Catalogue of Saga pedo (Pallas, 1771) (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae) deposited in the State Museum of Natural History NASU, Lviv, Ukraine // Catalogue of the digitized collections, deposited in the State Museum of Natural History, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Issue 5. Acarological, entomological & ornithological collections. – Lviv, 2025. – P.17-20.
DOI:
Key words: Saga pedo, Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae, collection, State Museum of Natural History NASU
The bush cricket Saga pedo (Pallas, 1771) is distributed from Southern France to Central Asia (in Western and Central Europe - up to 45°N latitude, in Eastern Europe - up to 50°N latitude, in southern Siberia - up to 54°30' N latitude); in Ukraine - to the south of the line connecting the village of Bovshiv, Halytskyi district, Ivano-Frankivska province, the city of Kaniv, Cherkaska province, and the village of Stepove, Lebedynskyi district, Sumska province (Червона…, 2009). At the northern boundary of its distribution in Central Europe, this species has been found in four countries (Hungary – ca. 80, Slovakia – 20, Austria – 14 and Czech Republic – 4 localities) (Krištín, Kaňuch, 2007). In the west of Ukraine, Saga pedo (Pallas, 1771) was discovered for the first time in 18.07.1926 by M. Kłapacz (1928) on Kasova Hora Mt. near the town of Burshtyn, Ivano-Frankivska province (Fig. 1). This species was found for the second time by A.M. Zamoroka in the same place 77 years later, in 2003 (2 specimens), and even later in 2008 (1 specimen), and in 2014 (2 specimens) (Заморока та ін., 2017). In Transcarpathian Lowland Saga pedo (Pallas, 1771) was discovered for the first time by O.Yu. Mateleshko and V.V. Mirutenko during their entomological research in Berehovo Volcanic Hills (Berehovo district, Zakarpattia Region) on the 1st and 6th of June 2018, when two nymphs of this species were recorded. Both specimens were found in abandoned rock quarries in Haiesh mountain massif, between villages Muzhiievo and Bene [Dobrosillia] (Mateleshko, Mirutenko, 2018). Although, one more find from Transcarpathian Lowland by O. Vavra (Vavra, 2018) was made earlier, on 20.05.2018, during his field work on the southern slope of Chorna Hora Mt. (Vynogradivskyi district), due to the protected status of this species, only its photo was taken (Vavra, 2018). The species is threatened and listed in Appendix II of the Bern Convention, IUCN Red list, and Annex IV of the Habitats Directive of Natura 2000, Red Data Book of Ukraine with the status rare one (Червона, 2009). The bush cricket Saga pedo (Pallas, 1771) is a parthenogenetic species highly sensitive to environmental changes, facing threats from forest expansion and agricultural intensification; prefers dry, open habitats with sparse vegetation, and its pronounced thermo-heliophily makes it an indicator of xerothermic habitats (Della Rocca, Repetto, De Caria, Milanesi, 2025). The generation of the species is annual. It overwinters in the egg phase. First instar larvae appear in May. Larval development lasts from a month to a month and a half, and they are up to eight instars. In early to mid-July, adults appear and live until the fall. Eggs are laid in the soil in the evening and at night from the end of July. Clutches consist of about 7 eggs. Ambush predator, catches insects (locusts, beetles, bugs) (Червона…, 2009). Saga pedo (Pallas, 1771) individuals at the northern boundary of their distribution were expected to be smaller and lighter because of suboptimal ecological conditions there; however, the body size of individuals from those areas were similar to the average value for the whole area (Krištín, Kaňuch, 2007). It is protected in reserves and national parks of the steppe zone of Ukraine (Безхребетні…, 2024; Проект…, 2016), and in the west of Ukraine – in the Halytskyi National Nature Park (Kasova Gora Mt.) and the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve (Chorna Hora Mt.) (Різун, Коновалова, Яницький, 2000). As Saga pedo (Pallas, 1771) is widely distributed across Europe, its conservation strongly relies on transnational efforts and coordinated conservation planning that require a large-scale (Ancillotto, Labadessa, 2023). There is an urgent task to be done – to integrate conservation strategies that would address both habitat preservation and landscape connectivity, emphasizing the importance of existing suitable habitats for the survival of Saga pedo (Pallas, 1771) populations (Della Rocca, Repetto, De Caria, Milanesi, 2025).
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