Spiky pygmy devils (Tetrigidae: Discotettiginae) are, because of the spiky pronotal projections and widened subapical antennal segments, among the most unique pygmy grasshoppers in Southeast (SE) Asia. The taxonomy of the group was unclear in the past, so this study brings a taxonomic and biographical review of the genus Discotettix Costa, 1864. New terminology of the pronotal projections is proposed for Scelimeninae. All valid species hitherto included in the genus are redescribed; a new genus is established for Discotettix shelfordi Hancock, 1907, Disconius Skejo, Pushkar et Tumbrinck gen. n., so a new combination is established for the species (Disconius shelfordi comb. n.). New synonymy is established: Discotettix selysi Bolivar, 1887 = Discotettix selangori Mahmood, Idris et Salmah, 2007 syn. n. Three new species are described and a key to Discotettix species is provided. The genus now includes seven species (1) Discotettix aruanus Skejo, Pushkar et Tumbrinck sp. n. from Aru; (2) D. belzebuth (Serville, 1838) from Borneo; (3) D. doriae Bolivar, 1898 stat. resurr. from the Mentawai islands; (4) D. kirscheyi Skejo, Pushkar, Tumbrinck et Tan sp. n. from Northeast (NE) Borneo; (5) D. scabridus (Stal, 1877) endemic to Mindanao and Samar; (6) D. selysi Bolivar, 1887 from Sumatra and peninsular Malaysia; (7) D. sumatrensis Skejo, Pushkar et Tumbrinck sp. n. endemic to southern Sumatra. Moreover, Discotettix is again subdivided into two subgenera: Mnesarchus Stal, 1877 stat. resurr. (D. scabridus) and nominotypical one (other species). Widened antennal segments are the only character common to all Discotettiginae genera, but this trait does not have great taxonomic importance, as it is homoplastic, meaning that it appeared in distant Tetrigidae groups independently. Discotettix is herewith transferred to the subfamily Scelimeninae and accordingly, the subfamily Discotettiginae Hancock, 1907 syn. n. becomes a junior synonym of the subfamily Scelimeninae Bolivar, 1887. The tribe Discotettigini stat. resurr., on the other hand, gathers corticolous genera of the Scelimeninae (Austrohancockia Gunther, 1938, Bidentatettix Zheng, 1992, Disconius gen. n. Discotettix, Eufalconius Gunther, 1938, Gibbotettix Zheng, 1992, Paragavialidium Zheng, 1994, Gavialidium Saussure, 1862, and Tegotettix Hancock, 1913), while the tribe Scelimenini becomes restricted to amphibious taxa. All taxa are described and amply depicted with both museum specimens and in situ photographs. An identification key is provided. The morphology and function of widened antennae in Discotettigini are discussed.

Assemblages of adult Odonata were studied in four intermittent karst rivers encompassing macrophyte-rich (MRH) and macrophyte-poor habitats (MPH) in southern Europe, where temporary lotic habitats are the predominant freshwater type but are still understudied. With a total of 25 recorded species, the studied habitats support species-rich Odonata assemblages, as already shown for intermittent rivers in the Mediterranean. Aquatic macrophyte abundance, conductivity, and water velocity are the most significant determinants of Odonata assemblages in the studied IRES. MRH promote higher Odonata abundance and the taxonomic and functional diversity of their assemblages compared to the MPH. Odonata assemblages in MRH are characterized by higher values of body size and a higher share of species preferring lentic and temporary hydrological conditions. Moreover, their assemblages are characterized by various patterns of nymphal development and drought resilience strategies. In contrast, MPH are preferred by lotic species, with nymphal development all year round and with no specific drought-resisting strategies. Our results contribute to the knowledge of diversity and ecological requirements of dragonflies and damselflies in IRES habitats, which could provide scientific background for future conservation activities and bioassessment protocols of such habitats and their biota.

Intermittent rivers, lotic habitats that cease to flow during the dry periods of the year, make up a large proportion of the world’s inland waters and are an important source of water in arid regions such as the Mediterranean. Yet, water resources and riparian habitats in the Mediterranean regions are under diverse anthropogenic pressures, including land-use change. Odonata are widely used as a valuable tool for assessing freshwater ecosystems. Hence, with the aim of inspecting the conservation value of intermittent rivers in the Mediterranean based on the assemblages they support, we studied Odonata adults at four intermittent Mediterranean rivers in the Dinaric Western Balkans ecoregion with respect to the surrounding land-cover heterogeneity. We analyzed several diversity and conservation indices and recorded significant differences in Odonata species richness and Croatian Conservation Odonatological index among the studied rivers. Our findings showed that land use, as a long-term moderate anthropogenic impact, can enhance land-cover heterogeneity and in some cases even lead to increased Odonata diversity in intermittent rivers in the Mediterranean. Intermittent rivers provide habitat for several threatened Odonata species, suggesting the importance of Odonata in planning the conservation activities in these vulnerable ecosystems.

In acoustically communicating bushcrickets (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae), most signal properties are influenced by the dimensions of the stridulatory apparatus, which in turn reflects body size and condition of the signaller. Females can assess male quality based on acoustic signals, suggesting that male stridulatory structures may be under sexual selection. We investigated scaling relationships between stridulatory structures, body size and body mass in males of the bushcricket Poecilimon veluchianus veluchianus, in comparison to the congeneric Poecilimon ampliatus. Stridulatory structures in P. v. veluchianus exhibited strong left–right correlation and coupling with body size and mass, indicating stabilizing selection for functional integration. In addition, sound-generating (the width of stridulatory teeth) and sound-radiating (mirror area on the right tegmen) structures scaled hyperallometrically to tegmen area, suggesting that both are under sexual selection. Finally, interspecies comparison revealed a steeper slope in tegmen area and stridulatory file length in relation to body size in P. ampliatus than in P. v. veluchianus, implying stronger sexual selection in the former, smaller species. Our study emphasizes the significance of a comparative allometric approach in elucidating evolutionary patterns of sound-generating and -radiating structures.

First records of Croatian and Serbian Tetrigidae (Orthoptera: Caelifera) with description of a new subspecies of Tetrix transsylvanica (Bazyluk & Kis, 1960)

Exhibiting manifold ecological impacts on terrestrial biota, roads have become a major driver of environmental change nowadays. However, many insect groups with high indication potential, such as grasshoppers and crickets (Orthoptera), have been largely neglected in road ecology research from a functional perspective. Using two complementary sampling methods, we have investigated the spatial dynamics of functional diversity and six functional traits in orthopteran assemblages, with respect to motorway proximity and the associated environmental factors, in a grassland habitat in the Lika region, Croatia. This research shows, for the first time, that road proximity can facilitate an increase in the functional diversity of orthopteran assemblages, with shifts in functional traits related to mobility, feeding habits and lifestyle being primarily driven by changes in vegetation height. Our findings also suggest that our ability to detect road-related patterns depends on the choice of a diversity measure and sampling method, since different components of orthopteran assemblages (plant-dwelling vs. ground-dwelling) exhibit different functional responses to road proximity.