Check-list of European Orthoptera

List of all 974 recognized species of Ensifera (Tettigonioidea: 458, Rhaphidophoroidea: 44, Grylloidea: 91) and Caelifera (Tetrigoidea: 12, Tridactyloidea: 6, Acridoidea: 363) in Europe including information about their distribution.Aufstellung aller 974 derzeitig anerkannten Arten der Ensifera (Tettigonioidea: 458, Rhaphidophoroidea: 44, Grylloidea: 91) and Caelifera (Tetrigoidea: 12, Tridactyloidea: 6, Acridoidea: 363) in Europa mit Angabe der Verbreitungsgebiete

Animal Radioecology in the Exclusion Zone Since the Chernobyl Catastrophe

We review 20 year long investigations by the Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology on radioecological and ecological consequences of the Chernobyl catastrophe for wild animals in the Exclusion Zone (EZ) around the nuclear plant. Using previous observations on bird migrations through Ukraine, we assessed the 137 Cs and 90 Sr carry-out with migrants from the EZ. In addition, we selected animal species as standard indicators of the state of the environment to map: 1) contamination of vertebrates with 137 Cs in the EZ and 2) beta-activity of mollusc shells indicating 90 Sr, in the whole Dnieper drainage area, in the Kiev Administrative Region, and in the EZ. We revealed regular seasonal and long-term trends, relative radionuclide accumulation by different species, transfer and accumulation factors, and used these measurements to diminish the enormous variation and complexity of the data. Secondary ecological changes in forest, devastated by direct irradiation, were caused by the crash of trophic chains and an outbreak of insect pests on dead or sick trees. Ninety-nine percent of the EZ area was not affected directly by irradiation. Ecological changes in this area have been caused by evacuation of the public, cessation of agriculture and forest management, and decontamination on a large scale. After initial changes, animal density and distribution have been stabilized at a limit restricted by natural resources, predators and poachers. A herd of Przewalski horses was successfully introduced into the EZ years ago. We renewed the protected state of nature reserved sites, which existed before, and proposed to expand the area of nature reservation

The stick insect, Obrimus asperrimus (Phasmida, Bacillidae) walking on different surfaces

Frantsevich L, Cruse H. The stick insect, Obrimus asperrimus (Phasmida, Bacillidae) walking on different surfaces. Journal of Insect Physiology. 1997;43(5):447-455.Unrestrained adult stick insects (Obrimus asperrimus) walked below a tread wheel 4 or 30 mm wide in the upside-down position or above a 'bridge' 30 or 60 cm wide in the upright position, They were recorded on video and the positions of reference points on the legs and on the body were measured on still frames, Step parameters such as step amplitude, step duration, swing duration, body height and ground width are given for broad and narrow footing as well as for leg trajectories and the course of leg joint angles, Joint angles were calculated directly between the leg segment vectors, Walking with a narrow footing, the stick insect used the same slow metachronal gait as on a broad footing, Adjustment to the narrow footing was accomplished by narrowing the ground base, raising the body distance, depressing the femora (by 40-45 degrees) and flexing the tibiae (20-25 degrees in the front and middle legs), The upper turning-point of the swing movement seems to be determined by a constant amplitude of the vertical movement component rather than a given position in a body-fixed coordinate system, Walking on a horizontal rod of circular cross-section, the insects preferred to walk upside down below the rod for small diameters, but preferred to walk upright above the rod if its diameter was great enough. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd

Leg coordination during turning on an extremely narrow substrate in a bug, Mesocerus marginatus (Heteroptera, Coreidae)

Frantsevich LI, Cruse H. Leg coordination during turning on an extremely narrow substrate in a bug, Mesocerus marginatus (Heteroptera, Coreidae). Journal of Insect Physiology. 2005;51(10):1092-1104.The turning movement of a bug, Mesocerus marginatus, is observed when it walks upside-down below a horizontal beam and, at the end of the beam, performs a sharp turn by 180 degrees. The turn at the end of the beam is accomplished in three to five steps, without strong temporal coordination among legs. During the stance, leg endpoints (tarsi) run through rounded trajectories, rotating to the same side in all legs. During certain phases of the turn, a leg is strongly depressed and the tarsus crosses the midline. Swing movements rotate to the same side as do leg endpoints in stance, in strong contrast to the typical swing movements found in turns or straight walk on a flat surface. Terminal location is found after the search through a trajectory that first moves away from the body and then loops back to find substrate. When a leg during stance has crossed the midline, in the following swing movement the leg may move even stronger on the contralateral side, i.e. is stronger depressed, in contrast to swing movements in normal walking, where the leg is elevated. These results suggest that the animals apply a different control strategy compared to walking and turning on a flat surface. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserve