Orthoptera Research Articles

Molecular identification of potential intermediate hosts of Aulonocephalus pennula from the order Orthoptera.

Aulonocephalus pennula is a heteroxenous nematode that commonly infects a declining game bird, the northern bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus). There is a lack of information on the life cycle of A. pennula and the potential effects of infection on bobwhites. In order to better understand the life cycle of this parasite, various species from the order Orthoptera were collected from a field site in Mitchell County, Texas. Using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), nine potential intermediate hosts were identified from the 35 orthopteran species collected. Later, ten live specimens were collected to identify larvae within the potential intermediate hosts. Larvae were present in three of these and were sent for sequencing. Similarly, the presence of larvae was confirmed from extra tissues of samples identified as positive with PCR. This was the first study to document potential intermediate hosts, but future studies are needed to confirm that these species are capable of transmitting infection to bobwhite. However, this study demonstrates that PCR has increased sensitivity and may be a valuable tool when determining intermediate hosts.

A checklist of Chinese crickets (Orthoptera: Gryllidea).

A checklist of Chinese crickets, including Taiwan, is offered. Presently 331 species or subspecies have been reported including true crickets, scale crickets, ant crickets and mole crickets belonging to 6 families, 16 subfamilies and 83 genera. Modicogryllus (Modicogryllus) maculatus (Shiraki, 1930) is moved to Comidoblemmus as C. maculatus (Shiraki, 1930) comb. nov. Velarifictorus (Velarifictorus) koshunensis (Shiraki, 1911) is moved to Turanogryllus as T. koshunensis (Shiraki, 1911) comb. nov. Qingryllus Chen Zheng, 1995 syn. is the junior synonym of Goniogryllus Chopard, 1936. Loxoblemmus angulatus Bey-Bienko, 1956 syn. is the junior synonym of Loxoblemmus appendicularis Shiraki, 1930. Cophogryllus kuhlgatzi Karny, 1908 syn. is the junior synonym of Teleogryllus (Brachyteleogryllus) occipitalis occipitalis (Serville, 1838). Velarifictorus (Velarifictorus) aspersus borealis Gorochov, 1985 syn. is the junior synonym of Velarifictorus (Velarifictorus) aspersus aspersus (Walker, 1869). Modicogryllus (Modicogryllus) latefasciatus (Chopard, 1933) syn. is the junior synonym of Velarifictorus (Velarifictorus) micado (Saussure, 1877). Velarifictorus (Velarifictorus) ornatus caudatus (Shiraki, 1930) syn. is the junior synonym of Velarifictorus (Velarifictorus) ornatus ornatus (Shiraki, 1911). Dianemobius nigrofasciatus (Matsumura, 1904) syn. is the junior synonym of Dianemobius fascipes (Walker, 1869). Polionemobius mikado (Shiraki, 1911) syn. is the junior synonym of Polionemobius taprobanensis (Walker, 1869). Vietacheta picea Gorochov, 1992, Oecanthus euryelytra Ichikawa, 2001, Oecanthus similator Ichikawa, 2001, Xabea levissima Gorochov, 1992, Pteronemobius (Pteronemobius) yezoensis (Shiraki, 1911), Metioche (Metioche) japonica (Ichikawa, 2001), Natula matsuurai Sugimoto, 2001 are the first records from China.

Cave and burrow crickets of the subfamily Bothriophylacinae (Orthoptera: Myrmecophilidae) in Iran and adjacent countries

The composition, distribution, morphology and bionomics of the cricket subfamily Bothriophylacinae are briefly discussed. The following taxa are described and redescribed on the base of type material: Microbothriophylacini Gorochov trib. nov.; Eremogryllodes iranicus Tahami et Gorochov sp. nov., E. persicus Tahami et Gorochov sp. nov., E. p. torangae Tahami et Gorochov subsp. nov., E. p. lari Tahami et Gorochov subsp. nov., E. dilutus Tahami et Gorochov sp. nov., E. d. bakhtiyari Tahami et Gorochov subsp. nov. and E. bifurcatus Tahami et Gorochov sp. nov. from Iran; E. b. turcicus Gorochov et Ünal subsp. nov. from Turkey; E. major Chopard from Afghanistan; E. monodi Chopard from North Africa; Bothriophylax kiritshenkoi Gorochov et Tahami sp. nov.; B.? richteri Chopard from Iran; and B. rjabovi Gorochov sp. nov. from Armenia. Key to tribes and genera of Bothriophylacinae is also prepared.

New and little-known crickets of the subfamily Phalangopsinae (Orthoptera, Gryllidae). 11. The genus Parendacustes (Part 2)

Discussions concerning the composition of the genus Parendacustes Chop., in particular, its subgenus Minizacla Gor., are continued. Eleven new taxa of this subgenus are described: P. trusmadi sp. n., P. mulu sp. n., P. brevispina sp. n., P. modispina sp. n., P. longispina sp. n., P. forficula sabah subsp. n., P. doloduo sp. n., P. buton sp. n., P. pallescens sp. n., P. kendari sp. n., and P. lindu sp. n. New data on P. makassari Gor. are also provided.

Ambient temperature and humidity along with urine-puddling for Ceracris kiangsu , the yellow-spined bamboo locust

To better understand the role of water uptake in the urine-puddling behavior of an important bamboo pest, Ceracris kiangsu (Orthoptera: Oedipodidae), the yellow-spined bamboo locust, in southern China, ambient temperature and humidity at different times of the day were examined and analyzed for their effects on water content of the body in adults and on the urine-puddling behavior. Puddling behavior of the yellow-spined bamboo locust was observed with a camera recording system, and C. kiangsu adults were trapped by toxic bais with human urine fermented for 30 d mixed with 18% bisultap in bamboo forest. Simultaneously, ambient temperature and humidity were monitored at the same experimental sites in Hunan province. Results showed that the change of water content in the body for females and males was similar, and was influenced obviously by ambient temperature and humidity. Observations showed that the most visits [ (428.00 ± 44.24) bouts] over a whole day were observed from 12:30-14:00 with onset time of the first visit to the bait being the shortest [ (410.8 ± 52.6) s]. Trap experiments showed that 140.00 ± 20.64 were killed from 12:30-14:00, more than any other period (One-way ANOVA analysis, P < 0.05). Also the sex-ratio of adults trapped by the bait indicated that the urine-puddling behavior mainly occurred with female C. kiangsu adults (t test, P < 0.05). Implications were that ambient temperature and humidity strongly affected the urine-puddling behavior of C. kiangsu adults, and the methods of trapping adults with toxic bait were effective in a hot and dry weather.

Key to the Tribes and Genera of Tettigonioidea (Orthoptera) of Pakistan

Key to the Tribes and Genera of Tettigonioidea (Orthoptera) of Pakistan

Revision of the genus Angaracris Bey-Bienko, 1930 (Orthoptera: Acrididae, Oedipodinae) with notes on the tribe Bryodemini.

Anagaracris is considered as a monotypic genus in the tribe Bryodemini (Acrididae: Oedipodinae). New synonymy is proposed: Angaracris barabensis (Pallas, 1773) = Angaracris morulimarginis Huang, 1981, syn. nov.; = Angaracris ulashanicus Li, 1981, syn. nov.; Angaracris acrohylina Bi, 1986, syn. nov.; = Angaracris nigrimarginis Zheng et Ren, 1993, syn. nov.; = Angaracris morulipennis Zheng et Ren, 1994, syn. nov.; = Angaracris neimongolensis Zeng et Han, 1998, syn. nov. The diagnosis of the tribe Bryodemini is clarified and a key to the genera and subgenera is provided.

Molecular Phylogenetic Analysis of the Orthoptera (Arthropoda, Insecta) based on Hexamerin Sequences.

The higher taxa classification and phylogeny of the insect order Orthoptera have long been controversial. Hexamerin, as a member of the highly conserved arthropod hemocyanin superfamily, has been shown to be a good marker for the phylogenetic study of insects. However, few studies have used hexamerins on the phylogeny of Orthoptera. In this study, we determined twenty-seven different hexamerin subunit type sequences in seventeen speices of Orthoptera. In order to infer the phylogenetic relationships among the superfamilies within Orthoptera and test the monophyly of Orthoptera, phylogenic trees were reconstructed using Neighbor-Joining (NJ) and Bayesian inference (BI) methods with two dipluran and three hymenopteran hexamerin sequences as outgroups. The result supported the monophyly of Orthoptera, which includes two monophyletic suborders Caelifera and Ensifera. The Caelifera includes Acridoidea, Eumastacoidea, Tetrigoidea and Tridactyloidea, and the Ensifera includes Tettigonioidea, Grylloidea and Gryllotalpoidea. Our study is basically consistent with the study of morphological classification. In addition, our study indicates that a relatively comprehensive taxa sampling is essential to solve some problems in phylogenetic reconstruction.

