Latest Articles from Journal of Orthoptera Research Latest 8 Articles from Journal of Orthoptera Research https://jor.pensoft.net/ Fri, 29 Mar 2024 14:43:30 +0200 Pensoft FeedCreator https://jor.pensoft.net/i/logo.jpg Latest Articles from Journal of Orthoptera Research https://jor.pensoft.net/ Probability of a Central American locust Schistocerca piceifrons piceifrons upsurge in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico https://jor.pensoft.net/article/73824/ Journal of Orthoptera Research 32(1): 33-42

DOI: 10.3897/jor.32.73824

Authors: Mario A. Poot-Pech

Abstract: From ancient times to the present, infestations of the Central American locust (CAL) [Schistocerca piceifrons piceifrons (Walker, 1870)] have occurred periodically and with varying intensities in the Yucatan Peninsula (YP), Mexico. Despite efforts to survey the recession zone, an upsurge is still difficult to predict and prevent, and high economic costs are incurred in controlling this pest. For this study, two models were developed to determine the probability of an upsurge in the YP. The first was the Markov chain (MC) with transition probability matrix, which estimates probability by determining the proportion of times that the system moved from one state to another (n2) over 71, 33, and 24 years in Yucatan, Campeche, and the Quintana Roo States, respectively, divided into different periods; a correlation of the matrix and probability (n2) of the next period was performed to evaluate the accuracy of the estimation. The other method is the classic probabilistic (CP) model, which uses the number of times the upsurge could happen and the number of possible events. In the MC model, great variation was found in CAL upsurge probabilities between periods, with a similar number of upsurges from the past to the present but with varying intensity. In recent years, the treated area with insecticides has been less than that of the past. The CP model revealed that the locust population reached its maximum peak every four years, with the migration of swarms to neighboring states at the end/start of the year. Validation of the MC and CP models was performed considering information on areas treated in 2019 and 2020, and good accuracy was obtained. Both models provide information on the probability of an upsurge in the YP. This information can be incorporated into economic models to improve management decisions, such as when to announce early warnings, and to implement preventive control strategies.

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Research Article Tue, 21 Feb 2023 16:10:09 +0200
A field study on Saga pedo (Ensifera, Tettigoniidae, Saginae): Spatial behavior of adult specimens https://jor.pensoft.net/article/69425/ Journal of Orthoptera Research 31(1): 41-46

DOI: 10.3897/jor.31.69425

Authors: Luca Anselmo

Abstract: Despite its large size, the protected predatory bush-cricket Saga pedo (Pallas, 1771) is difficult to study in the field. This is mainly due to its strong mimicry, prevalent night activity, and low population density. The aim of this study was to investigate the spatial behavior of some adult individuals through the use of luminescent tags and recording their occurrences at night. The monitored individuals moved considerably during the oviposition period and were found more frequently in small sections of the study area. Two models for count data were implemented to try to explain this behavior. The results indicate that their spatial behavior was predominantly related to the prey availability in the available environment. In addition, predation on the Hymenoptera Sphex funerarius Gussakovskij, 1934 is reported for the first time.

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Research Article Tue, 15 Mar 2022 02:07:24 +0200
Corrigendum of Masson MV, Tavares WS, Alves JM, Ferreira-Filho PJ, Barbosa LR, Wilcken CF, Zanuncio JC (2020) Bioecological aspects of the common black field cricket, Gryllus assimilis (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) in the laboratory and in Eucalyptus (Myrtaceae) plantations. Journal of Orthoptera Research 29(1): 83–89. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.29.48966 https://jor.pensoft.net/article/58469/ Journal of Orthoptera Research 29(2): 203-203

DOI: 10.3897/jor.29.58469

Authors: Marcus Vinicius Masson, Wagner de Souza Tavares, Jacyr Mesquita Alves, Pedro José Ferreira-Filho, Leonardo Rodrigues Barbosa, Carlos Frederico Wilcken, José Cola Zanuncio

Abstract:  

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Corrigenda Fri, 4 Dec 2020 14:53:22 +0200
The floriphilic katydid, Phaneroptera brevis, is a frequent flower visitor of non-native, flowering forbs https://jor.pensoft.net/article/33063/ Journal of Orthoptera Research 28(1): 21-26

