Stenopelmatidae
| Stenopelmatidae | ||||||||||||
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Stenopelmatus spec. |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Stenopelmatidae | ||||||||||||
| Burmeister , 1838 |
The Stenopelmatidae are a family of locusts with a burrowing way of life. It is common in North and Central America, South Africa and tropical Asia.
features
They are mostly quite large, up to about 5 centimeters long, which are colored from dark brown to reddish to yellowish straw-colored (forms living in the sand). Their characteristic body shape reminds some viewers of oversized ants. The sexes are of the same size and similar in body shape (except for the genus Oryctopus ).
The head is always very large, broad and rounded with rounded, cheek-shaped temples. He wears small, black complex eyes that protrude hemispherically from the contour of the head. The strongly serrated mandibles are noticeably long and strong and protrude far below the head. There are very long and thin, thread-like antennae on the head. A large, broad oval pronotum is noticeable on the trunk , while the meso- and metanotum are small and somewhat withdrawn. The body appears constricted when viewed from above. Of the three pairs of legs, the hind legs are the strongest and the tibiae are strongly toothed at the tip. The tibiae of the forelegs are often enlarged and roughly toothed on the outside, these serve as grave legs. Sometimes a pair of back legs or both pairs of back legs are transformed into grave legs. The abdomen is strong and enlarged on the sides. At the end of both sexes it has single, long and rod-shaped cerci . The females have a short and strong ovipositor that is curved upwards .
Most species in the family are wingless in both sexes, as is the case with almost all American species. Species of the genera Sia and Oryctopus that live in Asia are fully winged. The deck wings ( Tegmina ) of these species are only weakly thickened and flexible.
Especially the long-winged forms of the Stenopelmatidae are difficult to distinguish from the Gryllacrididae , with which they are closely related. An important distinguishing feature is the bonding pad (Pulvilli or Plantulae) of Tarsus , which is not extended at the Stenopelmatidae. The differentiation of the species in the species-richest genus Stenopelmatus is difficult and only possible by means of hook-shaped appendages at the end of the abdomen in the male sex. When alive, they can best be distinguished by the species-specific male drum sounds.
Way of life
All species live burrowing in the ground and feed predatory. Some species regularly come to the surface at night and can be caught here with bait traps.
Unlike most long-antennae terrors , Stenopelmatidae have no tympanic organs . Many species, however, are able to produce vocalizations through stridulation . Unlike crickets or grasshoppers , they don't rub the wings on top of each other, but rather the thighs ( femora ) of the hind legs on the abdomen. As far as known, the sounds are not used to find a partner, but rather to deter predators. Although the animals lack the characteristic tympanic organs, they probably have some hearing ability. In the place of the tympanic organs, they have vibration sensors that are homologous to them. The sexes are found in the Stenopelmatidae by substrate sound. They communicate through species-specific drum signals in which the animals hit their abdomen on the ground, with both sexes drumming. When mating, the male applies a large spermatophore that is not eaten by the female. The female lays the eggs, often in clutches, in an egg chamber in the ground. A prolarve hatches from the egg, which sheds its skin after a short time to the first nymph stage.
Most species need just under two years for the complete life cycle from the egg to the nymph stages to the imago and new oviposition, and possibly even longer in northern latitudes. As far as is known, they have between 9 and 11 larval stages. The moulting always takes place in the supine position. The lifespan of the adults in the laboratory is between 2 and 6 months. When kept in captivity, the animals must be isolated, as they tend to cannibalism.
habitat
Stenopelmatidae are at home in a variety of different habitats. Many species specialize in sand dunes with little vegetation. Others are found in forests, from dry oak forests to rainforests, some specialize in decomposed wood as a habitat. They come from tropical lowland rainforests to the mountainous level, with most Central American species preferring mountains. Some still occur above the tree line.
