Rhaphidophoridae

Rhaphidophoridae
The orthopteran family Rhaphidophoridae of the suborder Ensifera has a worldwide distribution. Common names for these insects include jumping wētā, cave wētā, cave crickets, camelback crickets, camel crickets, Hogan bugs, spider crickets (sometimes shortened to "criders" or "sprickets"), land shrimp, and sand treaders. Those occurring in New Zealand and Australia are typically referred to as jumping or cave wētā. Most are found in forest environments or within caves, animal burrows, cellars, under stones, or in wood or similar environments. All species are flightless and nocturnal, usually with long antennae and legs. More than 500 species of Rhaphidophoridae are described.
The well-known field crickets are from a different superfamily (Grylloidea) and only look vaguely similar, while members of the family Tettigoniidae may look superficially similar in body form.
Description
Most cave crickets have very large hind legs with "drumstick-shaped" femora and equally long, thin tibiae, and long, slender antennae. The antennae arise closely and next to each other on the head. They are brownish in color and rather humpbacked in appearance, always wingless, and up to long in body and for the legs. The bodies of early instars may appear translucent.
As their name suggests, cave crickets are commonly found in caves or old mines. Some inhabit other cool, damp environments such as rotten logs, stumps and hollow trees, and under damp leaves, stones, boards, and logs. Occasionally, they prove to be a nuisance in the basements of homes in suburban areas, drains, sewers, wells, and firewood stacks. One has become a tramp species from Asia and is now found in hothouses in Europe and North America. Some reach into alpine areas and live close to permanent ice, such as the Mount Cook "flea" (Pharmacus montanus) and its relatives in New Zealand.
Subfamilies and genera
Aemodogryllinae
Genera include:
tribe Aemodogryllini Jacobson, 1905 - Asia (Korea, Indochina, Russia, China), Europe
Diestrammena Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1888
Tachycines Adelung, 1902
tribe Diestramimini Gorochov, 1998 - India, southern China, Indochina
Diestramima Storozhenko, 1990
Gigantettix Gorochov, 1998
Anoplophilinae
Genera include:
Alpinanoplophilus Ishikawa, 1993 – Japan
Anoplophilus Karny, 1931 – Japan and Korea
Ceuthophilinae
cave crickets, camel crickets and sand treaders: North America
Genera include:
tribe Argyrtini Saussure & Pictet, 1897
Anargyrtes Hubbell, 1972
Argyrtes Saussure & Pictet, 1897
Leptargyrtes Hubbell, 1972
tribe Ceuthophilini Tepper, 1892
Ceuthophilus Scudder, 1863
Macrobaenetes Tinkham, 1962
Rhachocnemis Caudell, 1916
Styracosceles Hubbell, 1936
Typhloceuthophilus Hubbell, 1940
Udeopsylla Scudder, 1863
Utabaenetes Tinkham, 1970
tribe Daihiniini Karny, 1930
Ammobaenetes Hubbell, 1936
Daihinia Haldeman, 1850
Daihinibaenetes Tinkham, 1962
Daihiniella Hubbell, 1936
Daihiniodes Hebard, 1929
Phrixocnemis Scudder, 1894
tribe Hadenoecini Ander, 1939 - North America
Euhadenoecus Hubbell, 1978
Hadenoecus Scudder, 1863
tribe Pristoceuthophilini Rehn, 1903
Exochodrilus Hubbell, 1972
Farallonophilus Rentz, 1972
Pristoceuthophilus Rehn, 1903
Salishella Hebard, 1939
Dolichopodainae
cave crickets: southern Europe, western Asia
Dolichopoda Bolivar, 1880
Gammarotettiginae
Auth. Karny, 1937 - North America
tribe Gammarotettigini Karny, 1937
Gammarotettix Brunner von Wattenwyll, 1888
Macropathinae
Gondwanan cave crickets
Genera include:
tribe Macropathini Karny, 1930 - Australia, New Zealand, South America, South Africa, the Falkland Islands
Australotettix Richards, 1964 – Australia (Queensland, New South Wales)
Cavernotettix Richards, 1966 – Australia (New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania)
Dendroplectron Richards, 1964 – New Zealand
Heteromallus Brunner von Wattenwyll, 1888 – South America
Insulanoplectron Richards, 1970 – New Zealand
Ischyroplectron Hutton, 1896 – New Zealand
Isoplectron Hutton, 1896 – New Zealand