DOI: 10.3897/jor.28.33063

Authors: Ming Kai Tan, Hui Lee, Hugh Tiang Wah Tan

Abstract: Distribution of consumers in a patch of vegetation can be predicted by resource availability and explained by the resource-concentration and optimal-foraging hypotheses. These hypotheses have not been explored for flower-visiting Orthoptera because they are deemed less economically or ecologically important. Some flower-visiting orthopterans can provide pollination services, which warrants more attention. We studied a Singaporean, floriphilic katydid, Phaneroptera brevis, to investigate the following questions: 1) how frequently does P. brevis visit flowers compared to other flower visitors and 2) what factors predict the abundance of P. brevis? We collected abundance data for P. brevis and other flower-visiting arthropods and quantified seven environmental parameters, including flower abundance and host-plant species richness. We found that P. brevis frequents flowers significantly more often than some common and expected flower visitors such as hoverflies. In line with the prediction of the resource-concentration hypothesis, the abundance of P. brevis was positively correlated with a higher flower abundance. Owing to the limited information on unexpected wild flower visitors and pollinators, especially from the understudied tropics of Southeast Asia, we propose that P. brevis can be a model organism for future studies to answer fundamental questions on flower visitation.

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Research Article Fri, 17 May 2019 18:59:02 +0300
Acoustic profiling of Orthoptera: present state and future needs https://jor.pensoft.net/article/23700/ Journal of Orthoptera Research 27(2): 203-215

DOI: 10.3897/jor.27.23700

Authors: Klaus Riede

Abstract: Bioacoustic monitoring and classification of animal communication signals has developed into a powerful tool for measuring and monitoring species diversity within complex communities and habitats. The high number of stridulating species among Orthoptera allows their detection and classification in a non-invasive and economic way, particularly in habitats where visual observations are difficult or even impossible, such as tropical rainforests. Major sound archives were queried for Orthoptera songs, with special emphasis on usability as reference training libraries for computer algorithms. Orthoptera songs are highly stereotyped, reliable taxonomic features. However, exploitation of songs for acoustic profiling is limited by the small number of reference recordings: existing song libraries represent only about 1000 species, mainly from Europe and North America, covering less than 10% of extant stridulating Orthoptera species. Available databases are fragmented and lack tools for song annotation and efficient feature-based searching. Results from recent bioacoustic surveys illustrate the potential of the method, but also the challenges and bottlenecks impeding further progress. A major problem is time-consuming data analysis of recordings. Computer-aided identification software exists for classification and identification of cricket and grasshopper songs, but these tools are still far from practical for field application. A framework for acoustic profiling of Orthoptera should consist of the following components: (1) Protocols for standardized acoustic sampling, at species and community levels, using acoustic data loggers for autonomous long-term recordings; (2) Open access to and efficient management of song data and voucher specimens, involving the Orthoptera Species File (OSF) and Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF); (3) An infrastructure for automatized analysis and song classification; and (4) Complementation and improvement of Orthoptera sound libraries using OSF as the taxonomic backbone and repository for representative song recordings. Taxonomists should be encouraged, or even obliged, to deposit original recordings, particularly if they form part of species descriptions or revisions.

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Review Article Mon, 10 Dec 2018 00:27:01 +0200
Fine-scale interactions between habitat quality and genetic variation suggest an impact of grazing on the critically endangered Crau Plain grasshopper (Pamphagidae: Prionotropis rhodanica) https://jor.pensoft.net/article/15036/ Journal of Orthoptera Research 27(1): 61-73

DOI: 10.3897/jor.27.15036

Authors: Sylvain Piry, Karine Berthier, Réjane Streiff, Sandrine Cros-Arteil, Antoine Foucart, Laurent Tatin, Linda Bröder, Axel Hochkirch, Marie-Pierre Chapuis