Phylogeny
The delimitation of this family is handled differently. From the originally widely delimited family, the Weta are now separated as a separate family Anostostomatidae; in older publications they are still assigned to this family. Whether the Gryllacrididae belong here as a subfamily or are better understood as a separate family has not been finally clarified. Most of the authors summarize these families in a superfamily Stenopelmatoidea . But it would also be possible that there are separate lines of development.
The family is divided into three subfamilies (only recent ones considered)
- Siinae Gorochov subfamily , 1988. One genus
- Genus Sia Gable, 1861. In South Africa and Indonesia. A related genus ( Electrosia ) fossil in Baltic amber
- Subfamily Oryctopinae Kevan, 1986. One genus
- Oryctopus Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1888. 5 species in India
- Subfamily Stenopelmatinae Burmeister, 1838. Western North America, north to southwest Canada, east to Oklahoma and Central America. 4 (according to another opinion only 3) genera
- Genus Stenopelmatus Burmeister, 1838. Species number uncertain, contains numerous as yet undescribed species
- Genus Stenopelmatopterus Gorochov, 1988. According to another opinion, belongs to Stenopelmatus .
- Genus Viscainopelmatus Tinkham, 1970. One species
- Genus Ammopelmatus Tinkham, 1965. Two species
Others
The American Stenopelmatidae are called "Jerusalem crickets" . The origin of this name is puzzling, especially since they do not live in Jerusalem (or in the Middle East at all). Possibly the name goes back to an exclamation of astonishment widespread in the 19th century. Stenopelmatidae play an important role in the mythology of the North American Hopi people .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c AV Gorochov (2001): The higher classification, phylogeny and evolution of the superfamily Stenopelmatoidea. In: LH Fields (editor): The biology of wetas, king crickets and their allies. CABI. ISBN 9780851994086 : 3-34.
- ^ A b c D. B. Weissman (2001): North and Central America Jerusalem crickets (Orthoptera: Stenopelmatidae): taxonomy, distribution, life cycle, ecology and related biology of the American species. In: LH Fields (editor): The biology of wetas, king crickets and their allies. CABI. ISBN 9780851994086 : 57-72.
- ↑ Johannes Strauß & Reinhard Lakes-Harlan (2008): Neuroanatomy of the complex tibial organ of Stenopelmatus (Orthoptera: Ensifera: Stenopelmatidae). Journal of Comparative Neurology Volume 511, Issue 1: pp. 81-91.
- ^ DB Weissman (2001): Communication and reproductive behavior in North American Jerusalem crickets (Stenopelmatus) (Orthoptera: Stenopelmatidae). In: LH Fields (editor): The biology of wetas, king crickets and their allies. CABI. ISBN 9780851994086 : 351-378.
- ^ PM Johns (1997): The Gondwanaland Weta: Family Anostostomatidae (Formerly in Stenopelmatidae, Henicidae or Mimnermidae): Nomenclatural Problems, World Checklist, New Genera and Species. Journal of Orthoptera Research No. 6: pp. 125-138.
- ↑ orthoptera species file online
- ↑ Darryl T. Gwynne (1995): Phylogeny of the Ensifera (Orthoptera): A Hypothesis Supporting Multiple Origins of Acoustical Signaling, Complex Spermatophores and Maternal Care in Crickets, Katydids, and Weta. Journal of Orthoptera Research No. 4: pp. 203-218.
- ↑ AV Gorochov (2010): New and little-known orthopteroid insects (Polyneoptera) from fossil resins: Communication 4. Paleontological Journal Volume 44, Issue 6: pp. 657-671.
- ^ DB Weissman (2005): Jerusalem! Cricket? (Orthoptera: Stenopelmatidae: Stenopelmatus); Origins of a Common Name. American Entomologist Volume 51, Number 3: pp. 158-159.
- ↑ John G. Stoffolano, Jr. & Barton Wright (2005): Sösööpa Jerusalem Cricket: An Important Insect in the Hopi Katsina Pantheon. American Entomologist Volume 51, Number 3: pp. 175-179
