Gryllus planeta Weissman and 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 : 149-152

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/182387A8-09F5-FF05-51F6-FC0B00D1FD1D
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Gryllus planeta Weissman and Gray
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Gryllus planeta Weissman and Gray , n. sp.

McDonald Observatory Wood Cricket

Figs 130–132 View FIGURE 130 View FIGURE 131 View FIGURE 132 , 136 View FIGURE 136 , 151–154, 205, Table 1 View TABLE 1

Distribution. Known only from the sky island oak-woodlands of the Davis Mountains in west Texas, around the area of the McDonald Observatory.

Recognition characters and song. G. planeta is microsympatric with each of the other three slow chirping Gryllus species in the Davis Mts., but with only one species at a time. A small-medium body length, narrow, black (except for inside of hind femur), always short hind winged, cricket characterized by short cerci ( Fig. 151 View FIGURE 151 ). Song ( Fig. 152 View FIGURE 152 ) a slow chirp with 3 p/c, 150-200 c/m, and a PR of around 27 at 25°C. Morphologically most similar to western Texas G. veletis (microsympatric at S15-62) but generally separated by habitat (oak woodland vs grassy meadows), smaller, more slender size, and no overlap in the following 6 parameters ( Table 1 View TABLE 1 , p. 18): G. planeta has shorter file length with higher tooth density, shorter tegmina length and width, shorter ovipositor and shorter hind femur length even where they occur microsympatric. Also overlaps in length of cercus with G. veletis but when body length size differences compensated for ( Fig. 151 View FIGURE 151 ), cerci relatively longer in G. planeta even if only by 1-2 mm.

Genetically different from G. veletis for multilocus (Gray et al. 2019) and ITS2 ( Fig. 132 View FIGURE 132 ) but similar for 16S ( Fig. 143 View FIGURE 143 ). Separated from microsympatric G. transpecos (Davis Mts., S15-61) by 6 mostly non-overlapping characters ( Table 1 View TABLE 1 , p. 18): shorter cerci length in G. planeta , number of teeth, file length, tegminal length and width, and faster chirp rate in addition to genetics (different multilocus, 16S and ITS2 gene profiles). Separated from microsympatric G. longicercus (Davis Mts., S15-63) by non-overlapping ( Table 1 View TABLE 1 , p. 18) number of teeth, file length, teeth/mm, cerci length, PR, and DNA. G. planeta is morphologically similar to other narrow, small, spring-adult, black, slow chirping, allopatric western Gryllus species, such as G. montis (nearest population ~ 500 km west in Chiricahua Mts., Arizona) and G. saxatilis (nearest population ~ 1000 km west in Arizona) but, except for G. veletis , G. planeta can immediately be separated in the field on the basis of its short cerci and restricted geographic distribution. Also, similar to New Mexico, Organ Mountains sky island endemic G. sotol , ~ 280 km to the NW, but can be separated by cerci length, DNA, habitat, and maturation time (summer for G. sotol vs. spring for G. planeta ).

Holotype. Male ( Fig. 153 View FIGURE 153 ). Texas , Jeff Davis Co., Davis Mts. , Mt. Locke , McDonald Observatory , in oak woodland at base of Otto Struve Telescope, 1-vii-2015. 6747’, 30° 40’ 16.82” -104° 01’ 24.76”. D.B. Weissman & D.W. Weissman. S15-61, R15-189, G3114. 16 S GenBank accession # MK 446549 View Materials ; ITS2 GenBank accession # MK 441918 View Materials . BL 20.16, HF 10.63, LC 10.38. Right tegmen removed: 128 teeth, file length 2.8, TL 9.4, TW 3.9. Deposited CAS, Entomology Department #19269.

