Gryllus makhosica Weissman & Gray, 2019

Weissman, David B. & Gray, David A., 2019, Crickets of the genus Gryllus in the United States (Orthoptera: Gryllidae: Gryllinae), Zootaxa 4705 (1), pp. 1-277 : 250-254

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4705.1.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:F534C43A-AB09-4CB3-9B08-FD5BDFD90298
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/182387A8-0998-FF6F-51F6-FE9F035EF972
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Gryllus makhosica Weissman & Gray
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Gryllus makhosica Weissman & Gray , n. sp.

Badland’s National Park Field Cricket

Figs 236–238 View FIGURE 236 View FIGURE 237 View FIGURE 238 , 251–258 View FIGURE 251 View FIGURE 252 View FIGURE 253 View FIGURE 254 View FIGURE 255 View FIGURE 256 View FIGURE 257 View FIGURE 258 , Table 1 View TABLE 1

‘G. #26’ of DBW notebooks

Distribution. Known only from Badlands National Park, South Dakota.

Recognition characters and song. A medium sized, slender, always short hind wings, dark colored, long antennae extending well past tip of ovipositor, females with short tegmina and cerci longer than ovipositor in situ. Song ( Fig. 251 View FIGURE 251 , R09-95) a chirp, 3–4 (range 3–5) p/c, 105–185 c/s, PR 16-21. Distinguished from allopatric (nearest populations are ~ 850 km apart) sister species G. navajo from Utah and Arizona by the following: general body color, especially hind femurs, more reddish in G. navajo vs. dark in G. makhosica . G. navajo lives in sandstone badlands vs. clay badlands for G. makhosica . Chirps in G. makhosica average 3–4 p/c vs. 4–5 in G. navajo . Morphologically, G. makhosica has more teeth and longer files on average than G. navajo ( Fig. 252 View FIGURE 252 ), more teeth and average longer tegmina ( Fig. 253 View FIGURE 253 ), more teeth but similar male hind femur length ( Fig. 254 View FIGURE 254 ), more teeth and less variable teeth/mm ( Fig. 255 View FIGURE 255 ), while female G. makhosica appear to have, on average, longer hind femurs and less variable ovipositor lengths ( Fig 256 View FIGURE 256 ). While there is overlap in all of these metrics for these two species ( Table 1 View TABLE 1 , p. 18), G. makhosica is not a larger cricket than G. navajo as indicated by similar hind femur lengths in males ( Fig. 254 View FIGURE 254 ). Distinguished from allopatric (nearest populations are> 520 km apart), rock loving sister species G. saxatilis with latter having file with more teeth and longer tegmina, longer cerci and longer ovipositor. Distinguished from allopatric (nearest populations over 1000 km apart), lava inhabiting sister species G. leei by G. makhosica having non-overlapping and longer files, tegmina length, and ovipositors. Distinguished from allopatric (nearest populations are> 1100 km apart) G. longicercus by DNA and former having fewer teeth in file, fewer teeth/mm, and non-overlapping ovipositor length and pulse rate ( Table 1 View TABLE 1 , p. 18).

Holotype. Male ( Fig. 257 View FIGURE 257 ): South Dakota, Jackson Co., Badlands National Park , Cedar Pass Overlook area , 3-vii-2009, 2680’, 43° 45’ 13.6” -101° 56’ 5.1”. DB Weissman & DC Lightfoot. S 09-89, R09-80, DNA sample G1340. 16 S GenBank accession # MK 446488 View Materials ; ITS2 GenBank accession # MK 441894 View Materials . BL 20.29, HF 11.89, LC 14.81. Right tegmen removed: 172 teeth, file length 4.0, TL 13.2, TW 5.4. Type deposited in CAS, Entomology Type #19265.

Paratypes. (Total: 12♂ 6♀). South Dakota. Type locality , 29-viii-1989 (S89-75) 4♂ 1♀; 22-vi-1993 (S93-53) 4♂ 3♀; 30-vii-1997 (S97-90) 2♂; 3-vii-2009 (S09-89) 2♂ 2♀.

Derivation of name. “makhosica ” is Lakota for “badlands” in reference to the cricket’s preferred habitat within Badlands National Park, an area inhabited by the Lakota people, and part of a confederation of seven related Sioux tribes.

Geographic range. ( Fig. 258 View FIGURE 258 ). Known only from Badlands National Park, South Dakota, where males sing from holes and crevices in clay badlands.

Habitat. Males sing from large cracks up to 10m above ground level on the face of badland clay cliffs and escarpments. Heard throughout Park in similar environments. Main canyon at Cedar Pass area with grasses, Atriplex , and Sarcobatus .

Life cycle and seasonal occurrence. One generation/year. Egg diapause not checked but probably absent since adults singing by late June, 1993. Adults known from 22-vi until 29-viii. One late instar male at S89-75, on 29-viii- 1989.

Variation. Hind femur: vary in color from tan-orange to black.

DNA. Multilocus G1340 (S09-89). Sister species (Gray et al. 2019) are widespread G. saxatilis , Utah G. leei , and Utah and Arizona G. navajo .

Discussion. Easy to approach. While G. makhosica occurs microsympatrically at the type locality with G. personatus (also in clay badlands) and G. veletis (in adjacent grassy areas), the latter two species are never found singing much above the canyon floor.

G. makhosica is found no closer than 850 km to the nearest population of G. navajo in Utah, and we know of no medium to long cerci, slow chirping similar cricket species, or population, between them. Thus, given morphological and habitat differences discussed above, it seems appropriate to treat them as separate species despite their similar multilocus DNA profiles.