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
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
D. loudoni is considered a Vulnerable species in the IUCN red list. They are threatened by human agricultural activity.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d Buzzetti, F.M.; Hochkirch, A.; Fontana, P.; Kleukers, R.; Massa, B.; Odé, B. (2016). "Decticus loudoni". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T68288443A70739612. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T68288443A70739612.en. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
- ^ "species Decticus loudoni Ramme, 1933". Orthoptera Species File. Retrieved 2025-08-05.
- ^ a b c Fontana, Paolo; Odé, Baudewijn; Malagnini, Valeria (1999). "On the identity of Decticus loudoni Ramme 1933" (PDF). Bollettino dell'Istituto di entomologia Guido Grandi della Università degli studi di Bologna. 53: 71–85.
- ^ a b "Decticus loudoni". European locusts and their ecology. Retrieved 2025-08-06.
- ^ Buzzetti, F.M.; Fontana, P.; Hochkirch, A.; Kleukers, R.; Massa, B.; Odé, B. (2016). "Decticus aprutianus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T68288397A70739597. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T68288397A70739597.en. Retrieved 6 August 2025.