Saga pedo; Ecology; Instars; Movement; Monitoring; Conservation

The bush cricket Saga pedo is a critically endangered species in the EU and is included in Annex IV of Council Directive 92/43/EEC. This species is therefore subject to mandatory regular monitoring within all member countries where it occurs. Based on extensive surveys conducted during 2006-2011 at 10 sites in the Pálava Protected Landscape Area (Czech Republic), we show that the optimal time for monitoring in order to achieve comparable results from different investigators in different locations is the period just after nymphs hatch. Because S. pedo populations in Europe are threatened by habitat destruction resulting from successional overgrowth of habitat by vegetation and afforestation, ensuring the survival of this species will require that successional changes in vegetation and afforestation be stopped by mowing and removal of woody plants and seedlings or by farming (extensive grazing).