Diet and foraging habitats of non-breeding white storks (Ciconia ciconia) in Bulgaria

The diet of non-breeding White Storks was studied by pellet analysis and included mainly insects (99.9%, n=28947) with a predominance of grasshoppers (Orthoptera, 76.1%), and beetles (Coleoptera, 26.1%). The bush crickets Decticus albifrons/verrucivorus were the most numerous prey (29.9% by items), occurring in almost all pellets (98% occurrence in pellets, n=147) and predominating in half of them (49.7%). The grasshopper associations in the pellets specify foraging mainly in mesophytic grasslands that usually replace abandoned fields and overgrown pastures with a low level of grazing. The xerophytic grass-shrubby habitats, not rare on stony terrains, were of less importance, providing around 20% by prey. The typical aquatic inhabitants and the use of carrion around villages were exceptions in the study diet. The number of innutritious materials in the pellets rose when the White Storks hunted on nippy and agile grasshoppers and decreased when the main pray was slower beetles taken from the ground. The roosting of non-breeding White Storks disappeared when their preferred feeding habitats were ploughed up in the following years

Liste rouge des Orthoptères de la République de Macédoine

This paper is aimed to draw up a Red List of Orthoptera of the Republic of Macedonia, adapted to the context of the country. The selection is based on IUCN criteria applied for the country, mainly focused on the observation or estimation of population status and trends, and also population in very restricted area of occupancy. The IUCN Regional Guidelines to the regional population have been applied to determine the final classification of each species within the country. The resulting Red List is composed of 17 taxa (roughly 10 % of the fauna of the country), including one Critically Endangered (Bradyporus macrogaster macrogaster (Lefebvre 1831)) and four Endangered (Saga pedo (Pallas 1771), Bradyporus oniscus (Burmeister 1838), Paracinema tricolor (Thunberg 1815) and Stethophyma grossum (Linnaeus 1758))Cet article a pour but de définir une Liste Rouge des Orthoptères de la République de Macédoine, adaptée au contexte du pays. La sélection s'effectue par l'application des critères UICN à l'échelle du pays, principalement axée sur la mesure ou l'estimation de l'état des populations et leur évolution, mais aussi sur des considérations de populations particulièrement restreintes. Les directives UICN pour l'établissement des listes régionales et nationales ont été suivies pour définir le statut de chaque espèce au niveau du pays. Il en résulte une Liste Rouge composée de 17 taxa (soit 10 % environ de la faune du pays), dont un en danger critique d'extinction (Bradyporus macrogaster macrogaster (Lefebvre 1831)) et quatre en danger (Saga pedo (Pallas 1771), Bradyporus oniscus (Burmeister 1838), Paracinema tricolor (Thunberg 1815) et Stethophyma grossum (Linnacus 1758))

Re-visiting phylogenetic and taxonomic relationships in the genus Saga (Insecta: Orthoptera).

Twelve of the 13 bushcricket species of the Saga genus are bisexuals and diploids, except the parthenogenetic and tetraploid bush cricket, Saga pedo. Despite a continuous research effort stretching through the 1900s, the taxonomic relationships of the Saga species are still disputed. In this study, our primary aim was to reveal natural relationships of the European Saga species and three of their Asian relatives, with special attention to the problematic taxonomy of two subspecies: S. campbelli campbelli and S. c. gracilis. Following a phylogenetic analysis of eight species, a comprehensive study was carried out on the above three taxa by using acoustic and morphometric approaches in parallel. Our phylogenetic data showed that European Saga species evolved from a monophyletic lineage. The geographical transitional species S. cappadocica was positioned between European and Asian lineages supporting the idea that the European Saga lineage originated phylogeographically from the Asian clade. The above results showed better agreement with the morphological data than with earlier ones based either on karyology or acoustic information only. After reviewing our data, we concluded that Saga pedo has most likely evolved from S. c. gracilis and not from S. rammei or S. ephippigera, as proposed by earlier studies. S. c. gracilis shares the same ITS2 haplotype with S. pedo, indicating that the latter could have evolved from populations of the former, probably through whole genome duplication. Based on acoustic and morphometric differences, we propose to elevate the two subspecies, S. campbelli campbelli and S. c. gracilis, to species level status, as Saga gracilis Kis 1962, and Saga campbelli Uvarov 1921. The present work sets the stage for future genetic and experimental investigations of Saginae and highlights the need for additional comprehensive analysis involving more Asian Saga species

On some Moroccan Pamphagidae, with the description of a new species of Euryparyphes (Orthoptera: Caelifera)

Chobanov, Dragan, Massa, Bruno (2022): On some Moroccan Pamphagidae, with the description of a new species of Euryparyphes (Orthoptera: Caelifera). Zootaxa 5104 (3): 409-425, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5104.3.

