Gryllidae

Summary

The family Gryllidae contains the subfamilies and genera which entomologists now term true crickets. Having long, whip-like antennae, they belong to the Orthopteran suborder Ensifera, which has been greatly reduced in the last 100 years (e.g. Imms[3]): taxa such as the spider-crickets and allies, sword-tail crickets, wood or ground crickets and scaly crickets have been elevated to family level.[a] The type genus is Gryllus and the first use of the family name "Gryllidae" was by Francis Walker.[4]

Gryllidae
Temporal range: Early Cretaceous–Recent
Female Gryllus campestris
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Orthoptera
Suborder: Ensifera
Superfamily: Grylloidea
Family: Gryllidae
Laicharting, 1781[1]
Synonyms[2]
  • Gryllides Laicharting, 1781
  • Mitratogryllus Furukawa, 1985 (nomen nudum)
  • Paragryllidae Desutter-Grandcolas, 1987

They have a worldwide distribution (except Antarctica).[2] The largest members of the family are the 5 cm (2 in)-long bull crickets (Brachytrupes) which excavate burrows a metre or more deep. The tree crickets (Oecanthinae) are delicate white or pale green insects with transparent fore wings, while the field crickets (Gryllinae) are robust brown or black insects.[5]

  1. ^ Many taxa in the Ensifera may be called crickets sensu lato, including the Rhaphidophoridae – cave or camel crickets; Stenopelmatidae – Jerusalem or sand crickets; Mogoplistidae – scaly crickets; Gryllotalpidae – mole crickets; Anabrus – Mormon crickets; Myrmecophilidae – ant crickets; and Tettigoniidae – the bush crickets or katydids.

Subfamilies edit

The family is divided into these subfamily groups, subfamilies, and extinct genera (not placed within any subfamily):[2]

  • Subfamily group Gryllinae Laicharting, 1781 – common or field crickets
    • Gryllinae Laicharting, 1781
    • Gryllomiminae Gorochov, 1986 monotypic: Gryllomimus Chopard, 1936 (Africa)
    • Gryllomorphinae Saussure, 1877
    • †Gryllospeculinae Gorochov, 1985
      • Araripegryllus Martins-Neto 1987 Crato Formation, Brazil, Aptian ?Weald Clay, United Kingdom, Hauterivian
      • Brontogryllus Martins-Neto 1991 Crato Formation, Brazil, Aptian
      • Cratogryllus Martins-Neto 1991 Crato Formation, Brazil, Aptian
      • Gryllospeculum Gorochov 1985 Dzun-Bain Formation, Mongolia, Aptian
      • Mongolospeculum Gorochov 1985 Dzun-Bain Formation, Mongolia, Aptian
      • Nanaripegryllus Martins-Neto 2002 Crato Formation, Brazil, Aptian
    • Itarinae Shiraki, 1930
    • Landrevinae Gorochov, 1982
    • Sclerogryllinae Gorochov, 1985
  • Subfamily group Podoscirtinae
  • Subfamily Eneopterinae Saussure, 1893 – bush crickets (American usage), not to be confused with the Tettigoniidae (katydids or bush crickets)
  • Subfamily Oecanthinae Blanchard, 1845 – tree crickets
  • Subfamily unplaced: most extinct
    • genus †Achetomorpha Gorochov, 2019 Bembridge Marls, United Kingdom, Priabonian
    • genus †Eneopterotrypus – monotypic Zeuner, 1937 Bembridge Marls, United Kingdom, Priabonian
    • genus †Fanzus – monotypic Zessin, 2019[6] Fur Formation, Denmark, Ypresian
    • genus †Gryllidium Westwood, 1854
    • genus †Lithogryllites Cockerell, 1908 Florissant Formation, United States, Eocene
    • genus Menonia – monotypic M. cochinensis George, 1936 (tentative placement[7])
    • genus †Nanaripegryllus – monotypic Martins-Neto, 2002 Crato Formation, Brazil, Aptian
    • genus †Pherodactylus – monotypic Poinar, Su & Brown, 2020, Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian
    • genus †Proeneopterotrypus Gorochov, 2019 – monotypic †P. danicus (Rust, 1999) Fur Formation, Denmark, Ypresian

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Laicharting JN von (1781) Verzeichnis und Beschreibung der Tyroler Insecten 1.
  2. ^ a b c "Family Gryllidae (Laicharting, 1781)". Orthoptera Species File. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  3. ^ Imms AD, rev. Richards OW & Davies RG (1970) A General Textbook of Entomology 9th Ed. Methuen 886 pp.
  4. ^ Walker F (1871) Catalogue of the Specimens of Dermaptera Saltatoria in the Collection of the British Museum Supplement: 98.
  5. ^ Resh, Vincent H.; Cardé, Ring T. (2009). Encyclopedia of Insects. Academic Press. pp. 232–236. ISBN 978-0-08-092090-0.
  6. ^ Virgo 22. Jahrgang, 2019: ZESSIN, W.: Neue Insekten aus dem Moler (Paläozän/Eozän) von Dänemark, Teil 4 (Orthoptera: Caelifera: Eumastacidae, Ensifera: Gryllidae; Odonata: Libellulidae: 56-63.
  7. ^ Orthoptera Species File: genus Menonia George, 1936

External links edit

  •   Data related to Gryllidae at Wikispecies
  •   Media related to Gryllidae at Wikimedia Commons