Macropathus Walker, 1869 – New Zealand
Maotoweta Johns & Cook, 2014 – New Zealand
Micropathus Richards, 1964 – Australia (Tasmania)
Miotopus Hutton, 1898 - New Zealand
Neonetus Brunner von Wattenwyll, 1888 – New Zealand
Notoplectron Richards, 1964 – New Zealand
Novoplectron Richards, 1966 – New Zealand
Novotettix Richards, 1966 – Australia (South Australia)
Pachyrhamma Brunner von Wattenwyll, 1888 – New Zealand
Pallidoplectron Richards, 1958 – New Zealand
Pallidotettix Richards, 1968 – Australia (South Australia, Western Australia)
Paraneonetus Salmon, 1958 – New Zealand
Parudenus Enderlein, 1910 – South America
Parvotettix Richards, 1968 – Australia (Tasmania)
Petrotettix Richards, 1972 – New Zealand
Pharmacus Pictet & Saussure, 1893 – New Zealand
Pleioplectron Hutton, 1896 – New Zealand
Setascutum Richards, 1972 – New Zealand
Spelaeiacris Peringuey, 1916 – South Africa
Speleotettix Chopard, 1944 – Australia (South Australia, Victoria)
Tasmanoplectron Richards, 1971 – Australia (Tasmania)
Udenus Brunner von Wattenwyll, 1900– South America
tribe Talitropsini Gorochov, 1988
Talitropsis Bolivar, 1882 – New Zealand
† Protroglophilinae
† Prorhaphidophora Chopard, 1936
† Protroglophilus Gorochov, 1989
Rhaphidophorinae
Genera include:
tribe Rhaphidophorini Walker, 1869 - India, southern China, Japan, Indochina, Malaysia, Australasia
Eurhaphidophora Gorochov, 1999
Rhaphidophora Serville, 1838
Stonychophora Karny, 1934
Troglophilinae
cave crickets: the Mediterranean region
Troglophilus Krauss, 1879
Tropidischiinae
camel crickets: Canada
Tropidischia Scudder, 1869
An as-yet-unnamed genus was discovered within a cave in Grand Canyon–Parashant National Monument, on the Utah/Arizona border, in 2005. Its most distinctive characteristic is that it has functional grasping cerci on its posterior.
Ecology
Their distinctive limbs and antennae serve a double purpose. Typically living in a lightless environment, or active at night, they rely heavily on their sense of touch, which is limited by reach. While they have been known to take up residence in the basements of buildings, many cave crickets live out their entire lives deep inside caves. In those habitats, they sometimes face long spans of time with insufficient access to nutrients. Given their limited vision, cave crickets often jump to avoid predation. Those species of Rhaphidophoridae that have been studied are primarily scavengers, eating plant, animal, and fungi material. Although they look intimidating, they are completely harmless.
The group known as "sand treaders" is restricted to sand dunes, and are adapted to live in this environment. They are active only at night, and spend the day burrowed into the sand to minimize water loss. In the large sand dunes of California and Utah, they serve as food for scorpions and at least one specialized bird, LeConte's thrasher (Toxostoma lecontei). The thrasher roams the dunes looking for the tell-tale debris of the diurnal hiding place and excavates the sand treaders (the range of bird is in the Mojave and Colorado Deserts in the U.S.).
Interactions with humans
Cave and camel crickets are of little economic importance except as a nuisance in buildings and homes, especially basements. They are usually "accidental invaders" that wander in from adjacent areas. They may reproduce indoors, and are seen in dark, moist conditions such as a basement, shower, or laundry area, as well as in organic debris (e.g., compost heaps) that serve as food. They are fairly common invaders of homes in Hokkaido and other chilly regions in Japan. They are called kamado-uma or colloquially benjo korogi (literally, "toilet cricket").
A representation of a female from the Troglophilus genus has been found engraved on a bison bone in the Cave of the Trois-Frères, showing that they were likely already present around humans, maybe as pets or pests, in caves inhabited by prehistoric populations in the Magdalenian.
References
External links
Orthoptera families
Cave insects
Blind animals