A new species has been added to the landscape unit.
A helmeted locust (Acrida ungarica) in the larval state was found in Mátra Mountains, the Bükki National Park Administration reported on its social media page. As they wrote: since the found individual is in a larval stage, it proves that it is not only a wandering individual that has strayed into the area, but that the species has settled in some parts of the foothills of the Mátra and is able to reproduce successfully.
It is also important that the individual is not mature, as it is not yet able to cover greater distances. After all, the larva of the species belonging to the Orthoptera order is very similar to the adult, i.e. the adult insect, with the difference that it is wingless, so its ability to spread is low, while the winged adult is able to fly and its ability to spread is excellent – read in their statement.
One of the most surprising species of locusts in our country is the helmeted locust, it is an insect that lives near the ground level of dry, grassy steppes and steppe meadows. It is a species of Mediterranean origin, its occurrence is sporadic in Hungary. It can also be found in areas with predominantly sandy or compact soil, barren pastures and saline areas, but nowhere in large numbers. There are very few suitable habitats for it in the foothill parts of the Mátra Landscape, which may be the reason why it has not been noticed until now.
The helmeted locust clearly seems to be one of the winners of global warming, as it has recently been found in more and more places where it was previously unknown. The helmeted locust is under nature conservation protection, its conservation value is HUF 50,000/individual.
24.hu
Photo: FACEBOOK/BÜKKI NEMZETI PARK IGAZGATÓSÁG
