The orthopteroid insects of dry meadows of Cellina rushing Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region, North-eastern Italy Gli Ortotteroidei dei magredi del torrente Cellina Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italia nord-orientale

Tami, F.; Fontana, P.

The results of a research, carried out in the plain of Friuli (Pordenone district) in North-eastern Italy, on the Orthopteroid insects of dry meadows (the so called "magredi") present along the Cellina rushing, and in particular to the north of the confluence between Cellina and Meduna rushing are summarized. Since summer 2000 to June 2001 more then 300 specimens were collected; the specimens correspond to 36 species (1 Blattodea, 1 Mantodea and 34 Orthoptera) and most of them shows a Palearctic or Asiatic-European distribution. The number of species collected is particularly high in comparison to other lowland habitats in North Italy. Researches were carried out in localities characterised by different evolution stages of the typical vegetation of dry meadow ("magredi"), in order to investigate the relationship between the vegetation and the Orthopteroid insect fauna of each microhabitat. Xerophilous species decrease and mesophilous and meso-hygrophilous species increase in number moving from the rushing shore trough discontinuous vegetation habitats to meadows with continuous herbaceus covering. Celes variabilis, present in Italy only in the Cellina rushing dry meadows, and Glyptobothrus bornhalmi, only recently recorded from Italian fauna, are the most important species. Other steppic species, usually rare in Italy, are very common in the investigated area: Montana stricta, Oedaleus d. decorus and Dirshius petraeus are interesting too. The presence at low altitude of usually montane species as Decticus v. verrucivorus, Bicolorana b. bicolor e Stenobothrus n. nigromaculatus, is also characteristic for the investigated area and for the Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region too.