Range,population structure and morphological characterization of the small range endemic bush-cricket <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lluciapomaresius panteli</Emphasis> (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Bradyporinae)

The bush-cricket genus Lluciapomaresius Barat, 2012 is endemic to the Iberian Peninsula. It includes at least seven species, most of which are narrow endemics restricted to single or few mountain ranges across the Peninsula. All of them are currently included under different categories in the IUCN red list. One of the species listed as data deficient is Pantel’s Saddle Bush-cricket L. panteli (Navàs 1899), an iconic species of the Montsant Natural Park. Up to now, it was thought to be restricted to few square kilometres in the Montsant range, in southern Catalonia (north-east Iberian Peninsula). The species was at some point suspected extinct, but it was rediscovered in 2000. More recently, a new species, L. nisae Olmo-Vidal 2017, was described based on specimens found in neighbouring Llaberia range, about 20 km south from Montsant. In this study, we present new data based on a systematic sampling of Lluciapomaresius across known and nearby locations in Montsant, Llaberia and surrounding ranges. The records and collected specimens allow us to provide a better delimitation of the actual distribution range and to conduct a detailed morphological study to shed light on the degree of differentiation of populations in different parts of the range, further supported by DNA sequence data of mitochondrial and nuclear genes. Our results show that L. nisae is a synonym of L. panteli as judged by the small genetic and morphological variability, better interpreted as the result of local differentiation of populations following post-glacial isolation. We further confirm the extremely small ranges and isolation of the Lluciapomaresius populations and propose to move the species towards the EN (endangered) category in the IUCN Red List. Additional research on the still unknown aspects of its biology and ecology is needed to implement reasoned and effective conservation measures that ensure its survival.