Hábitos alimenticios de poblaciones periféricas de Zaedyus pichiy y Chaetophractus villosus (Cingulata, Chlamyphoridae) en la Patagonia chilena

RESUMEN En Chile los armadillos Zaedyus pichiy (Desmarest, 1804) y Chaetophractus villosus (Desmarest, 1804) tienen poblaciones periféricas restringidas a planicies de altura y estepa patagónica en la vertiente occidental de la Cordillera de los Andes, donde además han sido escasamente estudiadas. En este trabajo entregamos información sobre los hábitos alimenticios de ambas especies de armadillos, obtenida mediante el análisis de heces colectadas en dos áreas de la región de Aysén, Patagonia chilena. En 38 heces de Z. pichiy identificamos dos taxones de plantas, seis de invertebrados y cuatro de vertebrados, mientras que en 72 heces C. villosus identificamos tres, nueve y cuatro taxones de las mismas categorías. En ambas especies de armadillos los invertebrados fueron la categoría más diversa y con mayor frecuencia de ocurrencia, siendo Coleoptera, Orthoptera y Hemiptera los grupos mejor representados en términos de abundancia. Entre los vertebrados se observó mayor frecuencia de restos del camélido Lama guanicoe (Müller, 1776) y el lagomorfo Lepus europaeus (Pallas, 1778). El análisis de rarefacción muestra que la riqueza de taxones fue mayor en C. villosus que en Z. pichiy, y el índice de Pianka indica que no existió un solapamiento trófico significativo entre especies de armadillos. Nuestras observaciones indican que poblaciones periféricas de ambas especies de armadillos muestran dietas omnívoras oportunistas, con un mayor consumo de invertebrados y plantas; además, sugieren que C. villosus se desarrolla en un rango ambiental más amplio, con una dieta más diversa y mayor presencia de esta especie en ambas áreas de estudio.

Review and key to all known species of the genus Epacromius Uvarov, 1942 (Orthoptera: Acrididae).

This paper provides a review and key to all species of the genus Epacromius Uvarov, 1942. The first description of the male of the species Epacromius fallax Wang, 2007 is given.

DNA barcoding of crickets, katydids and grasshoppers (Orthoptera) from Central Europe with focus on Austria, Germany and Switzerland.

We present a DNA barcoding study on the insect order Orthoptera that was generated in collaboration between four barcoding projects in three countries, viz. Barcoding Fauna Bavarica (Germany), German Barcode of Life, Austrian Barcode of Life and Swiss Barcode of Life. Our data set includes 748 COI sequences from 127 of the 162 taxa (78.4%) recorded in the three countries involved. Ninety-three of these 122 species (76.2%, including all Ensifera) can be reliably identified using DNA barcodes. The remaining 26 caeliferan species (families Acrididae and Tetrigidae) form ten clusters that share barcodes among up to five species, in three cases even across different genera, and in six cases even sharing individual barcodes. We discuss incomplete lineage sorting and hybridization as most likely causes of this phenomenon, as the species concerned are phylogenetically young and hybridization has been previously observed. We also highlight the problem of nuclear mitochondrial pseudogenes (numts), a known problem in the barcoding of orthopteran species, and the possibility of Wolbachia infections. Finally, we discuss the possible taxonomic implications of our barcoding results and point out future research directions.

First Occurrence and Paleo-Ecological Implications of Insects (Orthoptera: Ensifera Gryllidae) in the Romualdo Member of the Santana Formation, Eo-Cretaceous of the Araripe Basin.

