Orthoptera conservation in Italy: first successful reintroduction of a bush cricket in Italy, the case of Zeuneriana marmorata (Insecta).

This study reports the first successful translocation and ex situ propagation of Zeuneriana marmorata (Fieber, 1853), an endangered bush cricket endemic to northeastern Italy and Slovenia. Captive rearing of adult individuals of both sexes from a robust donor population yielded successful oviposition within artificial substrates, followed by egg hatching the subsequent year. Facilitated by close international institutional cooperation, key determinants of the positive outcome and overall long-term viability of this conservation project included the availability of healthy donor stock, suitable recipient habitats, multi-year operational continuity, and extensive inter-institutional networking among national, local, and foreign researchers. While a minimum two-year in situ monitoring framework is strictly required to definitively confirm long-term population establishment, integrated field monitoring and ex situ laboratory observations remain essential for fully clarifying the species' cryptic ecology. Furthermore, continuous captive rearing is necessary to maintain an adequate stock of multi-purpose individuals for ongoing ecological studies. As Italy’s inaugural multi-year Orthoptera conservation initiative, this pioneering project has successfully catalyzed further active reintroductions of the same species within the Venice Lagoon ecosystem. Ultimately, the frameworks and insights gained from this initiative are utilized to propose new candidate target species for future regional Orthoptera conservation and translocation programs across the Italian peninsula.