Paratypes. (Total: 5♂ 3♀). Texas, Jeff Davis Co., Davis Mts., Mt. Locke , 6747’, same data as holotype, S15- 61, 3♂ 3♀ ; 6246’; open mowed field 1.1 road miles below Telescope, 1-vii-2015, S15-62, 30° 40’ 51.03” -104° 01’ 22.78”. D.B. Weissman & D.W. Weissman, 1♂; 6073’, rocky road cut 2.7 road miles below Telescope, 1-vii-2015, S15-63, 30° 39’ 57.79” -104° 02’ 10.41”. D.B. Weissman & D.W. Weissman, 1♂.

Derivation of name. “planeta” from Latin (masculine) for planet or planetary, in reference to its only known occurrence being from 1851-2056 m elevation on Mt. Locke in the Davis Mountains, site of the McDonald Observa- tory operated by the University of Texas at Austin. The highest elevation of 2056m is at the base of the Otto Struve Telescope which is also the highest state maintained road in Texas.

Geographic range. ( Fig. 154 View FIGURE 154 ) Known only from the Davis Mts.

Habitat. From 1851m to 2056m elevation. At Telescope (S15-61), most common Gryllus , and microsympatric with G. transpecos , under short oaks with a fairly open canopy. Several collected there walking around with males singing in the open or from cracks in stone wall. Farther down the mountain (S15-62), 1 male singing with more common G. veletis in an open field but his microhabitat not noted. Still farther down the mountain (S15-63), 1 male singing in area of rocky road cut with locally more common G. longicercus .

Life cycle & seasonal occurrence. Egg diapause not checked but probably absent given the presence of apparently old adults, as indicated by broken cerci, in early summer specimens. No nymphs seen on 1-vii-2015. Given elevation, probably 1 generation/year.

Variation. Nothing significant except for measurements in Table 1 View TABLE 1 , p. 18.

DNA. Multilocus G3088, type locality. Nearest relative is G. veletis (Astral analysis) or Clade 1 of G. montis (see G2416 and G 2464 in concatenated analysis, Gray et al. 2019), the latter two both from the Chiricahua Mts. in eastern Arizona. In the Davis Mts., all individuals verified as to species by ITS2, to insure separation from G. transpecos , since if cerci damaged in the latter, can be confused with G. planeta due to some overlap in several morphological characters (see under “Recognition characters”).

Discussion. Our field attention was first called to this cricket, on the top of Mt. Locke (S15-61), by cerci that seemed 1-3 mm too long for G. veletis but not long enough for microsympatric G. transpecos . While under mountain top tree canopy is not a typical habitat for G. transpecos , G. veletis is known from such areas, such as Cloudcroft, NM. We subsequently collected obvious G. veletis 150 m lower (S15-62) on our elevational transect. At the latter site, G. veletis were much larger than those G. planeta from higher up but the cerci of these G. veletis were still shorter than those of the smaller G. planeta (see Fig. 151 View FIGURE 151 ). Critically, at S15-62, we collected one much smaller male which morphologically agrees with G. planeta (see “Recognition characters”). Our first genetic efforts with mitochondrial 16S showed no difference between G. planeta and G. veletis , but ITS2 clearly separated the two taxa, which then revealed the many physical characters that also separate them. When the paratype series of G. planeta was collected in early July, the situation was complicated, by damaged cerci in microsympatric G. transpecos (probably reflecting their old adult age), which then resembled, in length, those of G. planeta . Thus, ITS2 was run on all paratype individuals to confirm identity. The calling songs of G. planeta , G. veletis , and G. transpecos are indistinguishable from one another in the field, despite them being microsympatric in places. Perhaps if we knew beforehand which species we were listening to, then better field identification might be possible.

G. planeta , along with G. chisosensis and G. sotol , are all sky island, geographically restricted taxa, occupying cooler, wetter, and more biologically diverse habitats than the surrounding Chihuahua Desert ( Cullen, 2015). The Davis Mountains receive 51 cm of rainfall a year, contrasted with 25 cm a year in the surrounding Desert ( Cullen, 2015).

The Davis Mountains were created about 35 million years ago by the same volcanic thrust that formed the front range of the Rockies.