Species

BackSphingonotus fuerteventurae Hochkirch & Husemann, 2008

Sphingonotus fuerteventurae Hochkirch & Husemann, 2008

Fuerteventura Sand Grasshopper

  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Arthropoda
  • Class: Insecta
  • Order: Coleoptera
  • Family: Acrididae
LC Least Concern
IUCN Red List Status:

Countries of Occurrence:
Spain - Canaries

Archipelago(s):
Canaries

Assessor/s:
Hochkirch, A.

Reviewer/s:
Odé, B. & García, M.

Contributor/s:
Jakobs, D. & Kranz, M.

Facilitators / Compilers/s:


Assessment Rationale:

The Fuerteventura Sand Grasshopper (Sphingonotus fuerteventurae) is very widespread in Fuerteventura. Even though the species may be locally affected by touristic development, it is very common and occurs also in anthropogenic habitats. It is therefore assessed as Least Concern (LC).

Geographic Range:

This species is endemic to Fuerteventura, Canary Islands (Spain) (Husemann and Hochkirch 2007, Hochkirch and Husemann 2008). Its extent of occurrence (EOO) is c. 2,500 km².

Regions:
Spain - Canaries
Extent of Occurrence (EOO):
2500 (km2)
Area of Occupancy (AOO):
(km2)
Elevation Lower Limit:
0 (m)
Elevation Upper Limit:
400 (m)
Biogeographic Realms:
Paleartic
Presence:
Extant
Origin:
Endemic Canaries
Seasonality:
Resident

Population:

The species is very common and widespread on Fuerteventura. Its population trend is unknown.

Habitat and Ecology

This species is found in habitats with scarce vegetation, often with coarse-grained soil. It is also found in anthropogenic habitats, such as parking lots and dirt roads. Its elevation range is 0 - 400 m.

Major Threat(s):

The threats to this species are poorly known. It is very common in Fuerteventura and occurs in any habitat with bare ground. Therefore, it is assumed that there are no major threats to the species, although it may locally be affected by touristic development.

Conservation Actions

There are no specific conservation action in place for this species, although it occurs in several protected areas throughout its range. Research is needed on the population trend of this species.