Mud Crickets, Ripipterygidae, are
small Orthopterans (members of the group which includes Crickets, Grasshoppers
and Katydids) found throughout Central and South America. They are noted for
their preference for wet environments, such as riverbanks and moist gallery
forests, and for their ability to jump from the surface of water. They are not
well studied as a group, due to their small size (less than 15 mm), dark
colouration (black, dark brown or occasionally dark metallic blue) and fast
moving active lifestyle, which makes them difficult to capture or observe.
In a paper published in the
journal ZooKeys on 5 May 2015, Nathalie Baena-Bejarano of the Illinois Natural History Survey and Department of Entomology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the Instituto de Ciencias Naturales at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia and Sam Heads, also of the Illinois Natural History Survey
describe three new species of Mud Crickets from Colombia. All are placed in the
genus Ripipteryx.
The first new species is named Ripipteryx diegoi, in honour of Nathalie
Baena-Bejarano’s father Diego Baena. The species is described from three male
and three female specimens, all collected at Cabaña Cedros in the Parque Nacional Natural Cueva de los Guácharos. The males are 7.9-8.3 mm in length including
the wings, which project behind the body in smaller individuals, or 7.6-8.3 mm
in length excluding the wings, the females are 7.9-8.6 mm including their wings
or 7.2-8.6 mm without. Both sexes are black in colour, with some white
markings.
Ripipteryx diegoi, male
specimen in lateral view. Scale Bar is 2.3 mm. Baena-Bejarano & Heads
(2015).
The second new species is named Ripipteryx guacharoensis, meaning ‘from Guácharos’;
the species is described from two male and one female specimens collected at Cabaña
Cedros in the Parque Nacional Natural Cueva de los Guácharos. The first male
specimen is 7.55 mm in length including the wings, the second is 8.9 mm
including the wings or 7.2 mm excluding the wings, the female is 8.5 mm
including the wings or 7.4 mm without the wings. All are black with white and
yellowish markings.
Ripipteryx guacharoensis, male
specimen in lateral view. Scale Bar is 2.2 mm. Baena-Bejarano & Heads
(2015).
The third new species is named Ripipteryx gorgonaensis, meaning ‘from Gorgona’;
the species is described from seven male specimens, six collected at Alto el
Mirador in the Parque Nacional Natural Gorgona and one at Sendero cerro
Trinidad, also in the Parque Nacional Natural Gorgona. These range from 6.56 mm
to 7.74 mm in length including the wings or from 5.11 mm to 7.48 mm without the
wings and are black in colour with white markings. A number of Soft-bodied
Mites were found on some of the specimens; these are presumed to be ectoparasites,
but have yet to be identified.
Ripipteryx gorgonaensis, male
specimen in lateral view. Scale Bar is 1.44 mm. Baena-Bejarano & Heads
(2015).
The genus Ripipteryx has been divided into five groupings based upon the
structure of the male genera since the 1960s. The first two newly described
species fit within this classification scheme, however Ripipteryx gorgonaensis has a genital structure intermediate
between groups, adding to evidence that these groupings are not natural and do
not reflect true relationships within the group. Nathalie Baena-Bejarano is
currently working on a revision of this taxonomic system.
See also…
Pygmy Grasshoppers (Tetrigidae) are small Orthopteran Insects related to True Grasshoppers, Crickets and Katydids, found across much of the globe but most numerous and diverse in the tropics. The name ‘Pygmy Grasshoppes’ is somewhat...
Grasshoppers (Acrididae) are large Insects related to Crickets and Katydids. They undergo incomplete metamorphosis, with juveniles essentially similar to adults, lacking only wings and sexual characteristics. Grasshopper eggs are laid in ootheca (egg...
Mole Crickets, Gryllotalpidae, are burrowing insects related to Grasshoppers and True Crickets. They...
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