<p><strong>Acridid (Orthoptera: Caelifera) diversity in agriculture ecosystems at three </strong><strong>locations in the Mzab valley, Septentrional Sahara, Algeria</strong></p>

Abstract

Caelifera is one of the largest and most diverse group of insects, and they are the dominant Orthoptera in agriculture ecosystems. We present here an inventory of Acridid fauna of the agricultural ecosystems in the Mzab valley (Septentrional Sahara, Algeria). Grasshoppers were sampled with quadrats in Béni Isguen, Ghardaïa and El-Atteuf, and we have expressed the species richness, sampling effort and relative abundance. The method used is that of quadrats sampling. The results revealed the presence of 27 species, divided into three families, Acrididae, Pyrgomorphidae and Tetrigidae. Among these families, we found that Acrididae are most diverse with six subfamilies. The subfamily Oedipodinae with 10 species was the most abundant, while the subfamily Tetriginae was the least abundant (represented by a one species). The value of the diversity index showed that the cultivated area of Béni Isguen is the most favorable for the development of many Caelifera. The abundance of grasses and low intensity of agricultural activity in this environment favors the presence of Acridid. We found that the Acridid community depends mainly on the nature and richness of vegetation cover, the intensity of agricultural activity and the type of irrigation. Keywords: Grasshopper, agricultural ecosystem, biodiversity, North Africa, Sahara