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.
Highlights
The results of the recent Red List assessment of Europe’s grasshoppers, crickets and bush-crickets indicate that the highest species diversity and the greatest concentration of threatened species are found in the Mediterranean region
The results of the present study expand the list of Orthoptera species known for Portugal, and the species richness recorded augment the relevance of Castro Verde Special Protection Area (SPA) in terms of biodiversity
Our results point out the importance of Castro Verde SPA for the conservation of Orthoptera, and help identify some threats that may affect this value in the near future
Summary
The results of the recent Red List assessment of Europe’s grasshoppers, crickets and bush-crickets indicate that the highest species diversity and the greatest concentration of threatened species are found in the Mediterranean region. The climate and ecological conditions in the Iberian Peninsula promote the presence of an abundant and varied orthopterofauna (Llucià-Pomares 2002) To preserve this biodiversity, it is essential to increase our knowledge on species distributions. On the Iberian Peninsula, the Orthoptera fauna has been more comprehensively studied in Spain, while there is still a lack of knowledge regarding the Portuguese Orthoptera (Schmidt et al 2009). Lock (1999); Miranda-Arabolaza and Barranco (2005); Ferreira et al (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009); Ferreira (2007, 2009); Ferreira and Grosso-Silva (2008a, b, c); Schmidt et al (2009); Lemos et al (2016); Monteiro et al (2016) These studies are scattered over time, distinct in focus, and generally lack comprehensive inventories. These evidences suggest that there is still much to learn about this group, and that further in-depth research on Orthoptera of Portugal is necessary
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