Decticus loudoni
| Apulian wart-biter | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Orthoptera |
| Suborder: | Ensifera |
| Family: | Tettigoniidae |
| Genus: | Decticus |
| Species: | D. loudoni
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| Binomial name | |
| Decticus loudoni Ramme, 1933
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| Synonyms | |
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Decticus loudoni, the Apulian wart-biter, is a species of wart-biter bush cricket endemic to the south east of Italy, mainly in Apulia. It is vulnerable to extinction.
Distribution and habitat
[edit | edit source]The type locality of D. loudoni is Spongano, Apulia, Italy. The male holotype specimen is now held in the Museum für Naturkunde (MfN).[2] D. loudoni is now understood to inhabit the southeastern portion of the Italian peninsula: throughout Salento (the "heel" of Italy) and further north in Foggia, both in Apulia. It is also found in the adjacent eastern fringe of Campania.[3] They are particularly abundant in Alta Murgia National Park.[4]
Apulian wart biters are inhabitants of hot, dry, semi-natural habitats: shrubland, grassland, pastures, and meadows stony and hilly.[1][3][4] They are found in habitats between 70 and 250 m in elevation,[1] while the related Decticus aprutianus is found nearby but in higher terrain, usually no lower than 1200 m.[5] The vegetation in their typical habitat is lightly grazed grass and dispersed occasional shrubs. The wart-biters are typical of Murge plateau orthopterans.[3]
Conservation
[edit | edit source]Decticus loudoni is considered a Vulnerable species in the IUCN red list. They are threatened by human agricultural activity.[1]
References
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