Socotracris kleukersi Felix & Desutter-Grandcolas, 2012
publication ID |
https://doi.org/10.3897/contrib.entomol.75.e144389 |
publication LSID |
lsid:zoobank.org:pub:57F30CBD-C51F-4D9A-A280-8EF2CE6D2E8E |
DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15033442 |
persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/AA56D9A1-01F8-5A5A-9559-8B7C79A5557B |
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by Pensoft (2025-03-14 18:23:55, last updated 2025-03-16 01:38:35) |
scientific name |
Socotracris kleukersi Felix & Desutter-Grandcolas, 2012 |
status |
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Socotracris kleukersi Felix & Desutter-Grandcolas, 2012
Figs 178 View Figure 178 , 179 View Figure 179
References for Socotra.
Desutter-Grandcolas and Felix 2012: 57–65; Chintauan-Marquier et al. 2016: 62, 69, 72; Hugel et al. 2021: 204.
Diagnostic notes.
Socotracris kleukersi is the only known cave-dwelling cricket on Socotra. It is unmistakable for its light colour, with an apparent orange head and long legs. Males have dark brown tegmina reaching tergite III (Fig. 178 View Figure 178 ) and females have small, scale-like tegmina reaching the distal margin of the metanotum.
Taxonomic notes.
Socotracris Desutter-Grandcolas, 2012 is a monotypic phalangopsid cricket genus whose taxonomic position is close to Homoeogryllus Guérin-Méneville, 1847 and Meloimorpha Walker, 1870 , settled together with Phaeogryllus Bolívar, 1912 and most members of Gryllomorphini forming one clade ( Chintauan-Marquier et al. 2016).
Distribution and occurrence.
Endemic to Socotra. Only known with certainty from the type locality (Fig. 179 View Figure 179 ). One juvenile of possibly the same species, depicted in Cheung and DeVantier (2006), was collected in 2004 in Dilhaile Cave, Dixam Plateau, four kilometres from the type locality (K. Van Damme, in litt.). The two sites are located in strongly karstified limestone, which would allow the species to disperse by a subterranean network.
In 2009, we visited some other caves: Hoq Cave (12.5877°N, 54.3545°E) at Momi Plateau and Dejub Cave (12.3849°N, 54.0156°E) on the southern edge of Dixam, but no crickets were found ( Desutter-Grandcolas and Felix 2012).
Habitat and biology.
Specimens were found in a small cave on a cliff along the right bank of Wadi Zerik. The cave is approximately 30 m long and some 10 m high. Most individuals were found where external light was almost absent, two to four metres high on vertical walls. The species seemed less abundant in deeper parts of the cave.
On all three visits to the cave, the species appeared numerous, occurring in tens of individuals. On the visit on 21 Feb 2009, only nymphs were found. On both visits in November 2010, apart from tens of nymphs, several adults were collected. We did not observe any specimens outside the cave during the day.
The species may be active at night near the entrance of the cave. Due to the habitat, S. kleukersi can be defined as troglobitic, confirmed by its light colouration and reduced eyes.
S. kleukersi is predated by spiders. Potential other predators present in the cave are bats (Rhinopoma cystops ssp. arabium ) and whip spiders (Amblypygi, Charinidae) ( Desutter-Grandcolas and Felix 2012).
Bioacoustics.
Based on a well-developed stridulatory file, the species is expected to produce sound, but the authors never observed it.
Remarks.
One of the paratypes has been genetically analysed by Chintauan-Marquier et al. (2016) and stored in GenBank (accession numbers KR 904052.1, KR 903862.1, KR 903700.1, KR 903528.1, KR 903357.1, KR 903177.1, KR 903026.1).
Chintauan-Marquier IC, Legendre F, Hugel S, Robillard T, Grandcolas P, Nel A, Zuccon D, Desutter-Grandcolas L (2016) Laying the foundations of evolutionary and systematic studies in crickets (Insecta, Orthoptera): a multilocus phylogenetic analysis. Cladistics 32: 54–81. https://doi.org/10.1111/cla.12114
Desutter-Grandcolas L, Felix R (2012) Socotracris kleukersi n. gen. n. sp., a new troglobitic cricket from Socotra (Yemen) (Orthoptera: Grylloidea, Phalangopsidae). Zootaxa 3252: 57-65. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3252.1.3
Desutter-Grandcolas L, Felix R (2012) Socotracris kleukersi n. gen. n. sp., a new troglobitic cricket from Socotra (Yemen) (Orthoptera: Grylloidea, Phalangopsidae). Zootaxa 3252: 57–65. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3252.1.3
Hugel S, Warren BH, Desutter-Grandcolas L (2021) The Phalangopsidae crickets (Orthoptera, Grylloidea) of the Seychelles Archipelago: Taxonomy of an ecological radiation. Zootaxa 5047: 201–246. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5047.3.1
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
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Ensifera |
SuperFamily |
Grylloidea |
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Phalangopsinae |
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