Gli Ortotteri di Sicilia: check-list commentata

Biogeographia I./qO'I.A)O'O( - 2011 (Pubblicato il 23 dicembre 2011) La Biogeografia della Sicilia Gli Ortotteri di Sicilia: check—list commentata BRUNO MASSA Dipartimerzto DEMETRA (Sezione Entomologizz, Acarologia, Zoologia) Ea’. 4, Vle della Scienze, 90128 Palermo e—maz'[: brzmo. mam: @um'pzz. it Key words: grasshoppers, annotated check-list, endemisms, species richness, Sicily SUMMARY The author analyses all the bibliographic references on Sicilian Orthoptera and many unpublished data, with which he carries out an annotated check—list of species so Far known in the island. On the whole, 127 species of Or- thoptera are currently known in Sicily (including small islands surrounding it), belonging to 83 genera (on aver- age, 1.5 species per genus). The biogeographic origin is very wide and includes euro—asiatic, as well as mediterranean and african genera. The following species are the sole italian representatives of related genera: Ep/fippigerida nigromarginata (Lucas, 1849) (the genus is ibero-maghrebian), Grylladere: brumzeri (Riggio, 1888) (the genus covers Africa and tropical Asia), Omeridizz nigropunctata (Lucas, 1849) (North african genus) and Bra:/Jycrotap/ms tryxalirenu (Fischer, 1854) (genus widespread in Africa and tropical Asia). Additionally, a recently discovered species, Incertamz zlrepanemis (Massa, Fontana et Buzzetti, 2006) could be included within exclusive italian representative genera; in fact, the genus includes species covering Iberian peninsula, North Africa and Middle East (plus a hymalaian species). Also in this case, Sicily is the only italian region holding this taxon. 20 species (15.7%) represent the endemism; they, together with taxa above cited, are important evidences of very peculiar biogeographic connections, which involved Sicily. To preserve them and their habitats, they could be listed within the Annexes II and IV of Habitat Directive. IJESPLORAZIONE ORTOTTEROLOGICA IN SICILIA Si pub dire che Yortotterologia siciliana sia nata quando Cupani (1657—1710) disegnt‘) le tavole del suo Panpkyton Siculum, ove, secondo Riggio (1893-94), erano raffigurate 71 specie di Artropodi, 2 Mammiferi, 223 Uccelli, 7 Rettili, 44 Pesci e vari Molluschi, Echinodermi, ecc. Tra le Tavole, rese pubbliche nel 1713, sono riconoscibili i seguenti Ortotteri: Truxalis mzsutzz, Acridide siculo— maghrebino, definito, secondo la sistematica pre—1inneana del Cupani “ G731!- lus viridis cornibus zzrrectis Lepore z'mz'mm”; Uromenuspainoi, specie descritta da Ramme (1927), successivamente considerata sottospecie di Uromenus bormeti da Nadig (1994); Conocepkczlus conocepkalus, Ortottero legato ai canneti ed agli ambienti umidi, che generalmente passa inosservato. Sono ancora ben ricono— scibili una Gryllomlpa ed il G7;/[lus bimaculzztus. Per tutte queste specie, la fon-