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The desert locust is an agricultural pest that is able to switch from a harmless solitarious stage, during recession periods, to swarms of gregarious individuals that disperse long distances and affect areas from western Africa to India during outbreak periods. Large outbreaks have been recorded through centuries, and the Food and Agriculture Organization keeps a long-term, large-scale monitoring survey database in the area. However, there is also a much less known subspecies that occupies a limited area in Southern Africa. We used large-scale climatic and occurrence data of the solitarious phase of each subspecies during recession periods to understand whether both subspecies climatic niches differ from each other, what is the current potential geographical distribution of each subspecies, and how climate change is likely to shift their potential distribution with respect to current conditions. We evaluated whether subspecies are significantly specialized along available climate gradients by using null models of background climatic differences within and between southern and northern ranges and applying niche similarity and niche equivalency tests. The results point to climatic niche conservatism between the two clades. We complemented this analysis with species distribution modeling to characterize current solitarious distributions and forecast potential recession range shifts under two extreme climate change scenarios at the 2050 and 2090 time horizon. Projections suggest that, at a global scale, the northern clade could contract its solitarious recession range, while the southern clade is likely to expand its recession range. However, local expansions were also predicted in the northern clade, in particular in southern and northern margins of the current geographical distribution. In conclusion, monitoring and management practices should remain in place in northern Africa, while in Southern Africa the potential for the subspecies to pose a threat in the future should be investigated more closely.

We evaluated the validity of the subspecific designation for Schistocerca gregaria gregaria (Forskal) and Schistocerca gregaria flaviventris (Burmeister), isolated in distinct regions along the north–south axis of Africa. Towards this goal, we assessed the variation of multiple morphological and molecular traits within species. We first used elliptic Fourier and landmark-based relative warps analyses to compare the size and shape of two internal and two external structures of male genitalia. We provide a discriminant function which classified the specimens with 100% accuracy and selected shape elements of the external structures only (cercus and epiproct). We also tested eight molecular markers, and because of either absence of variation or contamination by mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)-like sequences, we used a clone-and-sequence analysis of the standard cytochrome c oxidase subunit I mitochondrial DNA barcode only. We differentiated 185 true mitochondrial sequences from 66 mitochondrial DNA-like sequences, most of which were from S. g. gregaria specimens. On the dataset of mitochondrial origin, we identified three characteristic point mutations that diagnosed the two allopatric subspecies with 94% accuracy. Minimum spanning network and parsimony tree analyses identified S. g. flaviventris as a monophyletic lineage distinct from the nominate subspecies. Accordingly, microsatellite data indicate rarely occurring admixture events only, showing that independent evolutionary history is the norm. (Resume d'auteur)

The Crau Plain grasshopper,PrionotropisrhodanicaUvarov, 1923 (Orthoptera: Pamphagidae: Thrinchinae), is a rare grasshopper species endemic to the Crau Plain, a steppic habitat in France with unique floristic and faunistic communities. During recent decades, the area covered by these steppic grasslands has been highly reduced and fragmented due to the development of irrigation-based agriculture, roads, as well as industrial and military complexes. The restricted distribution, low population density and poor dispersal ability ofP.rhodanica, combined with the destruction of its habitat, has led to the classification of this species as critically endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Decreases in habitat quality due to intensive grazing in the remnant grassland patches constitute an additional threat forP.rhodanicathat can impact population dynamics at a relatively small-scale. In this work, we focused on a small area of about 3 km2occupied by one of the largest subpopulations observed in 2000–2001. We conducted a single-time snapshot intensive survey of grasshopper density and genetic variation at 11 microsatellite markers. We used a recent method, MAPI, to visualize the spatial genetic structure as a continuous surface and to determine, with the simultaneous use of spatial cross-correlograms, whether the normalized difference vegetation index, which informs on the balance between vegetation productivity and grazing intensity, can explain grasshopper population structure at such a fine scale. We found that both population density and gene flow were strongly and positively correlated to habitat quality (higher productivity of grasslands and/or lower sheep grazing). The spatial scales of interaction between these variables were estimated to be highly similar, in the range of 812–880 meters. This result suggests thatP.rhodanicais very sensitive to the quality of the grasslands it inhabits.

