S. Mahunka szerk.: Folia Entomologica Hungarica 59. (Budapest, 1998)

This is a general view on the vertical distribution, but for a detailed evaluations more data of occurrences are needed. Notes on characteristic and valuable species for bioindication In each of the three groups of habitat types there are the following characteristic species of Orthoptera: Phaneroptera nana, Saga pedo, Ephippiger ephippiger, Rhacocleis germanica, Pararcyptera microptera, Dociostaurus brevicollis, Stenobothrus eurasius, S. nigromaculatus, Euchorthippus pulvinatus and E. declivus were found only in xeric, Isophya brevipennis, I. modestior stysi, Pholidoptera frivaldskyi, Pseudopodisma nagyi, Psophus stridulus, Stenobothrus lineatus in mesic meadows and clearings, however, the majority of all detected species here occurred in mesic habitats. Leptophyes discoidalis, Parapleurus alliaceus, Conocephalus discolor were characteristic for the two humid sites. Some rare and zoogeographically valuable species such as Phaneroptera nana, Tesselana vittata, Rhacocleis germanica, Saga pedo, Paracyptera microptera, Stenobothrus eurasius, Euchorthippus declivus, E. pulvinatus reach here the northernmost zone of their area of distribution in the Carpathian Basin, and even in Central Europe. On the other hand, Isophya brevipennis and I. m. stysi belong to the very important endemics of the Carpathian Basin and according to Galvagni and Fontana (1995) the acridid Pseudopodisma nagyi has to be considered also as an endemic species for the Northern Hungarian Mountain Range. The characteristic species of the Balkan and Transylvanian Orthoptera faunae: Leptophyes discoidalis, Pholidoptera frivaldskyi and Poecilimon schmidti reach here the NW zone of their known area in Central Europe. During this study Pseudopodisma nagyi was detected at the first time in Slovakia (in three isolated clearings, 620-660 m a.s.l.) near to Velky Milic Mts. We succeeded to confirm the 40 years old record of Pholidoptera frivaldskyi in one of the four known localities in Slovakia (near Zlatá Bana, 620-700 m a.s.l. Cejchan 1958). DISCUSSION The Orthoptera fauna of the Slanské Vrchy and Zemplén Mts might be characterized by the following features: a) There are no essential differences among the S-Z Mts and the neighbouring mountains, however, some differential species exist (Nagy and Rácz 1996, Nagy et al. 1998). b) It is a transitional area between the Carpathian and the Pannonian faunae. The Pannonian fauna protrudes deeply along the river valleys both at the western and especially at the eastern side of the S-Z Mts. So, the range itself represents a somewhat isolated southward continuation of the Carpathians, however, on the peripheral foothills of the Zemplén Mts and the Slanské Vrchy a strong influence of the Pannonian fauna appears. However, its intermediate role seems to be asymmetric, because the characteristic members of the Carpathian Orthoptera fauna (Isophya brevipennis, Pholidoptera frivaldskyi, Ph. transylvanica, Omocestus viridulus) are less abundant than the Pannonian species (Phaneroptera nana, Tesselana vittata, Pholidoptera fallax, Saga pedo, Ephippiger ephippiger, Oecanthus pellucens, Pararcyptera microptrera, Dociostaurus brevicollis, etc.). A comparison between the Gömör-Torna Karst region (Slovensky Kras + Aggtelek Mts) and the S-Z Mts shows an important difference in the Orthoptera fauna, however,