Abstract
Inventory of the grasshoppers (Orthoptera, Insect) in the LTSER-sites in in the Matsch Valley / Val di Mazia (South Tyrol, Italy) within the framework of the science week 2016
The present study was carried out during the “science week” in the Long-term socioecological research (LTSER) sites in the Matsch Valley (Val di Mazia, district of Malles), a side valley of the Vinschgau Valley (Val Venosta, South Tyrol, Italy). The grasshopper fauna was studied in four different habitats, each represented by three different sites and 10 x 10 m areas, respectively, by means of a quantitative assessment in the period from June 26th to 30th, 2016 and on September 2nd and 13th, 2016. The paper provides a first inventory of the grasshoppers in the LTSER sites as well as new distribution data for single species in the Matsch Valley and South Tyrol. A total of 15 taxa were found. The upper Vinschgau Valley including the Matsch Valley is one of the driest valleys in the Alps with a subcontinental climate characterized by a particularly low annual precipitation rate. This factor favors the occurrence of species with a main distribution in steppes extending from Eastern Europe to Central Asia, such as Omocestus petraeus, which was observed in the dry pasture sites at 1000 m a.s.l. Stenobothrus nigromaculatus is a species typical for arid and semi-arid grasslands. In the study area it covers a large altitudinal amplitude as it was present in all investigated altitude levels. Oecanthus pellucens represents an element of the mediterranean fauna. Remarkable is the absence of Pholidoptera aptera in the study area which prefers humid and shady habitats.