Stenopelmatus, Burmeister, 1838

Weissman, David B., Vandergast, Amy G., Song, Hojun, Shin, Seunggwan, Mckenna, Duane D. & Ueshima, Norihiro, 2021, Generic relationships of New World Jerusalem crickets (Orthoptera: Stenopelmatoidea: Stenopelmatinae), including all known species of Stenopelmatus, Zootaxa 4917 (1), pp. 1-122 : 113-118

Stenopelmatus populations that need further investigations.

In the large number of specimens that we examined from both ANSP and UMMZ, there are series of small, black individuals from numerous localities in Mexico, some undoubtedly representing undescribed taxa. But without DNA or drumming data, we decline to discuss any of them further. On the other hand, there are several series of small to large sized adult specimens, with good locality data, that appear morphologically distinct and we now list those. But in the absence of DNA, drumming information, or a diagnostic morphological character, we do not formally describe any of them. In any case, we implore our colleagues: if you want to describe a new species of JC, you should have at least three of these four basic items: (1) a reasonable series including adult males, (2) calling drum, because without this, accurately determining the distribution range of a taxon is almost impossible, (3) documentation of the presence or absence of jumping ability since such a trait is restricted to Stenopelmatus and there are certain subclades within Stenopelmatus where no taxa jump, and (4) DNA data. A bonus would be karyotype information, although considering only our preliminary data discussed herein, such doesn’t help separate Stenopelmatus from Ammopelmatus .

Our list of possible undescribed taxa includes:

1. Mexico. Hidalgo. Above El Chico, 8500-9000’, 6-viii-1938, HR Roberts. ANSP. The town of El Chico is probably now called Mineral del Chico, a town (at 7800’) NW El Chico National Park, which goes up to 9400’. 2 adult males ( Fig. 192A ) measured: Male #1: body length 13.5, HFL 6.5, HFW 2.6; Male #2: body length 13.68, HFL 6.0 HFW 2.4. Face with furrow ( Fig. 192C ). Deposited ANSP. Mineral del Chico is 9.5 km NW of Mineral del Monte (our S15-42) from where we describe (p. 55) S. mineraldelmonte . These El Chico specimens appear different from S. mineraldelmonte in color and presence of a furrow. Zimapán is ~ 90 km NW of Mineral del Chico, from where we describe S. zimapan (p. 109) (our S11-66). These El Chico specimens also appear different from S. zimapan in color and presence of a furrow. Stenopelmatus mineraldelmonte (F2440) differs from S. zimapan (F1787) in DNA ( Fig. 10 ).

2. Mexico. Mexico. Forest w Villa Victoria, 8-9000’, 31-viii-1938, HR Roberts, adult males, adult females, nymphs. 10 m W Villa Victoria, 9000’, 14-viii-1940, HR Roberts, adult male ( Fig. 193A ), adult female ( Fig. 193B ), both ANSP. Similar in color to S. talpa , but smaller .

3. Mexico. Michoacán. 5 mi. S. Chilchota, road to Uruapan , 6-7000’, 16-viii-1940, HR Roberts. ANSP. Adult male ( Fig. 194A ) and adult female ( Fig. 194B ). Same taxon as Villa Victoria #2 above ?

4. Mexico. Puebla. Puebla. 1922. KB Kyser. ANSP. One adult female ( Fig. 195A ). This large, stocky specimen is probably in Stenopelmatus based on rear tibia spines and protruding ovipositor. While resembling A. comanchus , from state of Durango, Villa Lerdo, in size, her outer, most distal rear leg tibial spines are clearly different (Weissman et al. in prep). How can a JC that is ~ 40 mm in length be known from only one specimen?

5. Mexico. Veracruz, Mt. Orizaba , 10-12000’, 24-vii-1938, EH Taylor. Light colored legs ( Fig. 196A ), head, and pronotum, small-medium sized, 4 adult females, 1 late instar female. ANSP .

6. Mexico. Puebla. Mt. Citlaltepetl (aka Mt. Orizaba ) 17-vi to 14-vii-1949, 13000-14000’, LW Swan, CAS , 1 adult male ( Fig. 197 ), 2 adult females, 2 small nymphs. Swan used topo maps (pers. comm. to DBW, July, 1994), while he walked around the entire mountain, so elevations should be accurate. Timberline ~13,500’, dominant plant was grass Calamagrostis eriantha . Specimens collected in sandy areas with volcanic soil. Highest elevation Stenopelmatus known. We have another very high elevation collection record: Mexico, Mexico, Tlamacas, ~12000’, on Mt. Popocatepetl , 1-viii-1969. S. & J. Peck. 1 light colored mid instar, UMMZ .

