Habitats surrounding crop fields are often considered important for regulating agricultural pests and supporting their natural enemies; however, the presence of natural habitats can occasionally serve as reservoirs for outbreaks of species confined to these environments. Barbitistes vicetinus, an endemic bush-cricket native to northeast Italy, has become a major concern for agriculture and forestry due to the severe damage to broadleaf trees and crops such as vineyards and olive groves. During outbreaks, this species can move from natural habitats to adjacent crops, thus, studying its dispersal abilities is a key factor for understanding species habitat use and for developing control measures. In two experimental capture-mark-resight studies, we investigated movements and dispersal patterns of this flightless bush-cricket. In the first experiment, 100 B. vicetinus adults were simultaneously released in a vineyard and its adjacent natural habitat (hedgerow) and then sampled over an 11-day period. In the second experiment, 100 B. vicetinus individuals were released and subsequently sampled 24 h later, over the course of nine consecutive dates, covering the period from the nymph stage to adulthood. Moreover, to clarify the number of juvenile stages, a morphometric analysis was performed on 1347 individuals from the hatching period till the end of the adult stage. Similar movement rates were found between the two habitats, suggesting a comparable behavior to persist within them. However, movement rates were slightly higher within vineyards and changed depending on developmental stage. We found that this species had six nymphal instars and the adult stage. It was concluded that the higher dispersal ability exhibited by B. vicetinus during outbreaks allows individuals to colonize neighboring crops from adjacent habitats, thus management of the reservoir habitats should be considered to avoid spillover of individuals.
Dispersal ability of Barbitistes vicetinus Galvagni & Fontana, 1993 (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae) among different habitats including a morphometric analyses of the instars
Cavaletto, G.Conceptualization
;Mazzon, L.Supervision
2025
Abstract
Habitats surrounding crop fields are often considered important for regulating agricultural pests and supporting their natural enemies; however, the presence of natural habitats can occasionally serve as reservoirs for outbreaks of species confined to these environments. Barbitistes vicetinus, an endemic bush-cricket native to northeast Italy, has become a major concern for agriculture and forestry due to the severe damage to broadleaf trees and crops such as vineyards and olive groves. During outbreaks, this species can move from natural habitats to adjacent crops, thus, studying its dispersal abilities is a key factor for understanding species habitat use and for developing control measures. In two experimental capture-mark-resight studies, we investigated movements and dispersal patterns of this flightless bush-cricket. In the first experiment, 100 B. vicetinus adults were simultaneously released in a vineyard and its adjacent natural habitat (hedgerow) and then sampled over an 11-day period. In the second experiment, 100 B. vicetinus individuals were released and subsequently sampled 24 h later, over the course of nine consecutive dates, covering the period from the nymph stage to adulthood. Moreover, to clarify the number of juvenile stages, a morphometric analysis was performed on 1347 individuals from the hatching period till the end of the adult stage. Similar movement rates were found between the two habitats, suggesting a comparable behavior to persist within them. However, movement rates were slightly higher within vineyards and changed depending on developmental stage. We found that this species had six nymphal instars and the adult stage. It was concluded that the higher dispersal ability exhibited by B. vicetinus during outbreaks allows individuals to colonize neighboring crops from adjacent habitats, thus management of the reservoir habitats should be considered to avoid spillover of individuals.
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