The Gondwanaland Weta
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To the Mid-Cretaceous
Biosis: Biological Systems (2020) 1(1): 33-38 https://doi.org/10.37819/biosis.001.01.0049 ORIGINAL RESEARCH A New Genus of Crickets (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) in Mid-Cretaceous Myanmar Amber George Poinar, Jr.a*, You Ning Sub and Alex E. Brownc aDepartment of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA. bAustralian National Insect Collection, CSIRO, Clunies Ross St, Acton, ACT 2601, Canberra, Australia. b629 Euclid Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94708, USA. *Corresponding Author: George Poinar, Jr. Email: [email protected] © The Author(s) 2020 ABSTRACT Crickets (Orthoptera: Grylloidea) are a highly diverse and successful group that due ARTICLE HISTORY to their chirping are often heard more often than they are seen. Their omnivorous diet Received 28 December 2019 allows them to exist in a variety of terrestrial habitats around the world. In some Revised 10 January 2020 environments, cricket populations can build up and become plagues, resulting in Accepted 15 January 2020 significant damage to seedling crops. A new genus and species of cricket, Pherodactylus micromorphus gen. et sp. nov. (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) is described KEYWORDS from mid-Cretaceous Myanmar amber. The new genus is characterized by the Gryllidae following features: head without prominent bristles, pronotum longer than wide, mid-Cretaceous middle of pronotal disk with two distinct large dark “eyespots”, fore leg robust and 3 Myanmar amber apical spurs arranged on inner side of fore leg tibia. Shed portions of a lizard skin comparative morphology adjacent to the specimen reveal possible evidence of attempted predation. Pherodactylus micromorphus cricket Introduction cricket in Myanmar amber. While the specimen is in its last instar, it possesses all of the adult features except Crickets (Orthoptera: Grylloidea) are an extremely those of the reproductive system and is considered worthy diverse and successful group and occur globally except of description for this reason as well as to the rarity of at the Poles. -
Notes on Southern Africa Jerusalem Crickets (Orthoptera: Stenopelmatidae: Sia)
Zootaxa 3616 (1): 049–060 ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition) www.mapress.com/zootaxa/ Article ZOOTAXA Copyright © 2013 Magnolia Press ISSN 1175-5334 (online edition) http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3616.1.4 http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:C790EC39-8BE6-475A-9CA8-3FBC443D3F93 Notes on southern Africa Jerusalem crickets (Orthoptera: Stenopelmatidae: Sia) DAVID B. WEISSMAN1* & CORINNA S. BAZELET 2,3 1Department of Entomology, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA, 94118, U.S.A. 2Steinhardt Museum, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, ISRAEL. 3Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, SOUTH AFRICA. *To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: [email protected] Abstract The Old World Jerusalem cricket (JC) subfamily Siinae contains one genus, Sia, with two subgenera: Sia (Sia) with two fully winged species from southeast Asia, and Sia (Maxentius) with four wingless species from southern Africa. Because there is a dearth of published data about the behavior and biology of these insects, we present new field and laboratory research on southern African Sia (Maxentius), gather museum and literature information, and present guidelines for collecting and rearing specimens. While we make no taxonomic decisions, this review should be useful for future studies, including a needed taxonomic revision. We also compare results from these southern African JCs with recent investigations on related New World taxa, where fascinating biological traits and extensive cryptic biodiversity have been uncovered. DNA analysis reveals that these Old and New World JCs are polyphyletic. Key words: Stenopelmatoidea, Siinae, South Africa, Maxentius Introduction As presently understood, the orthopteran superfamily Stenopelmatoidea (=Gryllacridoidea) consists of six families (Eades et al. -
Orthoptera: Ensifera) in Rajshahi City, Bangladesh Shah HA Mahdi*, Meherun Nesa, Manzur-E-Mubashsira Ferdous, Mursalin Ahmed