Prionotropis hystrix rhodanica Uvarov, 1923 is a protected grasshopper, endemic to the Crau plain area (a few thousand square kilometres), in southern France. It is restricted to a specific and very characteristic type of vegetation, locally called ‘coussou’.This biotope is currently being increasingly fragmented. This subspecies could disappear in a few years as a consequence of the increase in agricultural areas and of industrial parks. It is necessary to adopt measures rapidly for ameliorating the loss of this biotope. It is of prime importance to stop the increase of new agricultural or industrial areas, to create nature reserves for maintaining areas of natural ‘coussou’, particularly large fragments (more than 1000 ha) and to implement cultivated land remediation. Areas that are too small, too disturbed or too isolated will not be sufficient to ensure the survival of this brachypterous, highly sedentary and vulnerable grasshopper.

Le criquet rhodanien

Summary. -Prionotropis hystrix rhodanica Uvarov, 1923, is a protected grasshopper subspecies endemic to the Crau region, of southern France. Its biology was studied for the first time over two subsequent years, 1991 and 1992. The biological cycle is univoltine with an embryonic diapause during the cold season. Nymphal development includes five instars over two months, from the beginning of April to the beginning of June. The eggs are laid by mid-June. The lenght of the imago stage is short and they desappear by mid-July. Densities were low and never exceed 300 grasshoppers per hectare. Dispersal capabilities of this brachypterous grasshopper (assessed by capture-recapture method) are low. The ovarian activity is classical. The average number of ovarioles per female is about 19 and the number of eggs per pod about 18. Nowadays, this subspecies is in great jeopardy because of the substantial reduction in its biotopes due to agricultural development., Résumé. -La biologie de l'Acridien Prionotropis hystrix rhodanica Uvarov, 1923, sous-espèce protégée endémique de la plaine de la Crau, a été étudiée pour la première fois en détail au cours de deux cycles consécutifs, en 1991 et 1992. Le cycle biologique est univoltin, avec une diapause embryonnaire de saison fraîche, un développement larvaire printanier passant par 5 stades et durant environ deux mois, de début avril à début juin. Les pontes commencent mi-juin et les imagos disparaissent dès la mi-juillet. Les densités sont restées faibles et n'ont jamais dépassé 300 individus par hectare. Les capacités de dispersion de cet acridien brachyptère, évaluées par marquage-recapture, sont très réduites. Le fonctionnement ovarien est de type classique. Le nombre d'ovarioles par femelle est de l'ordre de 20 et le nombre d'œufs par ponte de 18. Cette sous-espèce est actuellement fortement menacée de disparition du fait de la diminution importante de ses biotopes sous l'influence du développement agricole., Foucart Antoine, Lecoq Michel. Biologie et dynamique des populations de Prionotropis hystrix rhodanica Uvarov, 1923 dans la plaine de la Crau (France) (Orthoptera, Pamphagidae). In: Bulletin de la Société entomologique de France, volume 101 (1), avril 1996. pp. 75-87.

International audience; Landscape analysis and genetics can allow a better understanding of grasshoppers for which ecology is not very well known. We analysed landscape changes between 1990 and 2006 at two areas from southern France where three grasshopper species (Calliptamus italicus (L., 1758), Calliptamus wattenwylianus Pantel, 1896, and Calliptamus barbarus (Costa, 1836)) occur. We then applied microsatellite markers to the study of 1200 georeferenced samples collected over both areas. We used a recent Bayesian clustering method with correlated allele frequencies to detect weak population genetic structure. We found evidence of breaks in gene flow only in C. wattenwylianus, thought to be sedentary relative to its congenerics. By using different allele frequency models and prior information to different levels of genetic differentiation for our six real data sets, our study also informs on the ability of the newly available Bayesian clustering methods model to detect weak genetic structure in natural field populations.; L’analyse du paysage et la génétique peuvent apporter une meilleure connaissance sur des criquets dont l’écologie n’est pas bien connue. Nous étudions les changements de paysage survenus dans deux régions du sud de la France dans lesquelles cohabitent trois espèces de criquets (Calliptamus italicus (L., 1758), Calliptamus wattenwylianus Pantel, 1896 et Calliptamus barbarus (Costa, 1836)). Nous avons génotypé 1200 échantillons géoréférencés provenant des deux régions, à l’aide de marqueurs microsatellites. Nous avons utilisé une méthode bayesienne de regroupement récente, avec un modèle de fréquences alléliques corrélées afin de détecter des structures génétiques faibles. Nous avons mis en évidence une barrière au flux de gène seulement chez C. wattenwylianus qu’on croit être sédentaire par comparaison à ses congénères. En utilisant des modèles de fréquences corrélées, paramétrés avec des informations différant selon les niveaux de différenciation génétique attendus dans nos six bases de données réelles, notre étude renseigne également sur la capacité des récents modèles bayésiens de regroupement à discerner de faibles structures génétiques dans les populations naturelles. [Traduit par la Rédaction]

