Burcini, Gorochov, 1986

Hugel, Sylvain & Desutter-Grandcolas, Laure, 2021, New intertidal crickets from Comoros and Mascarene islands (Orthoptera Trigonidiidae: Nemobiinae: Burcini), Zootaxa 4995 (1), pp. 1-26 : 24

Threats to Burcini

Narrow habitat. The habitat of Burcini in South Western Indian Ocean islands, and probably elsewhere, corresponds exclusively to intertidal areas, on the shore or on caves connected to the sea; in New Caledonia these have also been observed along rivers near the sea (LDG, unpublished observations). Although populations of these species can reach very high densities, their very habitat is small, mostly linear, corresponding to a very narrow stripe on the shore. Therefore, tools used to assess threat to these species according to their Extent of Occurrence (EOO) or Area of Occupancy (AOO) ( IUCN, 2013) appear poorly adapted.

Siltation. Some of SWIO islands shores tend to silt up with mud as a consequence of deforestation and / or intensive farming practices. Burcini in SWIO seem absent from mudded areas and may therefore be indirectly threatened by deforestation (mostly in Comoros) and intensive farming (mostly Mauritius).

Sea level rise. Sea-level rise associated with global warming is a direct threat to these species. Since beachesbacks to be submerged in the next decades are usually artificialized, a shift to equivalent habitats at higher elevation may not be possible. Nevertheless, in a few cases, riverbanks with pebbles might allow a shift to higher elevation.

Modification of beaches for tourism. In SWIO, Burcini do not occur on beaches where all but sand is removed. Removal of pebbles, driftwood and algae from sand beaches makes them unsuitable for Burcini . This tendency to force the shore to fit “postcard expectations of tourists is mostly an issue in Mauritius where regulations may be needed.

Pollution. The population of Makalapobius aigrettensis n. gen. n. sp. appears to have been directly impacted by the ecological disaster caused in August 2020 by the oil slick following the sinking of the tanker Wakashio. Due to their narrow habitat in the intertidal area, sea water pollution should be considered as a major threat to Burcini .