The Romualdo Member of the Santana Formation, a lithostatigraphic unit attributed to a marine intrusion, is famous for its preserved fossils in calcareous concretions, which stand out for their diversity and excellent preservation levels. This paper aims to record the first occurrence of the Class Insecta in the Romualdo Member of the Santana Formation of the Araripe Basin, as well as to describe and discuss the paleo-ecological implications of such finding. The first occurrence of the order Orthoptera (family Gryllidae) is presented for this unit. This new species is attributed to the genus Araripegryllus, that lasted throughout the deposition of the Crato Member, which is under the Romualdo Member. In reference to its statigraphic origin, the specimens was named Araripegryllus romualdoi sp. nov.

Parental care of Chestnut-capped Puffbird Bucco macrodactylus on the middle Jurua River, Amazonas, Brazil

Chestnut-capped Puffbird Bucco macrodactylus, like other members of the Bucconidae family, nest in arboreal termitaria. Here we described a nest of the species, found in the floodplain of the Jurua River in December 2014. It was built inside an arboreal termite mound, 2.45 m above the ground. We determined the type and frequency of prey consumed by chicks over six days: during this time adults brought food to the nest 147 times. Prey included both vertebrates and invertebrates, though the most frequent were insects of the Order Orthoptera. Fledging may have been directly stimulated by a predation attempt made by a marsupial.

A review of Iranian Dociostaurini (Orthoptera: Gomphocerinae) with keys to their species

A review of Iranian Dociostaurini (Orthoptera: Gomphocerinae) with keys to their species

The utility of DNA metabarcoding for studying the response of arthropod diversity and composition to land-use change in the tropics.

Metabarcoding potentially offers a rapid and cheap method of monitoring biodiversity, but real-world applications are few. We investigated its utility in studying patterns of litter arthropod diversity and composition in the tropics. We collected litter arthropods from 35 matched forest-plantation sites across Xishuangbanna, southwestern China. A new primer combination and the MiSeq platform were used to amplify and sequence a wide variety of litter arthropods using simulated and real-world communities. Quality filtered reads were clustered into 3,624 MOTUs at ≥97% similarity and the taxonomy of each MOTU was predicted. We compared diversity and compositional differences between forests and plantations (rubber and tea) for all MOTUs and for eight arthropod groups. We obtained ~100% detection rate after in silico sequencing six mock communities with known arthropod composition. Ordination showed that rubber, tea and forest communities formed distinct clusters. α-diversity declined significantly between forests and adjacent plantations for more arthropod groups in rubber than tea, and diversity of order Orthoptera increased significantly in tea. Turnover was higher in forests than plantations, but patterns differed among groups. Metabarcoding is useful for quantifying diversity patterns of arthropods under different land-uses and the MiSeq platform is effective for arthropod metabarcoding in the tropics.

ON THE PALEOFAUNA INVERTEBRATES (MOLLUSCA, ARTROPODA; INSECTA) OF DIATOMITE DEPOSITS OF SHAMB–1 LOCALITY (SISIAN SUITE, EARLY PLEISTOCENE, ARMENIA)

Aim. The study of fossil insects from diatomaceous sediments of Shamb-1 locality of Sisian Suite (Early Pleistocene). The collection of fossils plants and animals of Institute of Botany of NAS RA and authors' findings served as material for study. Methods. The material is processed and prepared for study by conventional methods in paleontology for prints and fossils of insects from diatomaceous sediments. There are 654 samples studied: 2 samples were with mollusks’ imprints and 652 samples with imprints of insects, from which preserved marks on 291samples allowed to identify them up to order, family, genus and species. Results. The studied material refers to the Mollusca and Arthropoda (Insecta) types. Insects are represented by species of orders Orthoptera (2 fam.), Homoptera (1 fam.), Heteroptera (2 fam.), Coleoptera (15 fam.), Hymenoptera (2 fam.), Diptera (1 fam.). Coleopteras dominate among them and are presented with following species of the family – Carabidae, Dytiscidae, Hydrophilidae, Histeridae, Staphylinidae, Silphidae, Elateridae, Buprestidae, Lampyridae, Scarabaeidae, Chrysomelidae, Tenebrionidae, Coccinellidae, Cerambycidae, Curculionidae. Main conclusions. An analysis of the taxonomic composition of paleofauna was done, which corresponds to the recent fauna and with considering modern ecological characteristics of systematical groups and species. In the investigated location of Shamb-1 a version is suggested about the palaeolandscapes and palaeoclimate in the Early Pleistocene.

