IUCN SSC Mid-Atlantic Island Invertebrates Specialist Group

Species

Back • Sphingonotus pachecoi (Bolívar, 1908)

Sphingonotus pachecoi (Bolívar, 1908)

Lanzarote Sand Grasshopper

  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Arthropoda
  • Class: Insecta
  • Order: Coleoptera
  • Family: Acrididae
LC Least Concern
IUCN Red List Status:
  • EX
  • EW
  • CR
  • EN
  • VU
  • NT
  • LC
  • DD
  • NE

Countries of Occurrence:
Spain - Canaries

Archipelago(s):
Canaries

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Assessor/s:
Hochkirch, A.

Reviewer/s:
Odé, B. & García, M.

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

Facilitators / Compilers/s:

Assessment Rationale:

The Lanzarote Sand Grasshopper is very common on Lanzarote. Even though it has a small extent of occurrence (EOO), it has large and well connected subpopulations, which are only locally threatened by touristic development, urbanisation and volcanism. It is therefore assessed as Least Concern (LC).

Geographic Range:

The Lanzarote Sand Grasshopper is endemic to Lanzarote, Isla Graciosa and Isla de Montana Clara (Canary Islands, Spain) (Hochkirch and Husemann 2008). Some older records from Morocco are probably erroneous. Its extent of occurrence (EOO) is c. 1200 km², and its area of occupancy is 400-600 km².

Regions:
Spain - Canaries
Extent of Occurrence (EOO):
1200 (km2)
Area of Occupancy (AOO):
400-600 (km2)
Elevation Lower Limit:
0 (m)
Elevation Upper Limit:
580 (m)
Biogeographic Realms:
Paleartic
Presence:
Extant
Origin:
Endemic Canaries
Seasonality:
Resident

Population:

The species is widespread and common in Lanzarote (Hochkirch 2003), and it has large and well connected subpopulations. Its population trend is unknown.

Habitat and Ecology

Sphingonotus pachecoi occurs in habitats with a large cover of bare ground and coarse-grained soil, which are widespread on Lanzarote. Its altitudinal range is 0 - 580 m.

Major Threat(s):

The species may be locally affected by touristic development and urbanisation. It is also threatened by active volcanism on Lanzarote.

Conservation Actions

There are no specific conservation actions in place for this species. However, the species is widespread in Lanzarote and occurs in several protected areas throughout its range. Research into its population trend is needed.