Scholars Academic Journal of Biosciences Abbreviated Key Title: Sch Acad J Biosci ISSN 2347-9515 (Print) | ISSN 2321-6883 (Online) Zoology Journal homepage: https://saspublishers.com/sajb/ Species Abundance, Occurrence and Diversity of Cricket Fauna (Orthoptera: Ensifera) in Rajshahi City, Bangladesh Shah HA Mahdi*, Meherun Nesa, Manzur-E-Mubashsira Ferdous, Mursalin Ahmed Department of Zoology, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi 6205, Bangladesh DOI: 10.36347/sajb.2020.v08i09.003 | Received: 06.09.2020 | Accepted: 14.09.2020 | Published: 25.09.2020 *Corresponding author: Shah H. A. Mahdi Abstract Original Research Article The present study was done to assess the species abundance, monthly occurrence and diversity of cricket fauna (Orthoptera: Ensifera) in Rajshahi City, Bangladesh. A total number of 283 individuals of cricket fauna were collected and they were identified into three families, six genera and seven species. The collected specimens belonged to three families such as Gryllidae (166), Tettigoniidae (59) and Gryllotalpidae (58). The seven species and their relative abundance were viz. Gryllus texensis (36.40%), Gryllus campestris (18.37%), Lepidogryllus comparatus (3.89%), Neoconocephalus palustris (9.89%), Scudderia furcata (4.95%), Montezumina modesta (6.01%) and Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa (20.49%). Among them, highest population with dominance was Gryllus texensis (103) and lowest population was Lepidogryllus comparatus (11). Among the collected species, the status of Gryllus texensis, Gryllus campestris and Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa were very common (VC); Neoconocephalus palustris and Montezumina modesta were fairly common (FC) and Lepidogryllus comparatus and Scudderia furcata were considered as rare (R). Base on monthly occurrence 2 species of cricket were found throughout 12 months, 2 were 9-11 months, 2 were 6-8 months and 1 was 3-5 months. -
Biodiversity and Ecology of Critically Endangered, Rûens Silcrete Renosterveld in the Buffeljagsrivier Area, Swellendam
Biodiversity and Ecology of Critically Endangered, Rûens Silcrete Renosterveld in the Buffeljagsrivier area, Swellendam by Johannes Philippus Groenewald Thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Science in Conservation Ecology in the Faculty of AgriSciences at Stellenbosch University Supervisor: Prof. Michael J. Samways Co-supervisor: Dr. Ruan Veldtman December 2014 Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za Declaration I hereby declare that the work contained in this thesis, for the degree of Master of Science in Conservation Ecology, is my own work that have not been previously published in full or in part at any other University. All work that are not my own, are acknowledge in the thesis. ___________________ Date: ____________ Groenewald J.P. Copyright © 2014 Stellenbosch University All rights reserved ii Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za Acknowledgements Firstly I want to thank my supervisor Prof. M. J. Samways for his guidance and patience through the years and my co-supervisor Dr. R. Veldtman for his help the past few years. This project would not have been possible without the help of Prof. H. Geertsema, who helped me with the identification of the Lepidoptera and other insect caught in the study area. Also want to thank Dr. K. Oberlander for the help with the identification of the Oxalis species found in the study area and Flora Cameron from CREW with the identification of some of the special plants growing in the area. I further express my gratitude to Dr. Odette Curtis from the Overberg Renosterveld Project, who helped with the identification of the rare species found in the study area as well as information about grazing and burning of Renosterveld. -
Tarantulas and Social Spiders
Tarantulas and Social Spiders: A Tale of Sex and Silk by Jonathan Bull BSc (Hons) MSc ICL Thesis Presented to the Institute of Biology of The University of Nottingham in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Nottingham May 2012 DEDICATION To my parents… …because they both said to dedicate it to the other… I dedicate it to both ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost I would like to thank my supervisor Dr Sara Goodacre for her guidance and support. I am also hugely endebted to Dr Keith Spriggs who became my mentor in the field of RNA and without whom my understanding of the field would have been but a fraction of what it is now. Particular thanks go to Professor John Brookfield, an expert in the field of biological statistics and data retrieval. Likewise with Dr Susan Liddell for her proteomics assistance, a truly remarkable individual on par