en Portugal como en España, escasas o muy antiguas (Pina et al, 2017). El último catálogo de ortópteros de España tiene fecha de 1982 (Herrera, 1982) y en el caso de Portugal no hay todavía un inventario definitivo (Pina et al, 2017). Aunque se encuentran publicaciones científicas monográficas sobre la diversidad de Orthoptera de algunas regiones de la Península Ibérica ─ p. ej.…”