Considerazioni sulla distribuzione altitudinale dei Cicadellidi sull'Etna (Insecta, Homoptera Auchenorrhyncha).

Abstract

The correlations between Etna Cicadellidae peopling and altitude and vegetation belts are here analyzed. Feeding, kind of favourite vegetation and geographic distribution pattern have been examined for each species.Cicadellids of Mount Etna (136 species) colonize any environment up to 2450m. Only seven taxa are present in each of the considered altitudinal belts. The Etna Cicadellids peopling is essentially constituted by a conspicous group of thermophilous species; the most Mediterranean elementa are well represented at every altitude and are particularly numerous between 500 and 1500m. The cool climate elements prefer woody environments between 1000 and 2000m. At high altitude Astragalus and xerophilous grassland are colonized by taxa able to stand great changes of temperature, most of wich live on gramineae.