We conducted a comparative population genetic analysis of levels of genetic variation and its geographical structuring in three closely related species of grasshopper that co-occur in the Mediterranean Basin: Calliptamus italicus, C. barbarus and C. wat- tenwylianus. In the western part of their distributions 5 populations of C. italicus, 13 of C. barbarus and 10 of C. wattenwylianus were sampled. Bootstrap re-sampling of populations and microsatellite loci within each species indicated a lower level of genetic diversity and higher level of genetic differentiation in C. barbarus, which is less of an outbreak pest species than either of the other Calliptamus species studied. This may be due to lower effective sizes of non-outbreak populations and/or lower gene flow among them.

Locusta migratoria cinerascens became a potential pest in irrigated cereals under pivots, in the Touat region (Algerian Central Sahara), since the indication of the fi rst crowding in June 1994. Morphometrics and bioclimatic approaches revealed the homogeneity between North and South Algerian populations, suggesting a recent colonisation of Central Sahara, aided by the development of large acreage perimeters. We studied the populations of this acridian from 1995 to 2004 and show that they belonged to the solitarious or transiens phase and never reached the gregarious one. The absence of this last phase is discussed in the light of heterogeneous densities observed in the successive generations. Resume. Populations centre-sahariennes de Locusta migratoria cinerascens (Orthoptera : Acrididae) dans les perimetres irrigues : est-ce une colonisation recente ? Locusta migratoria cinerascens est devenu un ravageur potentiel dans les cultures de cereales irriguees sous pivots, dans la region de Touat (Sahara Central algerien), depuis l'indication des premieres pullulations en juin 1994. Des approches morphometriques et bioclimatiques revelent une homogeneite des populations du nord et du sud algerien, suggerant une colonisation recente dans le Sahara Central, a la faveur de la mise en valeur de grandes surfaces agricoles. Nous avons etudie des populations de cet acridien de 1995 a 2004 et montrons qu'il s'agit d'individus de phase solitaire ou transiens, n'ayant jamais atteint l'etat gregaire. L'absence de cette derniere phase est discutee a la lumiere des fortes variations de densites observees entre les differentes generations.

The authors give a chronological list of the scientific papers published during the years 1931 to 1987, mainly but not uniquely about Coleóptera, by the late Léon Schaefer (1900-1989). Although certainly not fully exhaustive, this list of 195 papers is assumed to include the major part of his contributions., Les auteurs ont reconstitués l'œuvre de Léon Schaefer grâce à un patient travail bibliographique. Cette liste chronologique de 195 articles, malheureusement non exhaustive, retrace l'œuvre, de 1931 à 1987, de cet éminent naturaliste entomologiste, surtout coléoptériste., Foucart Antoine, Maldès Jean-Michel. Liste des publications et notes scientifiques de Léon Schaefer (1900-1989). In: Bulletin de la Société entomologique de France, volume 98 (2), juin 1993. pp. 149-160.

Definition of the genus Calliptamus (Orthoptera: Acrididae) has generated many taxonomic debates. Even now, the existence of different geographical morphs hinders species determination, particularly as concerns females and larvae. Some of these species are observed in southern France and are recognized as potential pests. To circumvent problems of species identification in ecological surveys, we developed a single multiplex PCR method based on mitochondrial Cytochrome Oxydase I diagnostic polymorphisms to differentiate between the four species, Calliptamus italicus, C. wattenwylianus, C. siciliae and C. barbarus, in southern regions of France.

