Central European habitats and their Auchenorrhyncha communities

Basierend auf eigenen Daten und einer Literaturauswertung wird eine Übersicht über die Habitate der mitteleuropäischen Zikadenfauna gegeben. Besiedelt werden nahezu alle semiaquatischen und terrestrischen Lebenräume von Schwimmblattgürteln und Röhrichten bis hin zum Trockenrasen und vom Mineralboden bis in die Baumkronen hinauf. 61% der Arten leben permanent in der Krautschicht, rund 27% in der Baum- und Strauchschicht. Rund 11% bewohnen mehrere Straten, der Großteil davon macht einen obligaten Wechsel durch, meist vom Boden oder von der Krautschicht in die Baumschicht. Als Nährpflanzen spielen krautige Monokotyle und Gehölze mit Abstand die wichtigste Rolle. Von weitaus geringerer Bedeutung sind krautige Dikotyle und Zwergsträucher. Von jeweils nur einzelnen Zikaden-Arten werden Farnpflanzen, Gymnospermen und Pilze genutzt. Generell sind die höchsten Artenzahlen auf biomassereichen, also hochwuchsigen oder weit verbreiteten und häufigen Pflanzenarten anzutreffen. Wichtige Habitatfaktoren für einen Großteil der Arten sind Feuchte, Störung und die oftmals spezifischen Nährpflanzen. Weiterhin können Temperatur, Sonnenexposition, pH-Wert und Nährstoffgehalt des Bodens, Meereshöhe, Bodeneigenscliaften und Salinität eine Rolle spielen, sind aber z.T. miteinander korreliert. Dementsprechend gibt es besonders spezialisierte Zikadenarten in Lebensräumen, in denen extreme Verhältnisse hinsichtlich dieser Faktoren herrschen, also Ufer, Moore, Trockenrasen, Dünen, Salzwiesen und alpine Matten. In stark gestörten Lehensräumen kommen nur noch wenige eurytope, polyphage und gut flugfähige Arten mit hohem Fortpflanzungspotential vor. Eine Ausnahme hiervon bilden allerdings die regelmäßig überfüllten Kiesbänke der Alpenflüsse, die trotz intensiver Störung eine Anzahl stenotoper, monophager und monovoltiner Arten, oft mit nur eingeschränkter Flugfähigkeit, aufweisen.We present an overview of the habitats of the central European Auchenorrhynclia fauna, based upon our own data and an analysis of the available literature. Almost all types of semi-aquatic and terrestrial habitats are utilized, ranging from floating vegetation and reeds along shores to dry grassland and from the mineral soil up to the tree canopy. 61% of the species live permanently in the herbaceous layer, 27% in the shrub or tree layer. 11% utilize several Strata, most of them performing an obligatory migration from the soil or herbaceous vegetation up to the canopy layer. Herbaceous monocots and woody plants are by far the most important food plants. Herbaceous dicots and dwarf shrubs only play a minor role; furthermore, a few species live on pteridophytes, gymnosperms, and fungi, respectively. In general, highest species numbers are found on plants rich in biomass, i.e. tall or widespread and abundant. We discuss and present overviews of Auchenorrhyncha communities of the following habitat types: 1. Forests, scrub and their margins: 1.1. Trees and slirubs, 1.2. Herbaceous layer of forests, 1.3. Woody riverside vegetation, 1.4. Xerothermic margins of forests and scrub, 1.5, Early successional stages. 2. Natural and near-natural non-wooded habitats: 2.1. Rocks, 2.2. Dunes and other dry and sandy habitats, 2.3. Coastal and inland salt marshes, 2.4. Peatlands (with 2.4.1, Ombrotrophic and transitional bogs, and 2.4.2, Fens and spring mires), 2.5, Semiaquatic habitats (with 2.5.1. Mud and gravel banks, 2.5.2. Floating vegetation and reeds, 2.5.3. Flood plain depressions and 2.5.4. Banks of alpine rivers), 2.6. Alpine habitats (with 2.6.1. Mountains in general, 2.6.2. Alpine grassland 2.6.3. and Subalpine scrub). 3. Non-wooded habitats of anthropogenic origin: 3.1. Meadows and pastures, 3.2. Dry grassland, 3.3. Ruderal habitats and fallows, 3.4. Fields. Important habitat factors include moisture, disturbance, and food plants, which are specific in many cases, Temperature, sun exposure, soil pH and nutrient content, altitude, soil properties, and salinity may also play a role, although they are partially intercorrelated. Accordingly, habitat specificity of Auchenorrhyiicha is most pronounced under extreme conditions, notably along sliores, in bogs, dry grassland, dunes, salt marslies, and alpine grassland. Only a few eurytopic and polyphagous species witli a marked flight capability and a high reroductive potential manage to survive in strongly disturbed habitats. Gravel banks of alpine rivers, however, which are subject to periodical flooding, are an exception to this rule in holding a number of stenotopic, monopha. gous, monovoltine species with reduced flight capability

Non-sexual abdominal appendages in adult insects challenge a 300 million year old bauplan

SummaryDespite their enormous diversity, the bauplan of adult winged insects (pterygotes) is remarkably conservative since the Lower Devonian: a five-segmented head, a three-segmented thorax with three pairs of walking legs and an eleven-segmented abdomen without any non-sexual appendages [1,2]. The only known exceptions are the abdominal appendages of adult male sepsid flies on the fourth segment; however, these are also used as copulatory organs and are supposedly maintained through sexual selection [3]. Here, we report a rod-like paired appendage from the third and fourth abdominal segments in adults of the Southeast-Asian Hemiptera taxon Bennini (Figure 1A,B; Supplemental information). These are fully musculated, innervated, and movable and bear highly organized sensory and secretory units. The appendages, termed LASSO (lateral abdominal sensory and secretory organs), are consistent in topology and structure in all species studied and not sexually dimorphic. The existence of these non-sexual abdominal appendages reveals the potential of the 300 million year old conserved bauplan of insects