The Orthoptera of Castro Verde Special Protection Area (Southern Portugal): new data and conservation value

By

Pina, Sílvia
Vasconcelos, Sasha
Reino, Luís
Santana, Joana
Beja, Pedro
Sánchez-Oliver, Juan S.
Catry, Inês
Moreira, Francisco
Ferreira, Sónia

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2017

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

691

Pages

19-48

Subjects

Biodiversity , Distribution extension , open-habitats , species inventory

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.691.14842

 

Abstract

With the increasing awareness of the need for Orthoptera conservation, greater efforts must be gathered to implement specific monitoring schemes. Despite recent surveys, little is known about Portuguese Orthoptera populations. This study was performed in 2014 and 2015 mainly in Castro Verde Special Protection Area (SPA), southern Portugal, and is the first Orthoptera inventory conducted in the area. A total of 35 Orthoptera species was recorded, with two new species reported for Portugal. We provide species’ habitat occurrences within the protected area and use information on the conservation status and the Iberian distribution of each documented species to discuss the importance of Castro Verde SPA for Orthoptera conservation. The data presented here sheds new light on Castro Verde SPA biodiversity and emphasizes the inclusion of this area in the conservation of Orthoptera diversity, particularly in the protection of threatened endemic species.