Abstract: The Crau Plain grasshopper, Prionotropis rhodanica Uvarov, 1923 (Orthoptera: Pamphagidae: Thrinchinae), is a rare grasshopper species endemic to the Crau Plain, a steppic habitat in France with unique floristic and faunistic communities. During recent decades, the area covered by these steppic grasslands has been highly reduced and fragmented due to the development of irrigation-based agriculture, roads, as well as industrial and military complexes. The restricted distribution, low population density and poor dispersal ability of P. rhodanica, combined with the destruction of its habitat, has led to the classification of this species as critically endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Decreases in habitat quality due to intensive grazing in the remnant grassland patches constitute an additional threat for P. rhodanica that can impact population dynamics at a relatively small-scale. In this work, we focused on a small area of about 3 km2 occupied by one of the largest subpopulations observed in 2000–2001. We conducted a single-time snapshot intensive survey of grasshopper density and genetic variation at 11 microsatellite markers. We used a recent method, MAPI, to visualize the spatial genetic structure as a continuous surface and to determine, with the simultaneous use of spatial cross-correlograms, whether the normalized difference vegetation index, which informs on the balance between vegetation productivity and grazing intensity, can explain grasshopper population structure at such a fine scale. We found that both population density and gene flow were strongly and positively correlated to habitat quality (higher productivity of grasslands and/or lower sheep grazing). The spatial scales of interaction between these variables were estimated to be highly similar, in the range of 812–880 meters. This result suggests that P. rhodanica is very sensitive to the quality of the grasslands it inhabits.

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Research Article Tue, 12 Jun 2018 16:44:16 +0300
Diversity of mantids (Dictyoptera: Mantodea) of Sangha-Mbaere Region, Central African Republic, with some ecological data and DNA barcoding https://jor.pensoft.net/article/19863/ Journal of Orthoptera Research 26(2): 117-141

DOI: 10.3897/jor.26.19863

Authors: Nicolas Moulin, Thibaud Decaëns, Philippe Annoyer

Abstract: This study aims at assessing mantid diversity and community structure in a part of the territory of the Sangha Tri-National UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Central African Republic (CAR), including the special forest reserve of Dzanga-Sangha, the Dzanga-Ndoki National Park. The study area is located in the biome of the dense tropical rainforest of the Congo Basin, the second largest area of tropical forest behind the Amazon basin, and one of the last regions on earth where pristine forest ecosystems persist. Between 1984 and 2012, eight collecting campaigns were conducted by P. Annoyer, M. Loubes and S. Danflous, with the aim of documenting invertebrate diversity in this remote and poorly studied area. Mantids were collected in different habitats and microhabitats using four harvesting techniques: visual hunting (threshing, mowing), active search in the trees, autonomous UV collecting (Remote Canopy Trap) and classical light trapping with mercury light. Community patterns were assessed using rarefaction curves and diversity estimators (ACE). Specimens (n = 25) were also found at the National Museum of Natural History (MNHN) of Paris. Seventy-one species of Mantodea are recorded from Sangha-Mbaere Region in the CAR from 1232 specimens. This is the first synthesis published about Mantodea in CAR. Some new species are present in the genera Cataspilota, Galepsus and Chlidonoptera. Taxonomic revisions of these genera are in progress. Some genera need global revision like Plistospilota, Miomantis, Entella, and Galepsus. This type of work is the first on the mantids in Central Africa since the various inventories carried out in the sixties and seventies, which were mainly based on lists of species. The contribution of data on ecology and biogeography is a novelty.

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Research Article Fri, 24 Nov 2017 18:55:41 +0200
Overlooked flower-visiting Orthoptera in Southeast Asia https://jor.pensoft.net/article/15021/ Journal of Orthoptera Research 26(2): 143-153

DOI: 10.3897/jor.26.15021

Authors: Ming Kai Tan, Taksin Artchwakom, Rodzay Abdul Wahab, Chow-Yang Lee, Daicus M. Belabut, Hugh Tiang Wah Tan

Abstract: The study of insect–plant interactions such as flower visitors, pollinators, and florivores, are important for understanding the natural world. However, not all flower-visiting insects are equally well known, especially in the biodiverse Southeast Asian region. One group is the orthopterans, comprising of grasshoppers, crickets, and katydids. Natural history observations were made around Southeast Asia to document flower-visiting orthopterans. Owing to the limited studies on the ecology of orthopterans in Southeast Asia, we provide here the first documentation of flower-visiting orthopterans from Southeast Asia and the most extensive one for the Tropics. Based on 140 incidences of orthopteran visiting flowers, 41 orthopteran species have so far been recorded to visit 35 different plant species, in mainly Singapore, Malaysia, part of Thailand, and Brunei Darussalam. We conclude that orthopterans are indeed overlooked flower-visitors in this region and warrant further investigation.

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Research Article Fri, 24 Nov 2017 16:14:35 +0200