Parental environments could play an important role in controlling insect outbreaks, provided they influence changes in physiological, developmental or behavioural life-history traits related to fluctuations in population density. However, the potential implication of parental influence in density-related changes in life-history traits remains unclear in many insects that exhibit fluctuating population dynamics, particularly locusts. In this study, we report a laboratory experiment, which enabled us to characterize the life-history trait modifications induced by parental crowding of female individuals from a frequently outbreaking population ofLocusta migratoria(Linnaeus) (Orthoptera: Acrididae). We found that a rearing history of crowding led to reduced female oviposition times and increased offspring size but did not affect the developmental time, survival, fecundity, and the sex-ratio and the number of offspring. Because all studied females were raised in a common environment (isolation conditions), these observed reproductive differences are due to trans-generational effects induced by density. We discuss the ecological and evolutionary implications of the observed density-dependent parental effects on the life-history ofL. migratoria.

International audience; West Nile virus (WNV) has a history of irregular but recurrent epizootics in countries of Mediterranean and of Central and Eastern Europe. We have investigated the temporal enzootic activity of WNV in free-ranging birds over a 3-year period in an area with sporadic occurrences of WNV outbreaks in Southern France. We conducted an intensive serologic survey on several wild bird populations (>4000 serum samples collected from 3300 birds) selected as potential indicators of the WNV circulation. WNV antibodies were detected by seroneutralization and/or plaque reduction neutralization in house sparrows, black-billed magpies, and scops owls, but these species appeared to be insufficient indicators of WNV circulation. Overall seroprevalence was low (

Lupoli Roland, Dusoulier François, Streito Jean-Claude, Foucart Antoine. Un Hémiptère nouveau en Europe : Ventocoris martini (Horváth, 1889) (Het., Pentatomidae). In: Bulletin de la Société entomologique de France, volume 112 (1), mars 2007. pp. 15-16.

Corresponding author:streiff@supagro.inra.fr; International audience; The fragmentation and destruction of natural habitats is one of the major causes of extinction of wild flora and fauna due to human activities. The area around the Mediterranean Basin is particularly affected: this region is one of the world’s richest in terms of biodiversity and is undergoing substantial modification due to extensive changes in land use. We investigated the demographic state (through a genetic survey) of an endangered grasshopper, the geographical distribution of which is restricted to arid open land or glades in south-eastern France. We compared two subspecies: one is severely threatened by the fragmentation of its specific and restricted habitat (Prionotropis hystrix rhodanica in the ‘Crau’ steppe) whereas the other, P. h. azami, occurs more widely in glades or clearings in the evergreen Mediterranean forest. Genetic diversity at eight microsatellite loci was highly structured, indicating substantial isolation of populations. Within-population diversity was high at all but one site. Genetic drift was the major force involved in this genetic structure, with very little gene flow at the regional scale of observation, consistent with both the limited dispersal of this flightless species and the patchy configuration of its habitat. No significant differences in the extent of genetic diversity or population dynamics were observed between the two sub-species. The observed genetic pattern calls into question the validity of the subspecies status, and shows no strong impact of recent anthropogenic modification of the Crau steppe. The evolution of the Mediterranean3323 xeric and open habitats under both natural and anthropogenic processes is discussed

The control of grasshoppers in Brazil has been based exclusively on chemical insecticides (fenitrothion and malathion). However, as these products are known to be harmful to the environment, their massive use has caused concerns. in the face of pressure against their use, the development of alternative methods became imperative. Some species of entomopathogenic fungi can supplement or even replace chemical insecticides in the control of grasshoppers. An integrated research project began in Brazil in 1993 with the specific objective of developing bioinsecticides based on entomopathogenic microorganisms, especially fungi, to control grasshoppers. Activities centered in surveys, characterization, production, formulation, and field evaluation. Emphasis was given to developing the fungus Metarhizium anisopliae var. acridum as the most promising biocontrol candidate. It is now known that this pathogen can be used efficiently in the control of Rhammatocerus schistocercoides in Brazil and we are verifying its effects on nontarget organisms, including other Orthoptera, Diptera and Hymenoptera.

