Located in Eastern Europe, Moldova is bordered on the west and southwest by Romania and on the north, south, and east by Ukraine. Most of its territory lies between the area's two main rivers, the Nistru and the Prut. The Nistru forms a small part of Moldova's border with Ukraine in the northeast and southeast, but it mainly flows through the eastern part of the country, separating Bessarabia and Transnistria. The Prut River forms Moldova's entire western boundary with Romania. The Danube touches the Moldovan border at its southernmost tip, and forms the border for 200 m (656 ft).
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae); however, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) families can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica. Grasslands are found in most ecoregions of the Earth. For example, there are five terrestrial ecoregion classifications (subdivisions) of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome (ecosystem), which is one of eight terrestrial ecozones.
The common grasshopper warbler is a species of Old World warbler in the grass warbler genus Locustella. It breeds across much of temperate Europe and the western Palearctic. It is migratory, wintering in north and west Africa.
The Caspian plover is a wader in the plover family of birds. The genus name Charadrius is a Late Latin word for a yellowish bird mentioned in the fourth-century Vulgate. It derives from Ancient Greek kharadrios a bird found in ravines and river valleys. The specific asiaticus is Latin and means "Asian", although in binomials it usually means the type locality was India.
The steppe eagle is a bird of prey. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. It was once considered to be closely related to the non-migratory tawny eagle and the two forms have previously been treated as conspecific. They were split based on pronounced differences in morphology and anatomy; two molecular studies, each based on a very small number of genes, indicate that the species are distinct but disagree over how closely related they are.
The Caelifera are a suborder of orthopteran insects. They include the grasshoppers and grasshopper-like insects, as well as other superfamilies classified with them: the ground-hoppers (Tetrigoidea) and pygmy mole crickets (Tridactyloidea). The latter should not be confused with the mole crickets (Gryllotalpidae), which belong to the other Orthopteran sub-order Ensifera.
Viola lutea, also known as the mountain pansy, is a species of violet that grows in Europe, from the British Isles to the Balkans.
The Tibetan dwarf hamster is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found not only in Tibet and China, but also in India and Nepal in mountainous regions at altitudes of up to about 5,200 m (17,100 ft).
Pseudochorthippus parallelus, the meadow grasshopper, is a common species of grasshopper in the tribe Gomphocerini. It is found in non-arid grasslands throughout the well vegetated areas of Europe and some adjoining areas of Asia. It is a well-studied organism in the discipline of Evolutionary biology and was an early and important model system for the study of European phylogeography.
Carex binervis, the green-ribbed sedge, is a European species of sedge with an Atlantic distribution. It is found from Fennoscandia to the Iberian Peninsula, and occurs in heaths, moorland and other damp, acidic environments. It typically grows to a height of 15–120 cm (6–50 in), and has inflorescences comprising one male and several female spikes, each up to 45 mm (1.8 in) long. The utricles have two conspicuous green veins, which give rise to both the scientific name and the common name of the species. In the vegetative state, it closely resembles C. bigelowii, a species that usually grows at higher altitude. C. binervis was first described by James Edward Smith in 1800, and is classified in Carex sect. Spirostachyae; several hybrids with other Carex species are known.
Falcon 9 prototypes were experimental flight test reusable rockets that performed vertical takeoffs and landings. The project was privately funded by SpaceX, with no funds provided by any government until later on. Two prototypes were built, and both were launched from the ground.
Oenopia conglobata is a species of Ladybird (Coccinellidae) native to continental Europe, Asia and Africa. Its colloquial names in Germany are 'Poplar Ladybird' and Kugelige Ladybird.
Pseudoprumna baldensis is a monotypic species of grasshopper in the subfamily Melanoplinae and tribe Podismini.
Tigirekskiy Nature Reserve is a Russian 'zapovednik' in the northwest mid-level mountains of the Altai-Sayan region. The reserve was established for the protection and study of the relic pre-glacial dark taiga of the higher elevations, and the mountain-steppe of the river valleys and lower regions. The site features extensive karst landscape and caves. The reserve is situated in the Zmeinogorsky, Tretyakovsky and Krasnoshchyokovsky districts of Altai Krai. It was formally established in 1999, and covers a total area of 40,693 ha (157.12 sq mi).
Katon-Karagay National Park is the largest national park in Kazakhstan, located on the eastern edge of the country, in the Southern Altai Mountains. The park fills the west side of the "X" where the borders of Kazakhstan, Russia, China, and Mongolia meet. The highest peak in Siberia, is on the Russian border in the Katun Range. The park is in Katonkaragay District of East Kazakhstan Region, 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) southeast of the capital city of Astana.
The large marsh grasshopper, Stethophyma grossum, is a species belonging to the family Acrididae subfamily Oedipodinae.
Myrmeleotettix maculatus is a species belonging to the subfamily Gomphocerinae and may be called the mottled grasshopper. It is found across the Palearctic east to Siberia. In the north, it is spread from the British Isles to Scandinavia and Russia, north to about the Arctic Circle, in the south to Morocco, over the south of Spain, Calabria and Greece to Turkey. They are found from sea level to about 2,500 meters above sea level, for example in the French Alps and the Balkans.
Stenobothrus stigmaticus is a species belonging to the family Acrididae subfamily Gomphocerinae and is sometimes called the lesser mottled grasshopper.
Tetrix subulata is a species of groundhopper known as the slender ground-hopper, awl-shaped pygmy grasshopper and the slender grouse locust. It is found across the Palearctic: in North America, across much of Europe and Asia, from the British Isles east to Siberia, and to the southern parts of North Africa.
Tetrix undulata, the common ground-hopper, is a species of groundhopper in the Orthoptera: Caelifera.