with Professor Brookfield in being able to simplify even the most complex techniques and analyses. Finally, I would really like to thank Janet Beccaloni for her time and resources at the Natural History Museum, London, permitting me access to the collections therein; ten years on and still a delight. Finally, amongst the greats, Alexander ‘Sasha’ Kondrashov… a true inspiration. I would also like to express my gratitude to those who, although may not have directly contributed, should not be forgotten due to their continued assistance and considerate nature: Dr Chris Wade (five straight hours of help was not uncommon!), Sue Buxton (direct to my bench creepy crawlies), Sheila Keeble (ventures and cleans where others dare not), Alice Young (read/checked my thesis and overcame her arachnophobia!) and all those in the Centre for Biomolecular Sciences. -
Phylogeny of Ensifera (Hexapoda: Orthoptera) Using Three Ribosomal Loci, with Implications for the Evolution of Acoustic Communication
Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 38 (2006) 510–530 www.elsevier.com/locate/ympev Phylogeny of Ensifera (Hexapoda: Orthoptera) using three ribosomal loci, with implications for the evolution of acoustic communication M.C. Jost a,*, K.L. Shaw b a Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, USA b Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA Received 9 May 2005; revised 27 September 2005; accepted 4 October 2005 Available online 16 November 2005 Abstract Representatives of the Orthopteran suborder Ensifera (crickets, katydids, and related insects) are well known for acoustic signals pro- duced in the contexts of courtship and mate recognition. We present a phylogenetic estimate of Ensifera for a sample of 51 taxonomically diverse exemplars, using sequences from 18S, 28S, and 16S rRNA. The results support a monophyletic Ensifera, monophyly of most ensiferan families, and the superfamily Gryllacridoidea which would include Stenopelmatidae, Anostostomatidae, Gryllacrididae, and Lezina. Schizodactylidae was recovered as the sister lineage to Grylloidea, and both Rhaphidophoridae and Tettigoniidae were found to be more closely related to Grylloidea than has been suggested by prior studies. The ambidextrously stridulating haglid Cyphoderris was found to be basal (or sister) to a clade that contains both Grylloidea and Tettigoniidae. Tree comparison tests with the concatenated molecular data found our phylogeny to be significantly better at explaining our data than three recent phylogenetic hypotheses based on morphological characters. A high degree of conflict exists between the molecular and morphological data, possibly indicating that much homoplasy is present in Ensifera, particularly in acoustic structures. In contrast to prior evolutionary hypotheses based on most parsi- monious ancestral state reconstructions, we propose that tegminal stridulation and tibial tympana are ancestral to Ensifera and were lost multiple times, especially within the Gryllidae. -
Review of the Genus Apotrechus in China (Orthoptera, Gryllacrididae, Gryllacridinae)
A peer-reviewed open-access journal ZooKeys 482:Review 143–155 of the(2015) genus Apotrechus in China (Orthoptera, Gryllacrididae, Gryllacridinae) 143 doi: 10.3897/zookeys.482.8713 RESEARCH ARTICLE http://zookeys.pensoft.net Launched to accelerate biodiversity research Review of the genus Apotrechus in China (Orthoptera, Gryllacrididae, Gryllacridinae) Miao-Miao Li1,2, Xian-Wei Liu2, Kai Li1 1 School of Life Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China 2 Shanghai Entomology Museum, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China Corresponding authors: Kai Li ([email protected]); Xian-Wei Liu ([email protected]) Academic editor: David Eades | Received 8 October 2014 | Accepted 28 January 2015 | Published 16 February 2015 http://zoobank.org/01D7EF6F-8540-43CE-A290-49265FCAE605 Citation: Li M-M, Liu X-W, Li K (2015) Review of the genus Apotrechus in China (Orthoptera, Gryllacrididae, Gryllacridinae). ZooKeys 482: 143–155. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.482.8713 Abstract In the present paper, the genus Apotrechus Brunner-Wattenwyl, 1888 is revised. Two new species from China are described and illustrated: Apotrechus quadratus sp. n. and Apotrechus truncatolobus sp. n.. A new key and the distributional data are given. Keywords Gryllacrididae, Gryllacridinae, Apotrechus, new species, China Introduction The genus Apotrechus was proposed by Brunner-Wattenwyl (1888), with the type spe- cies Apotrechus unicolor Brunner-Wattenwyl, 1888. This genus resembles the genus Eremus Brunner-Wattenwyl, 1888, but differs from the latter in: smooth frons, spine- less hind tibia and absence of male styli. Liu and Yin (2002) first studiedApotrechus in China, described one new species A. nigrigeniculatus. Liu and Bi (2008) gave a key of Apotrechus from China containing three species, and two new species A. -