Paracinipe mauritanica

Paracinipe mauritanica (Bolívar, 1878) (Figs. 2C–E) Type locality: Mauritania. Material examined. Oum Rbia valley, 32.75665°N, 7.97187°W (200 m), 14. VI.2013 (1♂); Agadir fortress, 30.43059°N, 9.62498°W (100–200 m), 27–29.III.2019, P. Fontana & B. Massa (1♂, 6♀♀) (BMPC). Distribution. P. mauritanica is a common species distributed in central-south Morocco. The apices of hind tibiae in the nymphs of this species are red instead of yellow.Published as part of Chobanov, Dragan & Massa, Bruno, 2022, On some Moroccan Pamphagidae, with the description of a new species of Euryparyphes (Orthoptera: Caelifera), pp. 409-425 in Zootaxa 5104 (3) on page 413, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5104.3.3, http://zenodo.org/record/633202

Eunapiodes ifranensis

Eunapiodes ifranensis (Werner, 1832) Type locality: Morocco, Ifrane. Material examined. SE Sefrou, 33.63807°N, 4.81815°W (1430 m), 7.VI.2013 (1♀, recently moulted).Published as part of Chobanov, Dragan & Massa, Bruno, 2022, On some Moroccan Pamphagidae, with the description of a new species of Euryparyphes (Orthoptera: Caelifera), pp. 409-425 in Zootaxa 5104 (3) on page 415, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5104.3.3, http://zenodo.org/record/633202

Paracinipe alticola

Paracinipe alticola (Werner, 1932) (Figs. 1F, G) Type locality: Morocco, Tadlest. Material examined. Achahoud towards road Marrakesh-Ouarzazad, 31.26094°N, 7.38826°W (2150 m), 27.V.2013 (1♂); N of Achahoud, 31.28659°N, 7.18926°W (2000 m), 27.V.2013 (1♀). Distribution. This species is known from central Morocco; the type-locality (Tadlest) is located north of Ouarzazad, Achahoud lies not far from Ouarzazad. Remarks. According to Werner (1932), this montane species differs from P. crassicornis by the less yellow apically colored hind tibiae, and Chopard (1943) added that the male genitalia allow to identify it correctly.According to Descamps & Mounassif (1972), P. alticola has not the bilobate hind margin in the epiphallus; in addition, P. alticola differs from P. crassicornis by its lower pronotum and higher tegmina. P. alticola is very similar to P. luteomaculata, but differs from it by the male cerci shape (ca. 2 times longer than wide, while in P. luteomaculata they are 1.2 times longer than wide), the hind tibiae yellow or red (in P. luteomaculata they are yellow), always hairy, and the epiphallus, which generally is not bilobate on the hind margin (in P. luteomaculata it is always bilobate).Published as part of Chobanov, Dragan & Massa, Bruno, 2022, On some Moroccan Pamphagidae, with the description of a new species of Euryparyphes (Orthoptera: Caelifera), pp. 409-425 in Zootaxa 5104 (3) on page 412, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5104.3.3, http://zenodo.org/record/633202

Tuarega insignis

Tuarega insignis (Lucas, 1751) (Fig. 1C) Type locality: Algeria, Kefoum-Tebouc. Material examined. W of Tindite, 33.68745°N, 3.68032°W (900 m), 1.VI.2013 (1♀). Distribution. T. insignis is a widespread species in all desert and arid areas of North Africa. Remarks. Kirby (1910) included Batrachotettix elephas Saussure, 1884 among the synonyms of T. insignis, but Massa (2013) excluded it because Saussure (1884) was referring to a species with sexual dimorphism (‘ elytra et alae? ’). However, Saussure (1888 p. 135–136), citing the 1884 description, wrote that the indication of locality (South Africa) for Batrachotettix elephas was false, that it was one subimago (old nymph) and, as the adult was unkown to him, he was induced in error because of the similarity of nymphs of Tuarega with Batrachotettix. Thus, B. elephas is really a synonym of T. insignis (J. Mestre, pers. comm. to BM).Published as part of Chobanov, Dragan & Massa, Bruno, 2022, On some Moroccan Pamphagidae, with the description of a new species of Euryparyphes (Orthoptera: Caelifera), pp. 409-425 in Zootaxa 5104 (3) on page 410, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5104.3.3, http://zenodo.org/record/633202