Invertebrate Biomass in Mowed and Unmowed Fields of Canaan Valley

Abstract Few data exist on invertebrate populations in farmland habitats of the Appalachian Mountains. However, invertebrate biomass and taxonomic composition may influence the potential for birds to reproduce. We collected invertebrates using sweepnets on 3 idle pastures and 3 idle hayfields in the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge, WV. To evaluate the effects of mowing on invertebrate biomass, half of each field was mowed in August 1999 after grassland birds had finished nesting. In 2000, we collected terrestrial invertebrates on the mowed and non-mowed portions of each field. We documented 25 invertebrate families from 12 orders. Taxa in the orders Coleoptera (beetles), Diptera (flies), Homoptera (leafhoppers), and Orthoptera (grasshoppers and crickets) were the most abundant. Invertebrate biomass (g/150 passes of a sweep net) was similar (P = 0.763) between mowed (mean = 0.4302, SE = 0.0509) and unmowed (mean = 0.4704, SE = 0.0716) treatments. Biomass was similar between hayfields and pastures fo...

Body size, reproduction and feeding ecology of Pleurodema diplolister (Amphibia: Anura: Leiuperidae) from Caatinga, Pernambuco state, Northeastern Brazil

We present data about body size, sexual dimorphism, reproductive traits and diet ecology of Pleurodoma diplolister. This species is sexually dimorphic with females larger than males, corroborating others Leiuperidae species. The number of eggs varied from 62 to 1241 and we found a positive relationship between SVL of females and number of mature ovarian eggs but there is no relationship between SVL and volume of eggs. The diet of P. diplolister was composed by 11 categories of which Formicidae, Coleoptera and Orthopterans were the most important items and showed generalist and oportunistic predator habits. Data presented here should be considered in the development of future conservation strategies of anurans from Caatinga biome and other semiarid/arid environments.

Catalog of insect type specimens preserved at the Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Science with corrections of some specimens.

This article presents a list of insect types preserved in Kunming Natural History Museum of Zoology (KNHMZ). As of March, 2015, 3 412 type specimens belonging to 266 species/subspecies of 37 families in 9 orders (Odonata, Isoptera, Mantodea, Orthoptera, Hemiptera, Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera) are included. Information corrections of some specimens are provided in this article.

Macronutrient and Energy Contributions of Insects to the Diet of a Frugivorous Monkey (Cercopithecus ascanius)

Most extant primates feed on insects to some degree, yet the nutritional contributions of insects to primate diets are poorly characterized. Like many small-bodied frugivorous primates, redtail monkeys (Cercopithecus ascanius) also eat insects. We quantified the nutritional contributions of insects to the diets of female redtail monkeys in Kibale National Park, Uganda, from July 2010 to June 2012 through full day follows (N = 64) using weight-based estimates of food intake. Female redtail monkeys targeted insects for 41 % of feeding bouts, plant reproductive parts (including ripe fruits, unripe fruits, flowers, seeds) for 15 % of feeding bouts, and leaves (including young leaves, mature leaves, leaf petioles, leaf buds) for 17 % of feeding bouts. However, females spent just under 10 % of feeding time on insects, in contrast to 42 % on plant reproductive parts and 39 % on leaves. Redtail monkeys fed primarily on solitary, as opposed to eusocial, insects. Identification of consumed insects is challenging, but of consumed insects that could be identified 74 % were cicadas (order Homoptera), 14 % caterpillars (order Lepidoptera), and 7 % long-horned grasshoppers (order Orthoptera). On a dry matter basis, insects were fairly low in fat (<10 %, except for caterpillars) and high in crude protein content (mean ca. 69 %) compared to other foods, and contained low levels of indigestible chitin. Because insects are small, an insect feeding bout is much shorter than a feeding bout on vegetation or fruit. Despite the small proportion of time spent feeding on insects, redtail monkeys obtained a mean of 24 % of their daily protein intake and 14 % of energy through insectivory, though intake varied widely across females. Our findings demonstrate that female redtail monkeys gain more nutrients than expected given that they spend <10 % of feeding time ingesting insects. The many primates that complement plant diet items with insects may gain substantial nutrition through minimal feeding time.