Spineless Spineless Rachael Kemp and Jonathan E
Spineless Status and trends of the world’s invertebrates Edited by Ben Collen, Monika Böhm, Rachael Kemp and Jonathan E. M. Baillie Spineless Spineless Status and trends of the world’s invertebrates of the world’s Status and trends Spineless Status and trends of the world’s invertebrates Edited by Ben Collen, Monika Böhm, Rachael Kemp and Jonathan E. M. Baillie Disclaimer The designation of the geographic entities in this report, and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expressions of any opinion on the part of ZSL, IUCN or Wildscreen concerning the legal status of any country, territory, area, or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Citation Collen B, Böhm M, Kemp R & Baillie JEM (2012) Spineless: status and trends of the world’s invertebrates. Zoological Society of London, United Kingdom ISBN 978-0-900881-68-8 Spineless: status and trends of the world’s invertebrates (paperback) 978-0-900881-70-1 Spineless: status and trends of the world’s invertebrates (online version) Editors Ben Collen, Monika Böhm, Rachael Kemp and Jonathan E. M. Baillie Zoological Society of London Founded in 1826, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is an international scientifi c, conservation and educational charity: our key role is the conservation of animals and their habitats. www.zsl.org International Union for Conservation of Nature International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) helps the world fi nd pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges. www.iucn.org Wildscreen Wildscreen is a UK-based charity, whose mission is to use the power of wildlife imagery to inspire the global community to discover, value and protect the natural world. -
New Canadian and Ontario Orthopteroid Records, and an Updated Checklist of the Orthoptera of Ontario
Checklist of Ontario Orthoptera (cont.) JESO Volume 145, 2014 NEW CANADIAN AND ONTARIO ORTHOPTEROID RECORDS, AND AN UPDATED CHECKLIST OF THE ORTHOPTERA OF ONTARIO S. M. PAIERO1* AND S. A. MARSHALL1 1School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1 email, [email protected] Abstract J. ent. Soc. Ont. 145: 61–76 The following seven orthopteroid taxa are recorded from Canada for the first time: Anaxipha species 1, Cyrtoxipha gundlachi Saussure, Chloroscirtus forcipatus (Brunner von Wattenwyl), Neoconocephalus exiliscanorus (Davis), Camptonotus carolinensis (Gerstaeker), Scapteriscus borellii Linnaeus, and Melanoplus punctulatus griseus (Thomas). One further species, Neoconocephalus retusus (Scudder) is recorded from Ontario for the first time. An updated checklist of the orthopteroids of Ontario is provided, along with notes on changes in nomenclature. Published December 2014 Introduction Vickery and Kevan (1985) and Vickery and Scudder (1987) reviewed and listed the orthopteroid species known from Canada and Alaska, including 141 species from Ontario. A further 15 species have been recorded from Ontario since then (Skevington et al. 2001, Marshall et al. 2004, Paiero et al. 2010) and we here add another eight species or subspecies, of which seven are also new Canadian records. Notes on several significant provincial range extensions also are given, including two species originally recorded from Ontario on bugguide.net. Voucher specimens examined here are deposited in the University of Guelph Insect Collection (DEBU), unless otherwise noted. New Canadian records Anaxipha species 1 (Figs 1, 2) (Gryllidae: Trigidoniinae) This species, similar in appearance to the Florida endemic Anaxipha calusa * Author to whom all correspondence should be addressed. -
Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team
Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER Biological Control ASSESSING HOST RANGES FOR PARASITOIDS AND PREDATORS USED FOR CLASSICAL BIOLOGICAL CONTROL: A GUIDE TO BEST PRACTICE R. G. Van Driesche, T. Murray, and R. Reardon (Eds.) Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team—Morgantown, West Virginia United States Forest FHTET-2004-03 Department of Service September 2004 Agriculture he Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team (FHTET) was created in 1995 Tby the Deputy Chief for State and Private Forestry, USDA, Forest Service, to develop and deliver technologies to protect and improve the health of American forests. This book was published by FHTET as part of the technology transfer series. http://www.fs.fed.us/foresthealth/technology/ Cover photo: Syngaster lepidus Brullè—Timothy Paine, University of California, Riverside. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. The use of trade, firm, or corporation names in this publication is for information only and does not constitute an endorsement by the U.S. -
Multiple Patterns of Scaling of Sexual Size Dimorphism with Body Size in Orthopteroid Insects Revista De La Sociedad Entomológica Argentina, Vol
Revista de la Sociedad Entomológica Argentina ISSN: 0373-5680 [email protected] Sociedad Entomológica Argentina Argentina Bidau, Claudio J.; Taffarel, Alberto; Castillo, Elio R. Breaking the rule: multiple patterns of scaling of sexual size dimorphism with body size in orthopteroid insects Revista de la Sociedad Entomológica Argentina, vol. 75, núm. 1-2, 2016, pp. 11-36 Sociedad Entomológica Argentina Buenos Aires, Argentina Available in: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=322046181002 How to cite Complete issue Scientific Information System More information about this article Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative Trabajo Científico Article ISSN 0373-5680 (impresa), ISSN 1851-7471 (en línea) Revista de la Sociedad Entomológica Argentina 75 (1-2): 11-36, 2016 Breaking the rule: multiple patterns of scaling of sexual size dimorphism with body size in orthopteroid insects BIDAU, Claudio J. 1, Alberto TAFFAREL2,3 & Elio R. CASTILLO2,3 1Paraná y Los Claveles, 3304 Garupá, Misiones, Argentina. E-mail: [email protected] 2,3Laboratorio de Genética Evolutiva. Instituto de Biología Subtropical (IBS) CONICET-Universi- dad Nacional de Misiones. Félix de Azara 1552, Piso 6°. CP3300. Posadas, Misiones Argentina. 2,3Comité Ejecutivo de Desarrollo e Innovación Tecnológica (CEDIT) Felix de Azara 1890, Piso 5º, Posadas, Misiones 3300, Argentina. Quebrando la regla: multiples patrones alométricos de dimorfismo sexual de tama- ño en insectos ortopteroides RESUMEN. El dimorfismo sexual de tamaño (SSD por sus siglas en inglés) es un fenómeno ampliamente distribuido en los animales y sin embargo, enigmático en cuanto a sus causas últimas y próximas y a las relaciones alométricas entre el SSD y el tamaño corporal (regla de Rensch). -
Distribution and Conservation Status of Ground Weta, Hemiandrus Species (Orthoptera: Anostostomatidae)
Distribution and conservation status of ground weta, Hemiandrus species (Orthoptera: Anostostomatidae) SCIENCE FOR CONSERVATION 180 P.M. Johns Published by Department of Conservation P.O. Box 10-420 Wellington, New Zealand Science for Conservation presents the results of investigations by DOC staff, and by contracted science providers outside the Department of Conservation. Publications in this series are internally and externally peer reviewed. This report was prepared for publication by DOC Science Publishing, Science & Research Unit; editing by Geoff Gregory and layout by Lynette Clelland. Publication was approved by the Manager, Science & Research Unit, Science Technology and Information Services, Department of Conservation, Wellington. © August 2001, Department of Conservation ISSN 11732946 ISBN 0478221347 CONTENTS Abstract 5 1. Introduction 6 2. Collection and preservation 7 3. The species 8 Orthoptera: Anostostomatidae: Anostostomatinae 8 3.1 Key characters 9 3.2 General biology and habitats 14 3.3 Predators 15 3.4 Food 15 4. Conservation status 15 4.1 Common species 15 4.1.1 Widespread species 15 4.1.2 Restricted species 15 4.2 Restricted but probably not endangered 16 4.3 Species that are probably very restricted and are known from fewer than five specimens (mostly only one) 21 5. Discussion: diversity and conservation 21 5.1 Mainland Islands 22 5.2 Unique isolates 22 5.3 Disjunct populations 23 6. Recommendations 23 7. Acknowledgements 24 8. References 24 Distribution and conservation status of ground weta, Hemiandrus species (Orthoptera: Anostostomatidae) P.M. Johns Department of Zoology, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch ABSTRACT A short history of the collection and description of the seven known species of ground weta in New Zealand is presented.