7. Mexico. Veracruz. Metlac Canyon, S06-39. We found, microsympatric with S. sartorianus , a second species of jumping Stenopelmatus , this one an early instar, 12 mm in length, also inside a log, that was hyperactive, all black whose antennae with a white annulus, and with no wing pads, that we were unable to raise to adult.

8. El Salvador: Cerro Verde , 5-vi-1976, C. & M. Goodnight, UMMZ. Metapán, Hacienda Monte Cristo 7000’ cloud forest, 6-vii-1957, A. & P. Starrett & TM Uzzell, Jr. 1 mid-late male similar to S. talpa, UMMZ. These are the only 2 records we have seen from this country .

What percentage of Stenopelmatus species have now been described?

Given the restricted distributions of many taxa in Mexico and Central America, the lack of widespread collecting in Honduras, Guatemala, and Nicaragua coupled with the numerous collections of small, black individuals in the collections from ANSP and UMMZ, and the scarcity of good series of adults with calling drums in any collection, we guess that as little as 30% of the species diversity of Stenopelmatus could be known.

Conservation considerations.

This topic is difficult to discuss because so few Mexican and Central American taxa have known distributions. Nevertheless, we can say the following: the biodiversity in Mexico and Central America is underestimated, as gauged by our limited 1996 collecting in Honduras. Every mountainous area that DBW searched in Honduras appeared to have novel, undescribed species, a situation resembling that seen in the sky island habitats of Arizona with some Gryllus field crickets ( Weissman & Gray, 2019).

Also, in Mexico, Jerusalem crickets can be difficult to collect. For instance, in the state of Veracruz, around the cities of Córdoba and Orizaba, 5 species of JCs have been described, yet we were unable to find any specimens, probably being there too early in the season before the summer rains began. But if one delays collecting until later in the season, then few nymphs and more adult females will be found, also not an optimal situation.

In the collection of ANSP is a unique, large adult female (#4 discussed above) from the city of Puebla, in the state of Puebla. Villa Lerdo, in the state of Durango, is the type locality of A. comanchus , which was described from a single, large adult female. We have looked for JCs around both localities several times without success. We describe S. chiapas from a single adult male, collected by a botanist in 1973, with no other specimens known.

Additionally, because climate change can have major effects on cloud forests, which are probably the major habitat for JCs in Latin America, by decreasing rainfall and fog, understanding the diversity of this group would greatly benefit from additional efforts in these areas before their endemics are gone. Ironically, it is the legal and illegal cutting of trees that creates rotting log “habitat” and daytime retreats for Stenopelmatus , where they are most easily collected.

While collecting JCs may be difficult for humans, vipers in Guatemala and the Mexican highlands seem to readily find them as they can constitute from 40-75% of their diet, depending on time of year and the species of snake ( Campbell & Solórzano 1992, Campbell & Lamar 2004).

Figures

FIGURE 10. Coalescent-based species tree estimation using ASTRAL. Ammopelmatus clade has been collapsed. Green circles on the nodes denote 100% bootstrap support values, and the support values below 100% are shown as numbers. In samples F2004, F2152, and F2238, the species name is preceded by a “?” mark because the identity of the individual is not certain. These three samples are discussed in the text under each presumptive species.

FIGURE 192. A, C, D, E adult male, El Chico, showing face with furrow (arrow) and 5 inner and 3 outer rear leg tibial spines; B. adult female, El Chico.

FIGURE 193. A, C, D, adult male Villa Victoria, showing furrow and 5 inner and 3 outer rear leg tibial spines; B, adult female Villa Victoria.

FIGURE 194.A, C, adult male from Chilchota, showing furrow; B, D, adult female from Chilchota showing 5 inner and 3 outer rear leg tibial spines.

FIGURE 195. A, B, C, D, adult female Puebla, showing face with furrow, rear leg tibia with 5 inner and 3 outer spines.

FIGURE 196. A. Adult female, Mt. Orizaba. B. Same female showing 3 inner and 2 outer rear leg tibial spines.

FIGURE 197. Adult male, Mt. Citlaltepetl, LW Swan.