4 research outputs found
Current and potential geographical distribution of Platymeris biguttatus (Linnaeus, 1767) with description of nymphs
Background: The description of Platymeris biguttatus (Linnaeus 1767) nymphal instars as well as the prediction of
the potentially suitable ecological niche was the main goal of this study. Our research was based on 258 specimens
of P. biguttatus species of museum collections. A set of 23 environmental predictor variables covering Africa was
used at ecological niche modeling - a method performed using the Maxent software to prepare potential distribution
maps for this species.
Results: The results suggested the most suitable areas seen as potentially suitable ecological niche for P. biguttatus in
Africa. A jackknife test showed that temperature seasonality and percentage of tree cover were among the most
important environmental variables affecting the distribution of the species. The analysis of climate preferences shows
that most of the potentially suitable niches for this species were located in the area of tropical savanna climate, with a
small participation of tree vegetation.
Conclusions: P. biguttatus was only known to be widely distributed in the tropical part of continental Africa. Thanks to
the ecological niche modeling methods and the museum data on the occurrence of the species, we introduced new
information about potentially suitable ecological niches and the possible range of distribution