OF OIITIIOPTERA IN THE CAUCASUS AXD WESTERxV ASIA. 449 



The Steppe fauna penetrates into our country through the 

 steppes of JSTorth-westei-n Caucasus, which belong to the Steppe 

 subregion, and through Daghestan some of its elements reach 

 Transcaucasia, as well as the mountainous districts of Caucasus 

 Minor, Armenia, Kurdistan, and Anatolia as far as the northern 

 limits of the Eremian subregion. On the other hand, the 

 Steppe fauna also penetrates into Anatolia through the Balkan 

 Peninsula. It is evident that the influence of this fauna on the 

 fauna of our country must be very great, and so it is, as we shall 

 see later on. 



The Mediterranean subregion comprises the north-westeiii 

 mountainous extremity of Africa (Morocco, Algeria, and Tunis — 

 but the mountains only and not the plains, which belong to the 

 Eremian subr-egion), Spain, the southern coast of I'rance, Italy, 

 the shores of the Adriatic Sea, the Balkan Peninsula south of 

 the Balkan Mountains, the islands of the Mediterranean Sea, and 

 Anatolia. The Mediterranean fauna of Orthoptera is extremely 

 rich, including about 16 Mantoclea, 7 Phasmodea, 162 Acridiodea, 

 317 Locustodea, and 62 Gryllodea. Besides its richness this 

 fauna is remarkable for a large number of peculiar species : out 

 of 564 species which are known of it, 424 or 75 per cent, are 

 •endemic. Some large families of Locustodea have their centre 

 ■of development and distribution here, for example Sagidae, 

 Decticidse, Bradyporidse, and, partly, Phaneropteridte. 



The more detailed study of the Mediterranean fauna allows us 

 to conclude that it may be divided into two very distinct groups 

 of species: Western and Eastern. The first has its centre in 

 Sj^ain and North -western Africa, from Avhere its repi'esentatives 

 disperse to the East and North-east ; Avhile the second flourishes 

 in the southern part of the Balkan Peninsula and in adjacent 

 parts of Anatolia, sending its migrants into north-western, 

 northern, north-eastern (into the Steppe subregion), a,nd eastern 

 directions. According to this distinction of the faunas we may 

 divide the Mediterranean subregion into two zoogeographical 

 provinces — Western or Tyrrhenian and Eastern or Balkano- 

 Anatolian. The T3^rrhenian fauna is of no importance to us, as 

 it cannot infl.uence the composition of the fauna of the Caucasus, 

 but of much greater value is the Balka no- Anatolian fauna. This 

 fauna is very rich and has many characteristic points : here 

 vve find exceedingly rich development of endemic Sagida>, of 

 apterous Phanei'opteridas {Isophya, Fcfcillmon)^ of the genera 

 Platycleis, Ohjntlwscelis^ Drymadusa, Dol%clioj)oda; some species 

 of Stenohothrus and the genera Nocarodes (Mifch six species) and 

 Callimenus (with two species) are peculiar to it. 



The Balkano-Anatolian fauna occupies the greatest part of the 

 country which Ave are now studying. Through Asia jVIinor, 

 Avhich belongs entirely to this zoogeographical province, through 

 Armenia, and along the southei-n and eastern shores ot tlie I-?lack 

 Sea, the Balkano-Anatolian fauna penetrates into the forest 

 •districts of Transcaucasia, giving place to the Eremian fauna in 



31* 