Fipronil, a compound belonging to a new chemical family, the phenylpyrazols, was tested as a barrier treatment in Mauritania against bands of hoppers of the desert locust (#Schistocerca gregaria#, Forskal1775). An ultra-low volume formulation (ADONIS 12.5UL) was applied at 15.7 and 16.6/km. The doses were 1.96 and 1.04 g ai/ protected ha. Two sites of approximately 2800 and 7200 ha were sprayed from a helicopter flying at 20m. There were 12 track spacings, ranging from 330m to 2600m. The effects of fipronil on hopper bands were determined by comparison with the initial locust populations at the two sites. Several hopper bands were monitored in two untreated areas. The hopper bands were controlled within two days in the area up to 500m from the flight path, within 7 days in the area between 1000 and 2000m, and within 12 days in the area between 2000 and 2600m. The speed of mortality was related to the upwind distance from the flight path. When ADONIS 12.5UL (12.5g ai/l of fipronil) is applied at 16 l/km, at 20m height, with track spacings up to 1000m, the efficacy was similar to that obtained with a blanket treatment (11 g ai/ha) performed the previous year in Mauritania (Author's abstract)

Annotated catalog and bibliographie study of longhorn beetles of the mediterranenan French department : Hérault. A first part present the main personalities of longhorn's study who succeed one another in Languedoc : Jules and Jean Lichtenstein, Charles Marquet, Valéry Mayet, Henri Lavagne, François Picard and Léon Schaefer. New informations are given about the biography of H. Lavagne and L. Schaefer. A brief biogeographical presentation of Hérault precede the updated list of the 160 recorded species. A second list gives the names of 25 missing species probably present in the department and giving al potential of 185 species for Hérault. These lists are etablished by the study of original handwritten notes of V. Mayet and H. Lavagne and by the analysis of imposing bibliography of which more than 100 references are closed to Hérault (75 from L. Schaefer). They are completed by autors records and informations given by the study of etablished or private collections. The conclusion gives informations about some species of which the recording in Hérault is denied or cannot be absolutely excluded., Une première partie présente les principaux artisans de l'étude des Cerambycidae qui se sont succédés en Languedoc : Jules et Jean Lichtenstein, Charles Marquet, Valéry Mayet, Henri Lavagne, François Picard et Léon Schaefer. Des nouvelles informations sont données sur la biographie d' H. Lavagne et L. Schaefer. Une brève présentation biogéographique de l'Hérault précède la liste commentée des 160 espèces recensées à ce jour. Une seconde liste donne les noms de 25 espèces absentes de notre recensement mais dont la présence est probable dans le département et qui portent le potentiel de l'Hérault à 185 espèces. Ces listes sont établies sur la base de notes manuscrites inédites de V. Mayet et H. Lavagne et par l'étude d'une imposante bibliographie dont plus d'une centaine de références (75 rien que pour L. Schaefer) sont étroitement liées à l'Hérault. Elles sont complétées par les observations des auteurs et les informations issues de la consultation de collections institutionnelles et privées. La conclusion fournit des informations sur diverses espèces dont la présence dans l'Hérault est invalidée ou ne peut être totalement exclue., Sudre Jérôme, Foucart Antoine, Cocquempot Christian. Catalogue commenté et étude bibliographique des Coléoptères Cerambycidae du département de l'Hérault. In: Bulletin mensuel de la Société linnéenne de Lyon, 68ᵉ année, n°6, juin 1999. pp. 133-192.

Foucart Antoine, Ponel Philippe. Redécouverte de Prionotropis appula en Grèce occidentale (Orth. Pamphagidae). In: Bulletin de la Société entomologique de France, volume 104 (5), décembre 1999. pp. 465-466.

A two years research project was conducted in the "dry Crau", south of France, to study the acridian population of the typical vegetation of this area, called "coussou". The list of acridian species was completed and the annual dynamics of the populations studied in detail. Twenty-six species are present., Deux années de recherche dans la formation végétale de type "coussou" caractéristique de la plaine de la Crau sèche, dans le sud de la France, ont permis de compléter l'inventaire des acridiens de cette région. Vingt-six espèces ont été inventoriées. La dynamique annuelle du peuplement est étudiée en détail., Foucart Antoine. Inventaire et dynamique annuelle du peuplement acridien de la plaine de la Crau sèche (Bouches-du-Rhône, France) (Orthoptera, Acridoidea). In: Bulletin de la Société entomologique de France, volume 102 (1), mars 1997. pp. 77-87.

Bonfils Jacques, Foucart Antoine. Description du mâle d'Orphulella trypha Otte, 1979, des Antilles françaises (Orth., Acrididae). In: Bulletin de la Société entomologique de France, volume 101 (4), octobre 1996. pp. 379-380.

Un nouvel Acantodactyle du groupe #Scutellatus# découvert en Algérie, dans la région de Beni Abbès, est décrit sous le nom de #A. taghitensis#, de Taghit, localité-type. Cette espèce se caractérise surtout par la différence de taille entre les écailles dorsales et celles des flancs, par la possession de quatre supralabiales en avant de la suboculaire et par un patron de coloration particulier.

Following the discovery of Bembecinus crassipes (Handlirsch) in the french eastern Pyrenees district, the authors review the characters hitherto used, and those available, for identifying the Bembecinus taxa found in France ; they provide a broad outline of their biology and distribution within the country, they raise B. tridens insulanus Beaumont to the species level, and provide a new identification key., A l'occasion de la capture de Bembecinus crassipes (Handlirsch) dans les Pyrénées-Orientales, les auteurs analysent les caractères utilisés jusqu'à présent, et ceux disponibles, pour identifier les Bembecinus de France ; ils indiquent les grandes lignes de leur biologie et de leur distribution dans le pays, ils élèvent B. tridens insulanus Beaumont au rang d'espèce et donnent une nouvelle clé de détermination., Fonfria Robert, Hamon Jacques, Foucart Antoine. Notes sur les Bembecinus de France continentale et de Corse (Hymenoptera, Sphecidae). In: Bulletin de la Société entomologique de France, volume 98 (5), décembre 1993. pp. 463-471.

Background Environmental parental effects can have important ecological and evolutionary consequences, yet little is known about genetic variation among populations in the plastic responses of offspring phenotypes to parental environmental conditions. This type of variation may lead to rapid phenotypic divergence among populations and facilitate speciation. With respect to density-dependent phenotypic plasticity, locust species (Orthoptera: family Acrididae), exhibit spectacular developmental and behavioural shifts in response to population density, called phase change. Given the significance of phase change in locust outbreaks and control, its triggering processes have been widely investigated. Whereas crowding within the lifetime of both offspring and parents has emerged as a primary causal factor of phase change, less is known about intraspecific genetic variation in the expression of phase change, and in particular in response to the parental environment. We conducted a laboratory experiment that explicitly controlled for the environmental effects of parental rearing density. This design enabled us to compare the parental effects on offspring expression of phase-related traits between two naturally-occurring, genetically distinct populations of Locusta migratoria that differed in their historical patterns of high population density outbreak events. Results We found that locusts from a historically outbreaking population of L. migratoria expressed parentally-inherited density-dependent phase changes to a greater degree than those from a historically non-outbreaking population. Conclusion Because locusts from both populations were raised in a common environment during our experiment, a genetically-based process must be responsible for the observed variation in the propensity to express phase change. This result emphasizes the importance of genetic factors in the expression of phase traits and calls for further investigations on density-dependent parental effects in locust phase change. More population samples with different outbreak histories need to be analyzed to demonstrate that differences in propensity to gregarise evolve because of different outbreak histories.

Une femelle de criquet pèlerin #Schistocerca gregaria# a été récoltée dans le Var, à Hyères en 1988. Cette femelle est selon toute vraisemblance un individu allochtone et non un spécimen échappé d'un élevage de laboratoire. En 1987 et 1988, le criquet pèlerin a fortement pullulé au Maghreb et au Sahel. Un rapport de la FAO indiquait alors une invasion importante sur le littoral de l'Algérie et de la Tunisie. A cette époque, un grand nombre de criquets morts, immatures furent signalés en Italie, à Malte et en Grèce. Le criquet récolté en France a vraisemblablement suivi le courant des vents dominants qui auraient permis à des essaims de traverser la mer et de disperser les individus sur les côtes italiennes et françaises

Bryophyma debilis# (Karsch, 1896), un criquet rare d'Afrique de l'ouest, est decrit a partir de specimens captures a Yagma, dans la region de Ouagadougou au Burkina Faso. Diverses donnees morphologiques et anatomiques (genitalias externes et internes, ootheque, structure chorionique de l'oeuf), sont rassemblees pour decrire la sous-espece rencontree en Afrique de l'ouest, dont l'identite taxonomique n'est pas encore clairement etablie. (Resume d'auteur)